The post-pandemic boom for foreigners to buy properties in Spain continues, with some new nationalities buying at record prices.
Spain has long been a destination for foreigners buying family homes or holiday accommodation. Traditionally, the majority of these buyers came from certain countries - mainly the UK, Germany, France and the US.
But a new trend has emerged in 2022, with increased buying and online demand in new, smaller European countries.
Foreigners bought 72,987 homes in Spain in the first half of this year, the highest number since records began in 2007, according to the Consejo General de Notariado. Properties purchased by non-Spanish people accounted for one in five (20.3%) of the total transaction value, matching the all-time high recorded in the second half of 2015.
Among the foreign buyers are the usual suspects, who have already made Spain their home or at least a holiday home, namely the British, Germans and French, although 2022 also sees a new group of buyers from different countries.
The Dutch, Norwegians and Irish bought Spanish real estate in record numbers in the first half of the year, giving a huge boost to property sales in Spain.
In fact, compared to the first half of 2021, buyers in the Netherlands, Norway and Ireland bought more than twice as many properties between January and June than in the first half of 2021, according to the data.
Purchases from all countries increased by an average of 52.75%, but purchases by the Dutch (121.5%), Norwegians (119.5%) and Irish (106.7%) increased in early 2022.
Dutch buyers, for example, bought 3,641 homes in Spain in the first half of 2022, making them the seventh-largest homebuyer in Spain.
