Property

Torre del Mar is one of the more active property markets on the eastern Costa del Sol, and the clearest sign of it is that the town supports twenty-two estate agencies inside roughly one square kilometre. Several work specifically with foreign buyers, including Nordic and central European markets.

What the market looks like

Demand splits three ways: local residents, Spanish second-home buyers and foreign buyers. Sale searches outnumber rental searches by roughly three to one. Within the rental side, the standout demand is for year-round lets, which tells you what happens in a town where much of the housing stock is turned over to holiday rental.

Three checks before you pay anything

• Ask for the nota simple from the Land Registry before paying a deposit. It tells you who actually owns the property and what charges are attached to it. It costs very little compared with what it prevents.
• Agree the commission in writing. The seller normally pays it here, but terms vary and it is better settled before you sign anything.
• Budget the real cost, not the asking price. Transfer tax, notary, registry and administrative fees all sit on top. Ask for that breakdown in writing.

This site does not list individual properties, because they change daily and any such list is out of date within weeks. What it documents are the agencies, with their address and their public track record. That directory is in Spanish.