What we get asked before the search starts.
The questions that decide whether a purchase in Marbella goes smoothly are rarely about the property. They are about tax, paperwork and sequence — so those are what we have written down.
Benahavís and La Zagaleta, and why the address is not Marbella
La Zagaleta sits in Benahavís, not Marbella: a separate municipality with its own town hall and planning rules. What that changes for a buyer.
Read the guide → Marbella areasElviria, and what you trade for the space
Elviria sits at Marbella's eastern end: lower density, larger plots, and a drive to everything. What that means for a buyer, and what to check here.
Read the guide → Western Costa del SolWhere Marbella is, where it stops, and why the boundary decides more than you think
Marbella borders six municipalities. Which one a property sits in decides its planning rules, its licences and its annual tax bill: and listings rarely say.
Read the guide → Buying in SpainThe NIE number, and why nothing in a Spanish purchase moves without it
What a Spanish NIE number is, who issues it, the two routes to getting one, how long it takes, and the mistakes that delay a property completion.
Read the guide → Marbella areasNueva Andalucía, where the community rules matter more than the postcode
The golf valley behind Puerto Banús: residential, community-heavy, and the part of Marbella where the owners' statutes decide most of what you can do.
Read the guide → Marbella areasThe Golden Mile, and the questions that come with the address
What the Marbella Golden Mile actually covers, how beachside and mountainside differ, and the licence and planning checks that matter most on this stretch.
Read the guide → For international buyersThe cost of living in Spain, and the three lines that are always missing
Groceries and rent are the easy part. What comparison tables leave out is healthcare, the running cost of a property you own, and the tax bill on both sides.
Read the guide → For American buyersMoving to Spain from the US, in the order the steps actually happen
Visa, NIE, tax residency, property: the order matters, and getting it wrong costs months. What an American should settle before the move, not after.
Read the guide → For international buyersRetiring to Spain, and the four questions that decide whether it works
Status, healthcare, pension taxation and the property. The four things a retirement on the Costa del Sol depends on, and the order to settle them in.
Read the guide → MarbellaThe checks that are specific to buying a property in Marbella
Marbella's planning history reaches into ordinary purchases. What the licence of first occupation, the registry description and the plan in force actually tell you.
Read the guide → For American buyersLiving in Spain as an American, and what stays American about it
Two tax systems, two sets of paperwork, one life. What continues to apply to a US citizen in Spain, and what changes once you are here.
Read the guide → Owning in SpainNon-resident property tax in Spain, including the return nobody expects
What a non-resident owner of Spanish property files and pays each year: Modelo 210, imputed income, IBI, and the difference between residence and tax residence.
Read the guide → Buying in SpainWhat buying property in Spain actually costs on top of the price
Transfer tax, VAT and stamp duty, notary, registry and legal fees: how each is calculated, who sets it, and why the reference value can raise your tax bill.
Read the guide → Selling in SpainSelling property in Spain, and the money that does not reach you at completion
The 3% retention, plusvalía municipal, capital gains and the documents a Spanish sale needs: what a non-resident seller should have ready before going to market.
Read the guide → For American buyersBuying property in Spain as an American, step by step
What differs for a US buyer: the NIE, powers of attorney, moving dollars, the withholding on a future sale, and what your US return will want to know.
Read the guide → Costa del SolLiving in Marbella, described by people who are not selling you a holiday
What living in Marbella is actually like: the districts, the seasons, the paperwork, the tax residency line at 183 days, and what a purchase does not give you.
Read the guide → MarbellaThe areas of Marbella, and what actually separates them
How Marbella's areas differ in price, planning position and daily life: and which of them are not in the municipality of Marbella at all.
Read the guide → Buying in SpainThe nota simple, and the four things you should read on it first
What a Spanish nota simple shows, what it does not show, and how to spot the discrepancies that matter before you sign a reservation.
Read the guide → Around MarbellaBuying in Estepona, and what changes when you cross the municipal line
Estepona borders Marbella but has its own town hall, planning framework and local taxes. What that changes for a buyer: and what stays the same.
Read the guide → Owning in SpainInheritance tax on Spanish property, and why the region decides most of it
How Spanish inheritance tax works for foreign owners: who pays, which region's rules apply, the deadline, and why heirs cannot sell until it is settled.
Read the guide → BuyingBuying new build and off-plan in Spain: the protections, and where they end
New homes are a third of Málaga's market. How deposit guarantees work, what to check on a developer, and which documents decide completion.
Read the guide → How we workHow this site is written, checked and corrected
Every figure on this site carries a named source and a check date. What we publish, what we refuse to publish, and how mistakes get corrected.
Read the guide → Before you chooseEstate agent, buyer's agent, adviser: who is actually working for you
In Spain estate agency is not a licensed profession, and the agent showing you a house is usually paid by the seller. What to check before you sign anything.
Read the guide → MARNER dataThe Málaga province housing market, in registry numbers
Home sales in Málaga province from official registry data: the long series since 2007, the new-build shift, and what these numbers can and cannot say.
Read the guide →Ask it directly.
A guide can only take you so far. What applies to your purchase depends on the property, your residency and your timing — that conversation is free and carries no obligation.