Free Property Valuation on the Costa del Sol

By Mikael Hansen, Plexo Properties · Last updated 16 August 2026.

Two ways to get your property valued

Most owners on this coast do not live here full time, so we do it in two stages. You can stop after the first one.

Neither one obliges you to sell, and neither one obliges you to sell through us. We will tell you if we think your property is worth less than you hoped, which is the entire point of asking someone independent.

What you receive

A number on the phone is not a valuation. You get a written report with four things in it.

1. Comparable sales, with the actual properties named

What genuinely similar homes in your urbanisation and immediate area have sold for, not what they were advertised at. Asking prices on this coast can sit well above completion prices, and the gap is the single most common reason a property sits unsold for a year.

2. A recommended asking price and an expected time on market

A price range with a recommendation inside it, and an honest estimate of how long a sale is likely to take at that price in your area and property type. If you need to sell faster than that, we will tell you what price does it.

3. An estimate of your net proceeds

What you would actually be left with after agency fee, legal fees, plusvalía municipal, the non resident retention and capital gains tax. This is the number that matters, and most valuations never mention it.

4. Preparation recommendations

What is worth doing before photography and marketing, and just as importantly what is not worth doing. Spending twenty thousand euros on a kitchen rarely returns twenty thousand euros on this coast. Fixing the things buyers notice in the first ninety seconds usually does.

Your property has four different "values" and only one is the sale price

This is where most owners get confused, and where bad advice does real damage. A Spanish property has several official and unofficial values, and they are not interchangeable.

An agent's valuation is an estimate of the fourth. It is not a tasación, and it has no legal standing for a bank or a tax office. If you need a formal appraisal for a mortgage, an inheritance or a court matter, you need a certified valuation company, and we will tell you so rather than pretending otherwise.

The reference value catches people out most often. Because it sets a floor for the buyer's tax, a buyer whose purchase price falls below it can be taxed on the higher figure. It is worth knowing where your property sits against it before you set a price.

What actually moves the price on this coast

Two apparently identical apartments in the same urbanisation can differ by twenty percent. In order of how much they usually matter here:

1. Position within the development. Front line, sea view, corner, top floor, or facing the car park. This is the single largest factor and nothing else compensates for it.
2. Orientation. South and south west terraces carry a clear premium. North facing units are harder to sell at any price.
3. Walkability. Whether you can reach a supermarket, a beach and a restaurant on foot. This has grown steadily more important to international buyers.
4. Condition and how dated the finish looks. Buyers here discount heavily for anything they would want to replace immediately.
5. Community fees and the state of the community. High fees or a pending derrama for building works reduce what buyers will pay.
6. Legal cleanliness. Unregistered extensions, closed terraces, missing first occupation licence or an outdated cadastral description all cost money at the negotiating table.
7. Timing. Buyer traffic on this coast is seasonal, and a property launched at the wrong point in the year loses its best weeks of exposure.

What you will actually receive

Here is where the money goes on a Costa del Sol sale. Figures are the normal position and can vary by municipality and circumstance.

You can estimate these costs yourself with our Costa del Sol cost calculator; the net proceeds figure in your valuation then refines it for your specific property.

How the 3 percent retention works

If you are not tax resident in Spain, the buyer is legally required to withhold 3 percent of the sale price and pay it to the tax office on your behalf, using form 211, within one month of signing. It is not a tax. It is an advance payment against your capital gains liability.

You then file form 210 to settle the actual position. If your gain was smaller than the retention, or you sold at a loss, you claim the difference back. The filing window is three months from the end of the buyer's one month retention period, so in practice around four months from signing. Missing it is expensive and slows the refund down considerably.

Capital gains tax for non residents is 19 percent of the gain, calculated as the sale price less the adjusted purchase price, less allowable costs and documented improvements. Keep every invoice for work done on the property. Improvements you cannot document are improvements you cannot deduct.

Plusvalía municipal is legally the seller's tax. It is charged by the town hall on the increase in land value over the years you owned the property, and since the 2021 reform you can choose between two calculation methods and use the lower one. If you sold at a loss, it is not due at all. That last point is still missed regularly.

For the full step by step process, see our guide to selling property on the Costa del Sol.

What we need from you

For a desktop valuation, the address and a few photographs are enough to start. For a full valuation and a sale, you will need the following. If you are missing some of it, that is normal and we can tell you how to get it.

• Nota simple from the land registry, showing ownership and any charges
• Title deed, the escritura
• Latest IBI receipt and the cadastral reference
• Community fee statement and confirmation you are up to date
• Energy performance certificate, legally required before marketing
• First occupation licence for newer properties
• Floor plan and the built and terrace measurements
• Utility bills, useful for confirming running costs to buyers
• Invoices for any improvements, which reduce your capital gains bill

We do not require exclusivity

You can list with us without taking your property off other agents. That is unusual on this coast and we are deliberate about it. An agency that will only work under exclusivity is asking you to trust it before it has shown you anything.

We would rather earn the instruction. If our valuation is more honest and our marketing works better, you will see it in the viewings, and most owners consolidate with one agency on their own once that becomes clear.

Where we value

We cover the Costa del Sol west of Málaga, from Benalmádena through to Estepona and the inland areas behind them. Our closest market knowledge, meaning the areas where we can name comparable sales from memory, is La Cala de Mijas, Mijas Costa, Marbella East, Elviria and Higuerón.

If your property sits outside that stretch, ask anyway. We will either help or tell you who is better placed, which is a more useful answer than a valuation from someone who does not know the street.

How it works

1. You send us the property details. Address, type, bedrooms, and photographs if you have them.
2. We prepare the desktop valuation. Comparable sales, current competition, and a price range.
3. We talk it through. What is driving the number, and what would change it.
4. If you want to go further, we visit. Condition, position, light, layout and the things photographs never show.
5. You receive the written report with the recommended asking price, expected time on market, net proceeds estimate and preparation advice.
6. You decide. Sell now, sell later, or do nothing. There is no obligation at any point.

Frequently asked questions

Is the valuation really free?

Yes, both the desktop valuation and the in person visit. There is no fee and no obligation to list with us afterwards.

Do I have to be in Spain?

No. The desktop valuation requires nothing from you but the details. For a visit we can arrange access with a keyholder, a neighbour, your administrator or your rental agent.

Is this the same as a tasación?

No. A tasación is a formal appraisal by a certified valuation company, required for mortgages, inheritance and court proceedings. Ours is a market valuation for setting an asking price. If you need a tasación we will tell you.

Do I have to give you exclusivity?

No. You can list with other agents at the same time.

How much tax will I pay when I sell?

As a non resident, 19 percent of the gain, plus plusvalía municipal on the increase in land value. Three percent of the sale price is withheld at signing as an advance and reconciled afterwards through form 210. Your actual position depends on your purchase price and documented costs, which is what the net proceeds estimate is for.

Can I get the 3 percent retention back?

Yes, if your capital gains liability turns out to be lower than the amount withheld, or if you sold at a loss. You claim it by filing form 210 within the deadline, which is roughly four months from signing.

What if the valuation is lower than I expected?

Then you have useful information rather than a wasted year on the market. We will show you the comparable sales the number is based on, and what would need to change to reach the figure you had in mind.

This page explains how property valuation and selling costs normally work in Spain. It is general information, not legal or tax advice, and it is not advice on any particular sale. Rules change and individual circumstances differ, so confirm your own position with a lawyer or gestor. Sources: Agencia Tributaria on non resident income tax, forms 210 and 211; Ley Reguladora de las Haciendas Locales and the 2021 reform of plusvalía municipal; Dirección General del Catastro on valor catastral and valor de referencia. Information checked 16 August 2026.