Can you actually negotiate the price of a property in Spain?

On a resale property, usually yes, though how much depends far more on the seller’s motivation than on how the offer is made. On a new build, rarely on the price itself. Anyone who answers this question with a percentage is guessing.

Is there any room with a developer?

Some, but usually not on the price. Developers set a fixed price list and a strong project with a waiting list has no reason to move on it. What does move is the payment calendar, the furnishings and specification, and sometimes additional services. A price cut happens mainly on the last units in a finished project.

What can be agreed apart from the price?

The payment calendar, the deadlines, the reservation and its conditions, the furnishings and changes, and the handover. On a new build those are usually worth more than the price conversation, and the customisation list is worth asking for before you reserve rather than after.

What does the negotiating cost me?

Nothing. You pay us nothing at any point in the purchase. Our fee is a share of the commission the seller side pays anyway, and the property costs you the same if you go direct.

How large is the reservation deposit, and is it refundable?

Usually 6 000 to 11 000 €, and on more expensive properties around 1 % of the price. Whether it comes back depends on the wording of the reservation contract and it differs by developer and by seller. This is the one payment made outside the guarantee system, so it should be small and the contract must state the conditions for its return clearly. That is why the lawyer reads it before the money leaves, and not afterwards.

Will you negotiate on a property I found myself?

Yes. Send us the link from Idealista, another agency’s website or straight from a developer. We check it is genuinely still available and at what price, tell you what we would ask the seller side, and if it makes sense we handle the negotiating and take you through to the keys.

Services

Negotiating the property price on the Costa del Sol

Negotiating here is not a trick, and nobody can promise you a discount: the price is set by the seller or the developer, not by an agency. What changes the outcome is knowing what that kind of property in that town is really trading at, what the seller has already refused, and what besides the price can actually move, which on this coast is often the payment calendar, the deadlines, the furnishings and the terms of the reservation. We deal with the developer or the seller’s agent on your side of the table, and when the honest answer is that the offer is not worth making, that is what we tell you.

Who is sitting on the other side

The developer, the seller and the seller’s agent all want the deal to complete. That is their role and there is nothing wrong with it. It is worth being clear about it, though, because it is the whole reason a buyer benefits from having someone whose role is the opposite.Our role is to find out the terms, add what the offer leaves out, compare the alternatives, and tell you whether this particular purchase actually makes sense.

The developer and their sales teamThey own the price list and decide which units are released and when. On a strong project with a waiting list there is no reason for them to drop a price, and they will not.
The seller’s agentRepresents the seller, not you. They organise the viewing, answer your questions and represent the seller’s interests. Their job is to sell that specific property on the best terms for the seller.
The sellerOn a resale property this is the single biggest variable there is. How much room exists depends far more on why they are selling and how long they have been trying than on anything said at the table.
UsWe keep no portfolio of our own that needs selling, and on the rare occasion a listing is ours we say so before you see it. Agencies on this coast share listings, so the price is identical whoever you come through, which means the only real variable left is who is sitting on your side.

Is the seller’s agent not supposed to help me too?They will help, and they can be entirely straight with you. They are still instructed and paid by the seller side to sell that property on the best terms for the seller. That is their job, and pointing it out is not a criticism of them.

Do you have your own properties you need to sell?No. We hold no stock. That matters here more than it sounds, because an agency with its own inventory has a reason to steer you towards it, and we do not have one.

Where the numbers come from

Living here all year is not a line on a website. It means being in contact with agents, developers and deals in progress every day, which is how we know what a specific type of property in a specific town actually sells for and where it still makes sense to talk about price.The advertised price and the price our clients actually end up paying tend to be two different things. Most of the useful information about that gap is not in the listing, and it is not on any portal either.

What a portal shows youWhat we go and find out

The asking price: The advertised price, what the seller expects, and the price at which it actually makes sense to open a conversation are three different numbers. We ask the seller side which one we are dealing with today.
That the property is listed: Whether it is genuinely still available, at that price, and what has changed since the listing went up. Negotiating on a unit that is already reserved wastes your week and ours.
Nothing about offers already made: On the cases where it is relevant, we find out what offers the seller has already refused. One refused number tells you more about the room in a deal than any technique does.
Nothing about why it has not sold: We ask the seller side why a property is still on the market. Sometimes the answer is the price. Sometimes it is something you would want to know before you bid at all.
That a unit is sold: Not every developer is open about what has actually gone. Units are released in batches, the best ones are often held back, and a unit marked sold can reappear later. We will tell you when the home you like looks held rather than gone, and we watch the projects you care about so you hear when one is released.
A price per square metre, if you are lucky: We calculate the median asking price per square metre from our own catalogue rather than from national statistics. Median means half the offers in that town are cheaper and half are more expensive. It is not the cheapest you can buy there, and it is not a valuation of one specific property.

Now the limit of all of this, because it matters more than the rest. Sold prices are not public in Spain. There is no register you or we can look up to see what the apartment downstairs actually went for. Everything above comes from being in the market every day, not from verified data, and anyone quoting you a fixed percentage below asking as a rule of thumb is quoting you a feeling.You do not have to take any of it on trust either. Where comparable properties exist we go and find them, tell you what each of them is asking and what is genuinely comparable about them rather than merely nearby, and then say where we think your number should open and why. Sometimes there is nothing honest to compare a property against, and on those we say that instead of building you a comparison out of properties that are not alike.

Quarterly market overview

How do you know what a property really sells for?From daily contact with agents, developers and deals in progress on this coast. It is also why we will not give you a number in writing as if it were measured: Spain has no public register of sold prices, so nobody on this coast holds a verified figure, whatever they tell you.

On a new build, the price is the last thing that moves

A developer holds a price list, and a project with a waiting list has no reason to discount it. That is not the same as there being nothing to ask for. It means the things worth asking for are not the price, and that almost all of them have to be raised before you reserve, because afterwards the answer is usually no.

The payment calendarHow much lands when. Shifting weight between the instalments during construction and the balance at completion is often worth more to a buyer than a small cut in the price would be, and it is the thing a developer can most easily agree to.
The specification upgradeKitchen, bathrooms, flooring, air conditioning, underfloor heating, the shower screens. Done through the developer while the unit is being built it costs a fraction of what the same work costs afterwards, and on some projects it is offered as a package rather than line by line.
Parking and storageOn many projects these are priced separately and quoted as extras later. Whether they are included, and how many spaces, is real money in the deal and is regularly left until it is too late to ask.
A furniture packageSome developers work with a furnishing package for the project. Whether one exists, what is actually in it and whether it can be brought inside the deal is worth establishing before you reserve, and it matters more if you intend to rent out the property.
Changes while it is still on paperMoving a wall, changing where the sockets go, taking out a bath for a shower. Possible early and impossible later. The list of what this particular developer will and will not do is a document, and you can ask for it.
The community fee periodWho carries the community fee between your completion and the point the development is finished and running properly. Small monthly, real over a couple of years, and a fair thing to raise while the contract is still open.

None of these is a promise, and we will not pretend a developer owes you any of them. What this is, is the list we go through with them on your behalf, and the reason we ask for the customisation list before the reservation instead of after it.

When we tell you not to make the offer at all

We are not here to get every purchase as far as the notary. Sometimes we recommend negotiating. Sometimes waiting. And sometimes not buying at all. If a property is overpriced in our view, has a serious drawback, or its price does not match the market, we will say so, and we will also tell you whether we see room to negotiate or whether we think the offer is not worth making in the first place.

PriceThere is a better alternative on the market. The property may be perfectly good; it is the price for this one, against what the same budget buys elsewhere, that does not hold up.
PlaceWhat you cannot see in the listing changes what the purchase means. What stands beside the property today is not the question. What is allowed to stand there tomorrow often is.
The checksA legal or technical finding changes the recommendation. At that point the conversation is no longer about price at all, and pushing for a better one would be the wrong advice.

One of ours ran on a resale property in Marbella at 1.100.000 €, where a large part of what the client was paying for was the open view. The plot in front of it turned out to be buildable, and what could legally be put there would have changed that view substantially. The price suddenly looked different: the client would not have been buying only the apartment and the view, but also the risk of losing one of the two things he was paying the premium for. We recommended not buying it.Sometimes the best outcome is a deal that does not happen. The right answer is not always yes.

Do you actually talk clients out of purchases?Yes, and we have done it on deals we would have been paid for. There is a page of those cases, and the reason we publish them is that principles do not convince anyone spending several hundred thousand euros. Instances do.

Does the size of your fee decide what you recommend?

Our fee is not the same on every property. It depends on the offer and on the terms agreed with the developer or the seller’s agency, and if you ask what it is on a specific property, we will tell you.So it is completely fair to ask whether the size of it can affect which property we recommend. It does not, and there are reasons for that which do not require you to take our word for it.

A better property beats a bigger feeIf the property that makes more sense for you is the one where our fee is lower, that is the one we recommend. Typically this comes up with resale properties, where our fee tends to be lower than on some developer projects.
No sales targets on specific projectsWe take no volume bonuses and no rewards for shifting a certain number of units in a particular project, so there is no project we need to push you towards.
There are concrete casesWe have advised clients to withdraw when a legal or technical check found a serious problem, and we have recommended a different property even though it meant a lower fee for us, because we thought it was the better choice for the client.

How we are paid

Which kind of deposit you are actually signing

Spanish practice has more than one kind of deposit and they do not behave the same way. Which one the contract sets up decides whether you can walk away at all, what walking away costs you, and what the seller owes you if they are the one who walks. It is the single lever on this page that protects the money, and it is settled before anyone signs.

What the contract sets up	What it means if somebody walks away	What we do about it
Arras penitenciales	Either side may withdraw at a stated price. The buyer loses the deposit, the seller returns it doubled. The exit exists and it is priced in the contract.	This is the arrangement the lawyer we work with pushes for, because it is the only one that leaves you a way out at a cost you knew about in advance. Which type actually fits your case is his call on your contract, and we make sure the question is asked before anything is signed rather than after.
Arras confirmatorias	Nobody has bought a right to withdraw. The deposit is part-payment on a sale that is already agreed, so the other side can go to court to make you complete it.	We flag it the moment it turns up in a draft, and your lawyer tells you what it changes for you before anything is signed or paid.
Arras penales	Withdrawing is treated as a breach with an agreed penalty attached, and depending on the wording the other side may be able to demand the sale goes ahead anyway.	Same again: we name it rather than renting it pass as a formality, and the lawyer reads the actual wording instead of the heading above it.

What the clause is called matters less than what it says, and a heading in a draft is not proof of the mechanism underneath it. Reading the wording is your lawyer’s job. Making sure it is read before the money leaves your account, and that what you agreed verbally is the thing that ended up in the draft, is ours.

Reservation agreement

What we negotiate for you

Price is one line of six, and on a new build it is usually the least movable one. This is the whole set, with what can realistically change on each, because a page that only talks about price is describing a negotiation that mostly does not happen here.

What	What can realistically be changed	New build and resale properties
Money
Price	Set by the seller or the developer. Our part is knowing what the same thing is trading at nearby, what has already been refused, and whether an offer is worth making at all.	On a new build a cut in the purchase price is the exception rather than the rule, most often on the last units in a finished project a developer wants to clear. On a resale property there is usually more room, though not always, and how much depends heavily on the seller’s motivation.
The payment calendar	How much you pay and when. On a new build this moves more often than the price does, and it is worth more to most buyers than a small discount would be.	On a new build the schedule is the developer’s: typically a reservation, then a larger payment around the contract, then instalments through construction and the balance at the notary. On a resale property it is the reservation, then usually 10 to 20 % in the private purchase contract and the rest at the notary.
Time and conditions
The reservation and its terms	The reservation takes the property off the market and holds it for you while the lawyer runs the legal check. Usually 6 000 to 11 000 €, and on more expensive properties it can be around 1 % of the price. It is the one payment made outside the guarantee system, which is why it should be small.	The same instrument on both, but the contract is what matters: it has to state plainly what happens to the deposit if the legal check finds a problem. That is why the lawyer reads it before the money leaves, not afterwards.
Deadlines	When you get the keys, and what happens if that date slips. On this coast the date slipping is the normal case, not the exception.	On a resale property the completion date is genuinely negotiable and is often worth more than a small price move. On a new build the date is the developer’s and depends on permits and connections outside their control, so plan for a delay of some months rather than negotiating a date you were promised.
The property itself
Furnishings and changes	What comes with the property, and what you are allowed to change in it. Frequently the most valuable thing actually available on a new build.	On a new build: finishes, sometimes the layout while it is still on paper, and practical additions that are far cheaper during construction. Ask for that list before you reserve, not after. On a resale property: what stays in the property, which is a real part of the price and is regularly left vague in the listing.
Handover	The state the property is handed over in, and what happens about anything found on the day.	On a new build the defects list at handover, with the warranty periods running from it. On a resale property, what is emptied, what is repaired and what is simply accepted as seen.
What is not negotiable
Your legal protections	Not negotiated, and it is important that nobody pretends otherwise. On a new build the money you pay before completion is protected by Spanish law and a bank guarantee, not by a clause somebody argued for.	Most developers will not amend a standard purchase contract, and on a project of a hundred units they realistically cannot. The lawyer’s job here is to confirm the guarantee is valid and issued in your name, which is one of the most important checks in the entire purchase.

Nothing in this table is a promise. What we can promise is that every one of these six is raised with the seller side before you commit to anything, and that you hear the honest answer, including when the answer is no.

Reviewing the offer

Where negotiation takes place in the purchase

The full purchase is fifteen steps from the first call to the keys. The dealing with the seller side runs through step five, the decision is yours in step six, and everything agreed lands in step eight, the reservation. Step eleven is where those terms become binding. From step nine onwards the lawyer takes over.

Steps 5, 6, 8 and 11 of 15

Dealing with the seller sideAround property viewings
This is where most of the actual work sits, and almost none of it looks like negotiating. It is asking the questions that establish what is really available, at what price, and on what terms.
New buildWe organise the viewing with the developer and run the communication for you.
ResaleWe deal with the seller’s agent and find out things you will not find in the listing, including why it has not sold.
A decision without pressureAt any time during the process
You do not have to buy on the first trip, or the second. We can work with you for months. If nothing currently on the market makes enough sense, we will say so. Sometimes the right decision is to buy, sometimes to change the brief, and sometimes simply to wait.
The reservationWhen you find the right property
The reservation takes the property off the market and holds it for you while the lawyer runs the legal check. This is where the terms stop being a conversation and become a document, which is why the reservation contract has to state the conditions plainly, including what happens to the deposit if the legal check finds a problem.
New buildA reservation contract with the developer. The amount depends on the project.
ResaleA reservation deposit and the agreed terms. This is where the price, the deadlines and any furnishings are settled.
The binding contractAfter a successful review
Only here does the contract arrive that sets the terms for completing the transaction, the deadlines, the payments and the consequences of not keeping to the agreement. What was agreed earlier is what should be written in it, and checking that it is belongs to your lawyer, not to us.
New buildThe payment calendar is set by the developer. It may involve several payments during construction, or a larger share only at completion. The exact structure depends on the project.
ResaleTypically an arras contract and a further deposit. The conditions, including the consequences of withdrawing, are stated in the contract itself.

Coordinating legal due diligence

The same negotiation, in two different ways

The same property and the same seller, approached two ways.

	On your own	With Arevont
Who the agent represents	They represent the seller or developer.	We represent only you.
What their role is	Their role is to sell a specific property.	Our task is to find out whether it makes sense to buy it.
What you know before you open	The asking price, and whatever the listing says about it.	What comparable property is really trading at, what the seller has already refused where we can find that out, and why it has not sold.
Who will tell you the bad news	The person who tells you about the property also needs to sell it.	We will tell you when a property is a bad choice, and why. Even if it means losing a deal.
Language and distance	Spanish or English, with communication from your home country according to the other party's time zone.	Czech, from people on the coast who deal with the other party in person.
How much it costs you	Nothing directly. The seller's commission is included in the price anyway.	Nothing. The commission is the same, but part of it goes to someone who represents you.

A specific example

The last good unit, at 720.000 €

A new build in Estepona. The client liked the project and the specific unit met most of the brief. There was also pressure to decide quickly, because there were not many comparable units left. This is the most common negotiating situation on this coast, and it is not about price at all.

What was on the tableA unit at 720.000 €, and a reason to decide fast. Scarcity is a real fact about a good project, and it is also the oldest reason in the business to stop comparing.
What we comparedPrice, orientation, layout, the view and the project’s terms against the other options available in a similar budget at that moment. The apartment itself was not the problem. At 720.000 € we could see alternatives where the client got more for similar money in the places that actually mattered to him.
What we recommendedNot to reserve it out of fear that it would disappear. Instead we put the specific alternatives in front of him and explained where each of them came out better for the same budget.
What happenedHe did not reserve the unit. We carried on looking and he bought a different property, one that matched what he actually wanted from the purchase. The decision was made by comparison rather than by a deadline set on the other side of the table.

We are not deciding whether a property is good. We are deciding whether it is good for you, at this price.

When we said no

How much does it cost you?

Buyer0 €No fee, no retainer, nothing at completion, and nothing if you walk away from a deal we spent weeks on.
Developer or seller
New build
2,5 to 6 %
Resale properties
1,5 to 4 %
The commission is inside the price already and is paid by the seller side, whether you come through us or go direct.
ArevontOur fee is a share of that commission, and only if a purchase happens. Advising you against a purchase costs us the fee, which is precisely why the advice is worth something.

It works simply. The seller has agreed a commission with their own agency. If you arrive without representation of your own, that whole amount normally stays with the seller’s agency. If we represent you, the seller’s agency pays our share out of that same commission. The price of the property does not change for you and you top nothing up.Who pays our fee does not decide whom we represent. The seller’s agency represents the seller. We represent you. We are not built around our own stock that need selling, so if we conclude a property is not a good buy for you, we will tell you, even though we then earn nothing from that deal.One thing to watch for, though. Some agencies on the Costa del Sol charge a commission to the buyer as well. You will not meet that with us.

The property price is the same even if you go directly. For a new build, feel free to ask for the developer's price list and check it for yourself.

Straight talk

What negotiating here will not do

Nobody can promise you a percentage, and you should treat it as a warning sign when somebody does. The price is set by the seller or the developer, not by an agency, and on a new build it is the same whichever agency you come through. An agent promising a large discount on a project before they even know the project is using the discount as bait.On a new build the room is limited. Most often what can be adjusted is the payment calendar, better furnishings, or some of the extras. A cut in the purchase price is the exception rather than the rule, for instance on the last units in a completed project the developer wants to clear. After the strong growth of recent years the market is gradually slowing, so some developers may be more open to talking about price, but counting on a discount in advance does not work. That is the market as at the middle of 2026 and it is the fastest-changing sentence on this page, so check it against the current quarterly report rather than trusting it in a year.On a resale property there is usually more room than on a new build, though not always. The price, the handover date, the furnishings and the other terms of the purchase are all open, and a great deal depends on the seller’s motivation, which is the one thing we can find out and you cannot.And a boundary that matters. A reservation does not mean everything has been checked. We cannot verify everything before it, which is exactly why the legal check comes next and why the reservation contract has to say what happens to your deposit if that check finds a problem.

The most common questions about negotiation

Can you actually negotiate the price of a property in Spain?: On a resale property, usually yes, though how much depends far more on the seller’s motivation than on how the offer is made. On a new build, rarely on the price itself. Anyone who answers this question with a percentage is guessing.
Is there any room with a developer?: Some, but usually not on the price. Developers set a fixed price list and a strong project with a waiting list has no reason to move on it. What does move is the payment calendar, the furnishings and specification, and sometimes additional services. A price cut happens mainly on the last units in a finished project.
What can be agreed apart from the price?: The payment calendar, the deadlines, the reservation and its conditions, the furnishings and changes, and the handover. On a new build those are usually worth more than the price conversation, and the customisation list is worth asking for before you reserve rather than after.
What does the negotiating cost me?: Nothing. You pay us nothing at any point in the purchase. Our fee is a share of the commission the seller side pays anyway, and the property costs you the same if you go direct.
How large is the reservation deposit, and is it refundable?: Usually 6 000 to 11 000 €, and on more expensive properties around 1 % of the price. Whether it comes back depends on the wording of the reservation contract and it differs by developer and by seller. This is the one payment made outside the guarantee system, so it should be small and the contract must state the conditions for its return clearly. That is why the lawyer reads it before the money leaves, and not afterwards.
Will you negotiate on a property I found myself?: Yes. Send us the link from Idealista, another agency’s website or straight from a developer. We check it is genuinely still available and at what price, tell you what we would ask the seller side, and if it makes sense we handle the negotiating and take you through to the keys.

Not sure how far your budget really goes?

Talk it through with us