David Los
Founder & Head of Research, Hometailor
Born and raised in Sweden, David has spent over a decade analysing property markets on the Costa del Sol and has guided hundreds of international buyers through Spanish purchases in English, Swedish and Polish. He writes and reviews all research content at Hometailor, and triangulates everything before it publishes: independent lawyers, agents inside and outside Hometailor, and the live market data behind this site.
Guides by David
Buy Property in Spain and Get Residency? No
The golden visa ended 3 April 2025. No purchase price grants residency. The routes that still work, and the 90/180 rule if you stay non-resident.
Residency & Visas · 10 min
Cost of Owning Property in Spain: Taxes and Fees
Purchase costs, IBI, Modelo 210, community fees, and selling costs in Andalucía. 2026 rates and a worked example.
Costs & Taxes · 11 min
Costa Blanca vs Costa del Sol: Where to Buy in 2026
Prices, taxes, climate, airports and the investment case, compared with 2026 data from both coasts, and an honest verdict from someone who chose one of them.
Choosing Where · 10 min
How to Buy Property in Spain: The Complete 2026 Process
Every step from NIE to notary: real timelines, true costs, the arras contract, and the checks that protect you, from a team that buys with clients every week.
Buying in Spain · 10 min
Property Investment in Spain: Yields, Tax, Exit
Where returns come from: Andalucía transfer tax, apartment vs villa, rental models, and the exit maths before you view.
Investment · 12 min
The Cost of Living on the Costa del Sol (2026)
Everyday life on the Costa del Sol costs less than almost anywhere in north-west Europe; housing is what decides your budget. Verified 2026 figures: Eurostat and INE data, healthcare and electricity rates, and town-by-town housing costs from our live inventory.
Living Here · 10 min
8 Mistakes People Make Buying Property in Spain (2026)
The pitfalls we see foreign buyers repeat on the Costa del Sol: budget gaps, skipped legal checks, bait listings, community-fee surprises, and how to avoid each one.
Buying in Spain · 8 min
Healthcare in Spain for Expats and Non-Residents
How foreign residents actually get covered in Spain: free public healthcare through work or a UK S1 form, the €60-a-month convenio especial buy-in, and the private policy your visa demands. The 2026 rules, rates and registration steps.
Living Here · 7 min
Is Buying Property in Spain a Good Idea in 2026?
An honest verdict with 2026 data: what supports Spanish property prices, what the real risks are (including squatters, with the law as it actually works), and who should not buy.
Investment · 9 min
Modelo 210: The Spanish Tax Non-Residents Forget
Non-resident owners file Modelo 210 every year, even on an empty home. The imputed income maths, the new deadlines from June 2026, what late filers pay, and how to file from abroad.
Costs & Taxes · 6 min
The Best Areas on the Costa del Sol, by Buyer Type (2026)
Where families, golfers, value hunters and luxury buyers actually buy on the Costa del Sol, ranked with live September 2026 medians from our own inventory.
Choosing Where · 8 min
The Non-Lucrative Visa for Spain: 2026 Requirements
Spain's residency route for retirees and buyers with passive income: €28,800 a year in 2026, plus €7,200 per family member, no work of any kind, one year then two-year renewals, and a 183-day rule that makes you a Spanish tax resident.
Residency & Visas · 8 min
Capital Gains Tax When Selling Property in Spain
What sellers pay in 2026: 19% flat for non-residents, 19 to 30% for residents, the 3% retention the buyer must withhold, plusvalía municipal, and the exemptions that cancel the bill.
Costs & Taxes · 7 min
How to Get an NIE Number in Spain: The Buyer's Guide
The NIE is the ID number every foreign buyer needs before a Spanish purchase can complete. Forms, the fee, three application routes and real timelines, explained.
Buying in Spain · 7 min
International schools on the Costa del Sol
Where the main British, IB and bilingual schools sit on the Costa del Sol, what published 2025-26 fees actually cost, and how school runs should shape where you buy. With verified tuition from official fee schedules and live housing medians from our inventory.
Living Here · 9 min
Marbella vs Estepona: Prices, Lifestyle and Value Compared (2026)
Marbella asks about 44% more than Estepona at the median. Live September 2026 prices, the lifestyle differences, identical taxes and an honest verdict by buyer type.
Choosing Where · 7 min
Spain's Digital Nomad Visa: 2026 Requirements
Spain's residency route for remote workers: €2,849 a month gross in 2026, a three-month history with your employer or clients, and a choice between a one-year consulate visa and a three-year permit issued in Spain in 20 working days.
Residency & Visas · 8 min
Squatters in Spain: The Real Risk and How Owners Protect Themselves
Spain recorded 14,875 illegal occupations in 2025, about five cases per 10,000 homes, and most hit empty urban property, not lived-in coastal homes. The verified numbers, the fast-track law that changed evictions in April 2025, and what actually protects a second home.
Investment · 8 min
Mortgages in Spain for Non-Residents: LTV, Rates and Costs
Spanish banks lend to non-residents at 60 to 70% of the property value. The real deposit, the 2026 rates, the documents and the law that decides who pays which cost, explained.
Buying in Spain · 7 min
Plusvalía Municipal: The Tax Sellers Pay (and Buyers Should Check)
The town hall tax on the land's cadastral gain at sale: the two calculation methods since 2021, the 30 working day deadline, who pays by default, and how buyers spot a liability before they sign.
Costs & Taxes · 7 min
Selling Property in Spain: Process, Costs and Taxes
The seller's side of a Spanish sale: the documents and the energy certificate, pricing against live inventory, the arras contract, completion at the notary and the taxes that follow.
Investment · 7 min
The 90/180-Day Rule in Spain, Explained for Property Owners (2026)
Non-resident owners get 90 days in any rolling 180 in Spain. How the count works, what the EES changed in April 2026, what an overstay costs, and the patterns that keep half a year legal.
Residency & Visas · 6 min
Property Transfer Tax (ITP) in Spain: Every Region Compared
Resale buyers pay ITP, not VAT: 7% in Andalucía, 9% in Valencia since June 2026, 6% in Madrid. Regional table, resale vs new-build tax, and worked examples at today's prices.
Costs & Taxes · 8 min
Rental yields on the Costa del Sol: town-by-town numbers (2026)
Long-term gross yields on current asking prices run from about 3.6% in Fuengirola to nearly 5% in Mijas and Manilva. Live purchase medians from our inventory, Fotocasa rent indices and the maths investors should run before fees and tax.
Investment · 8 min
Holiday-let licences in Andalucía: the 2026 rules
A Costa del Sol holiday let needs a VUT registration with Andalucía's tourism registry, municipal urban planning clearance where required, and from April 2025 explicit community approval for new lets in most apartment blocks.
Investment · 9 min
Newsletter · Every Friday
Track the Costa del Sol market without the noise.
Every Friday: the properties worth a second look, what prices are doing in Marbella and Estepona, and one honest take on the market. For buyers who are serious, but not ready to be sold to yet.
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