What to fix before selling your house in Spain (and what isn’t worth it)
Fix whatever makes a buyer hesitate: damp, cracks, broken things and tired walls. Don’t put in a new kitchen or bathroom just to sell, because it rarely pays back. Then declutter, clear the space and get the home ready for the photos. Here’s each step, plus the paperwork to have ready.
- Do fix anything a buyer would see as a problem: damp, cracks, leaks, shutters, taps or sockets that don’t work, and worn paintwork.
- Don’t renovate the kitchen or bathroom just to sell. Buyers want to choose their own, and the area sets the price.
- Home staging starts with taking things out: less furniture, fewer personal items, more light.
- Before you advertise, have the title deed, a nota simple, the latest IBI bill and the energy performance certificate ready. The certificate is compulsory.
What should you fix before selling a house in Spain?
The rule is simple: fix anything a buyer would note down as a defect during a viewing. Every visible defect is an objection, and every objection is an argument for a lower offer. Buyers don’t work out what it would cost to fix a damp patch. They imagine the worst.
Damp and leaks come first. A stain on the ceiling or salt marks along the skirting suggest a deeper problem. Find the cause, fix it, then paint. Painting over it without fixing the source is a bad idea: the stain comes back and, if the buyer finds out, you lose their trust.
Cracks. Small cracks in the paint or plaster can simply be filled. If there’s a large one, in a load-bearing wall or one that keeps opening, have a surveyor or architect look at it before you sell. It’s better to know what it is and be able to explain it than to hide it.
Anything that doesn’t work. Shutters that won’t go up, dripping taps, dead bulbs, loose sockets, doors that stick, the pool pump. They’re cheap fixes and, together, they say the home has been looked after.
Paint. It’s one of the best-value things you can do. Clean walls in light colours make rooms brighter and look bigger in photos. If you have very strong colours, take them back to white or a neutral shade.
Outside. On the Costa Blanca, buyers pay a lot of attention to the terrace, the garden and the pool. Prune, clean the pool, fix loose tiles and repaint the façade or walls if they’re flaking. It’s the first thing people see when they arrive and what appears in the main photo.
The renovations that rarely pay back
Putting in a new kitchen or bathroom to sell is usually a mistake, for three reasons.
First, taste. Whoever buys your home wants to choose their own kitchen, and there’s a good chance they won’t like the one you pick. What’s an improvement to you is something they’ll rip out.
Second, price. Your home’s value is set by what people pay for similar homes in your area. A renovation may help you sell sooner, but it won’t lift your home above the price ceiling of its street or urbanisation.
Third, time. Building work means weeks or months when the home can’t be shown, and it always overruns. Meanwhile you’re still paying IBI, community fees and utilities.
If the kitchen or bathroom is dated but in good condition, deep-clean it, replace whatever’s broken (a tap, the grouting, a handle) and let the buyer decide. If it’s in genuinely poor shape, the usual answer is to reflect it in the price, not to renovate.
If you’re unsure whether to fix something, the best first step is to know what your home is worth as it stands and which homes it competes with. That makes the decision easy. You can start with a valuation.
Fix it or leave it: at a glance
| What | Worth it? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Damp and leaks | Yes, fixing the cause | They suggest a bigger problem |
| Small cracks | Yes | A cheap fix that removes a doubt |
| Shutters, taps, sockets, doors | Yes | Together they show a cared-for home |
| Light-coloured paint | Yes | More light and space in viewings and photos |
| Garden, terrace and pool | Yes, clean and tidy | It’s the first thing people see |
| New kitchen | Rarely | Buyers want to choose their own |
| New bathroom | Rarely | Same reason, and the work overruns |
| Declutter and clear | Always | Costs little and shows in every photo |
Home staging: declutter, clear and let the home breathe
Home staging means preparing the home so buyers can picture themselves living there. You don’t need to hire anyone or buy new furniture to do the basics, and the basics are what make the difference.
- Remove furniture. Almost every home has more than it needs. Take out whatever blocks the way and the rooms will look bigger.
- Remove personal items. Family photos, collections, fridge magnets, paperwork. Buyers need to see a home, not yours.
- Clear the surfaces. Worktops, tables and shelves nearly empty. A fruit bowl or some flowers and little else.
- Deep-clean. Windows, bathroom grouting, the oven, the terraces. Cleanliness is what makes a home feel looked after.
- Give every room its purpose. If a bedroom has become a storeroom, turn it back into a bedroom or a study.
- Let the light in. Raise the shutters, open the curtains and replace dead or very cold bulbs.
If the home is empty, a few well-placed pieces of furniture help buyers understand the size of each room. If it’s full, the job is the opposite: take things out.
How to get the home ready for photos and the 360 tour
Many of our buyers live elsewhere in Europe and decide whether to fly out for a viewing by looking at the photos and the 360 tour. So everything above needs to be done before the shoot, not after.
On the day, leave the home as if a buyer were walking in: beds made, towels put away, no cars in the drive, no buckets or hoses in sight, the pool clean and the shutters up. Put away anything you don’t want to appear, because a 360 tour shows the whole room, including what’s behind the camera.
Our property photography covers professional photos, aerial views, 2D and 3D floor plans, video and a 360 virtual tour, depending on what each home needs. The better prepared the home is, the more each of those pieces does for you.
Tidying and cleaning cost little and show in every photo. A new kitchen costs a lot, and the buyer may not even like it.
The paperwork to have ready before you sell
Getting the home ready also means getting the documents ready. If you have them before you advertise, nothing holds things up when a buyer appears.
- The title deed (escritura) and a recent nota simple from the Land Registry.
- The latest paid IBI bill (annual property tax).
- The energy performance certificate. It’s compulsory for selling, and its rating has to appear in your adverts. It’s valid for ten years, or five if the rating is G. If you don’t have one or it has expired, get it before the home goes on the market.
- The community certificate showing you’re up to date with the fees, if the home is on an urbanisation or in a block. Without it the deed can’t be signed unless the buyer waives it. The community’s secretary or administrator has seven days to issue it.
- Your NIE, if you’re a foreigner. You can’t sign at the notary without it.
- If there’s a mortgage, the figure still outstanding. I explain how that works in selling a property with a mortgage.
If you live outside Spain, all of this can be prepared remotely. And if any document is missing, we’ll tell you how to get it.
Tell me about it and I’ll tell you how we’d show it: professional photos, aerial views, floor plans, video and a 360 tour, so a buyer can see it from anywhere in Europe.
Frequently asked questions
Is it worth renovating the kitchen before selling? +
Rarely. Buyers usually want to choose their own kitchen, and the price is set by what people pay in your area. Deep-clean it and fix whatever’s broken instead.
What is home staging? +
Preparing the home so buyers can picture themselves living there: less furniture, fewer personal items, a deep clean and more light. You can do the basics yourself.
Do I need an energy certificate to sell a house in Spain? +
Yes. A registered copy is attached to the sale contract, and its rating has to appear in the adverts for the home.
Should I repaint before selling? +
If the walls are dirty, worn or in very strong colours, yes. It’s one of the cheapest fixes and makes a big difference in viewings and photos. If there’s damp, fix the cause first.
Do I need to be at the house on the day of the photos? +
Not necessarily. Tell me about your situation and I’ll explain how we can arrange it.
Founder of maXcasa International. Thirty years buying and selling homes on the Costa Blanca North, with clients from all over Europe.
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