The sale of free housing by foreigners increased in 16 autonomous communities in the second half of 2024 and only decreased in one, the Canary Islands (-3.9%), according to data handled by the General Council of Notaries.
The largest year-on-year increases were recorded in Cantabria (33.5%); Castilla y León (28.7%); Asturias (28.6%); Extremadura (26.9%); Castilla-La Mancha (23%); Galicia (22.5%) and the Community of Madrid (21.9%).
The sale of free housing by foreigners in the entire State increased by 10.3% year-on-year in the second half of the year, accounting for 19.5% of the market, with Britons concentrating the bulk of the operations. In the second semester of 2024, foreigners bought 69,690 homes in Spain, but their weight decreased from the 21% they reached a year earlier.
With this increase, the recovery that began in the first semester of the year is consolidated, when sales by foreigners grew by 1.8% year-on-year, all in a context marked by the end of the Golden Visa, which became effective on April 3, and the measures announced by the Executive to fiscally discourage home purchases by non-resident non-EU foreigners.
The British continue to lead
By nationality, the foreigners who acquired the most homes were again the British, with 8.7% of the operations (6,048), followed by Moroccans (7.3%) and Germans (6.7%). The rest of the foreign buyers from outside the European Union represented 12.2%, consolidating their increase.
Compared to the same period in 2023, purchases increased especially among Poles (43.7%), Chinese (26.5%) and Ukrainians (26.3%). Also noteworthy were Dutch (26%) and Colombians (23.4%).
In contrast, the largest drops occurred in Russian buyers (-10.6%); French (-2%); British (-1.7%) and Belgians (-1.6%), reflecting a change in the national composition of the foreign market.
Resident foreigners concentrate the majority
Resident foreigners concentrated 58.1% of the operations, 11.8% more, while non-residents accounted for the remaining 41.9%, 8.2% more. In both cases, a recovery was observed, accentuating its increase in the case of residents and returning to positive territory among non-residents after the fall in the first semester.
Among resident foreigners, Romanians were the main home buyers, surpassing Moroccans. They were followed, although with less weight, by Italians, Chinese and Portuguese. They stood out in the communities of Aragon; Castilla La Mancha; Castilla y León; Cantabria; Asturias; Basque Country, and Valencia.
Among non-residents, the French and Americans surpassed the Germans and British this semester. The French led in Catalonia; Cantabria; Aragon; Castilla y León, and Navarra, while the Americans did so in the Basque Country; La Rioja; Asturias; Galicia and Castilla La Mancha
