Saturday, 7 November 2026
Spain’s residential property market recorded fewer transactions during the third quarter of 2026, while purchases by foreign nationals increased compared with the previous year. According to the Spanish College of Property Registrars (Registradores de España), international buyers accounted for a record proportion of residential sales, particularly in coastal provinces, while purchasing activity among Polish nationals remained stable. Between July and September, Spain registered 164,148 residential property transactions, down 5.9% year on year and 2.3% from the previous quarter, marking the third consecutive quarterly decline in sales.
Foreign nationals accounted for approximately 26,300 purchases, or 16.05% of all transactions, compared with fewer than 23,700 a year earlier. Foreign purchases increased by approximately 11% annually, despite the decline in overall sales. Polish nationals purchased 1,089 properties, compared with 1,087 a year earlier and 1,143 in the second quarter of 2026. Poland ranked eighth among foreign buyer nationalities, accounting for approximately 4.1% of foreign purchases. These figures refer to property transactions rather than the number of individual buyers.
British nationals remained the largest group of international purchasers, representing approximately 7.5% of foreign transactions, followed by Moroccan buyers at 6.4% and Dutch buyers at 5.8%. German and Romanian nationals each accounted for approximately 5.7%. International purchasing activity was particularly concentrated in coastal provinces, where foreign buyers represented approximately 46.5% of residential transactions in Alicante and 38.8% in Málaga, substantially above the national average.
Málaga province, which includes Marbella and much of the Costa del Sol, registered 8,047 residential transactions during the quarter, down 6.8% year on year. Foreign nationals accounted for an estimated 3,125 purchases, indicating continued international demand despite the decline in overall local sales. At the autonomous community level, the Balearic Islands recorded a foreign-buyer share of approximately 37.2%, followed by the Valencian Community at 30.4%.
Residential prices continued to increase despite weaker sales. The average registered selling price across Spain reached €2,512 per square metre, up approximately 9.3% annually. Quarterly growth moderated to 1%, compared with 2.4% in the preceding quarter. A separate repeat-sales index recorded annual price growth of 15.8%, reflecting a different method of measuring property values.
In Málaga province, the average residential price reached approximately €3,400 per square metre, up 1.6% from the previous quarter. The average over the preceding twelve months stood at €3,329 per square metre, representing annual growth of 11.7%. The figures highlight differences between Spain’s national housing market and coastal destinations with substantial international demand, where purchasing activity and prices may follow different patterns from those observed elsewhere in the country.
For developers and investors, the results underline the importance of regional market conditions, housing supply and financing costs. Spain’s residential sector is experiencing slower sales activity rather than a broad decline in prices, with foreign buyers continuing to play a significant role in selected coastal markets.
