Spain – the home of Gaudi’s unbelievable architectural accomplishments, great tapas, beautiful beaches, a rich history and of course…Lionel Messi.

Spain is one of my favorite places in the world, which is why I was thrilled to get Carlos Murillo Rodríguez with Coldwell Banker España & Andorra to contribute to the latest installment of our ‘Buying Abroad‘ series. Here’s an on-the-ground look at what makes Spain one of the world’s most enchanting places and a popular country for foreign buyers looking to purchase a home.

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With its passion, creativity and enthusiasm for good living, Spain is the most diverse country you can imagine. A country that conquered and was conquered a thousand times, Spain offers a diverse environment that can be enjoyed at every turn.

An epic country

The palette of Spanish landmarks moves the soul. It is Europe’s second highest country; in the northern continental border, you can find The Pyrenees, which are as beautiful as any mountain massif in the continent; whilst on the south you find the Sierra Nevada, standing impossibly on the sun-weary plains of Andalucía. On the other hand, Spanish orography offers almost 8000 kilometers of some of the most impressive beaches in the world.  Spain is the third most touristic country in the world.  Wherever you go you find towns of everlasting beauty, precariously built on mountains, nesting in valleys, or even clinging to cliffs on the various coasts, like minuscule enclaves of the traditional Spain. These gems, although harder to find these days, remain very present and are longing to be discovered yet again.

A culinary party

Food and wine are the national passion, and with reason. Cemented over complexly simple principles, recipes have strong local roots that are transmitted from father to son and serve as the base for culinary innovation that places Spanish cuisine in the international spotlight.

In Spain you can enjoy unforgettable gastronomic experiences, in a variety of places that range from “menu bars”, among the noise and laughter of complete strangers whom you’ll consider family by the time dessert arrives; to refined culinary labs that reinvent what has been there for centuries, or that will present you with a unique ephemeral creation no one will ever taste again.

Art imitating life

Spanish history has been embodied with a creativity which stems from every corner of its geography, rivaling in beauty and uniqueness in many sources.

From the impressive Cuevas de Altamira, with its rough paintings of over 35.000 years of age to any modern jewel that sprinkles the city of Barcelona. From heartwarming, wind-weary Roman ruins from Mérida to Tarragona, to diverse and awing cathedrals. What other country could provide rebel geniuses such as Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso and Antoni Gaudí and put them in the forefront of its public life? The great monuments of the past coexist with architectonic creations so bold that make clear that the future of this country will be at least as intrepid as its past.

Why buy a house in Spain?

I could drown you in details that testify as to why buying a home in our country is attractive.  Spain is a country where the buying of real estate by non-residents amounts to 15%, and it continues to rise. Spain is and has always been a traditionally home-owner country. With an 80% rate, Spain has the highest percentage of home-owners in Western Europe.

“Buying a House in Spain will make you Spanish” is not just a slogan that appeals to Mediterranean hospitality. The Spanish Government has approved the issuing of residency permits for foreign home-owners. Therefore, you will have the chance to be a part of a land that breathes tradition and exotism because… you can feel Spain.

American writer and painter, Mary Knight Potter wrote “You can know a lot about a city for the way it treats its visitors”. In Spain you will find that each visitor is as much a resident as he or she wants to be …. We await you!

Written by Carlos Murillo Rodríguez Coldwell Banker España & Andorra