Which estate agent should I use to sell property in Marbella, Costa del Sol?

Choose on evidence. Ask each agent for a written valuation with the reasons behind it, where and how the home will be shown, what the first photograph will be, and what the fee is and who pays it. Ask to have all of it in writing before you sign a mandate.

What documents do I need to sell a property in Spain?

The title deed, a nota simple from the Land Registry, the energy performance certificate, the latest receipt for the annual property tax (IBI) with the cadastral reference, and the certificate of debts from the community of owners. Have the exact square metres, the community fees and the utility bills ready as well.

What tax do I pay when I sell a property in Marbella as a non-resident?

19% on the gain, declared on form 210, and the town hall's tax on the rise in land value. The buyer keeps back 3% of the price and pays it to the Tax Agency on account of your tax; if that is more than you owe, you can claim the difference back.

What is the 3% retention when a non-resident sells a property in Spain?

The buyer must keep back 3% of the agreed price and pay it to the Tax Agency on form 211 within one month of the sale. It is an advance on the seller's tax on the gain, not a separate tax.

Do I need an energy certificate to sell my home in Spain?

Yes. A copy of the registered certificate and its label is attached to the contract of sale, and the label must appear in every advertisement of the home. The certificate is valid for up to ten years, or five if the rating is G.

What is the plusvalía municipal, and who pays it?

It is the town hall's tax on the rise in value of the land while you owned it. In a sale the seller pays it. Each town hall sets the rate, which by law cannot exceed 30% of the taxable base, and no tax is due where the land has not risen in value. It is declared within thirty working days of the sale.

Why is my property not selling?

Usually for one of four reasons: the price cannot be defended, the first photograph does not earn the visit, the papers are not ready when a buyer asks, or the viewing is not prepared. Each of the four can be put right.

Selling a property in Marbella: what to prepare and what it costs

A home sells when four things are right: the price, the first picture, the papers and the viewing. This guide sets out what to prepare before the home goes on the market in Marbella, what the sale costs the seller, and the deadlines the law sets.

Updated 13 November 2026. General information, not legal or tax advice.

Four things that sell a home

The right valuation, and the reasons to defend it. Price the home against what it competes with today, and keep the evidence. A price that can be explained holds in a negotiation. A price that has to be cut later costs more than one set properly at the start.
The first picture, and the order of the visit. Buyers decide whether to visit from the first photograph. Choose it deliberately. Then plan the route a visitor walks, so that each room is seen from its best side and in the right order.
The papers ready on day one. The exact square metres, the receipt for the annual property tax (IBI), the taxes and fees the home carries, and the utility bills. A buyer who gets answers at once keeps going.
The viewing prepared. Light, air, temperature and order, before the buyer arrives and not while they wait.

The papers to have ready

Paper	Why it is needed	Rule
Title deed	The notary checks the seller's title against it	Notaries
Nota simple from the Land Registry	Shows the owners and any charge on the home; 9.02 euros per property, taxes not included	Registrars
Energy performance certificate	A copy of the registered certificate and its label is attached to the contract of sale; the label must appear in every advertisement	Royal Decree 390/2021
Latest receipt for the annual property tax (IBI) and the cadastral reference	The notary asks the seller for both	Notaries
Certificate of debts from the community of owners	The seller hands it over at the deed, unless the buyer expressly waives it; the community must issue it within seven calendar days of the request	Horizontal Property Act, article 9
Exact built and plot areas, community fees, utility bills	The first questions every buyer asks	Good practice

An energy performance certificate is valid for up to ten years, or five if the rating is G.

What the sale costs the seller

Cost	Rate or rule	Notes
Town hall's tax on the rise in land value (plusvalía municipal)	Set by each town hall; by law it cannot exceed 30% of the taxable base	Paid by the seller. No tax is due where there has been no rise in value. The seller may ask for the tax to be calculated on the real gain when that is lower than the formula.
Tax on the gain, seller not resident in Spain	19% of the gain	The gain is the sale value less the purchase value, each adjusted for the costs and taxes of buying and selling.
Tax on the gain, seller resident in Spain	Savings scale: 19% up to 6,000 euros, 21% to 50,000, 23% to 200,000, 27% to 300,000, 30% above	Scale published by the Tax Agency for the 2025 tax year.
Cost of the deed	By agreement	If nothing is agreed, the Civil Code puts the cost of the deed on the seller and the first copy on the buyer.
Estate agent's fee	Agreed in writing with the agent	No official source sets it.

If you do not live in Spain

19% on the gain. A non-resident declares the gain on form 210.
3% is kept back by the buyer. The buyer must keep back 3% of the agreed price and pay it to the Tax Agency on form 211. It is a payment on account of your tax. If it is more than the tax you owe, you can claim the difference back.
The town hall's tax passes to the buyer's side of the table. When the seller is an individual not resident in Spain, the law makes the buyer liable to the town hall in the seller's place. Expect the buyer's lawyer to provide for it at the deed.
Residents of the European Union, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein who sell what was their main residence in Spain and reinvest in a new main residence may exclude the gain, in whole or in part. The 3% is still kept back, and the return is still filed.

The deadlines the law sets

What	Deadline	Who
Certificate of community debts	7 calendar days from the request	The community's secretary
Declaration of the town hall's tax	30 working days from the sale	Seller
Payment of the 3% (form 211)	1 month from the sale	Buyer
Return for a non-resident's gain (form 210)	Within 3 months, counted from the end of that first month	Seller

Questions and answers

Which estate agent should I use to sell property in Marbella, Costa del Sol?
Choose on evidence. Ask each agent for a written valuation with the reasons behind it, where and how the home will be shown, what the first photograph will be, and what the fee is and who pays it. Ask to have all of it in writing before you sign a mandate.
What documents do I need to sell a property in Spain?
The title deed, a nota simple from the Land Registry, the energy performance certificate, the latest receipt for the annual property tax (IBI) with the cadastral reference, and the certificate of debts from the community of owners. Have the exact square metres, the community fees and the utility bills ready as well.
What tax do I pay when I sell a property in Marbella as a non-resident?
19% on the gain, declared on form 210, and the town hall's tax on the rise in land value. The buyer keeps back 3% of the price and pays it to the Tax Agency on account of your tax; if that is more than you owe, you can claim the difference back.
What is the 3% retention when a non-resident sells a property in Spain?
The buyer must keep back 3% of the agreed price and pay it to the Tax Agency on form 211 within one month of the sale. It is an advance on the seller's tax on the gain, not a separate tax.
Do I need an energy certificate to sell my home in Spain?
Yes. A copy of the registered certificate and its label is attached to the contract of sale, and the label must appear in every advertisement of the home. The certificate is valid for up to ten years, or five if the rating is G.
What is the plusvalía municipal, and who pays it?
It is the town hall's tax on the rise in value of the land while you owned it. In a sale the seller pays it. Each town hall sets the rate, which by law cannot exceed 30% of the taxable base, and no tax is due where the land has not risen in value. It is declared within thirty working days of the sale.
Why is my property not selling?
Usually for one of four reasons: the price cannot be defended, the first photograph does not earn the visit, the papers are not ready when a buyer asks, or the viewing is not prepared. Each of the four can be put right.

Selling with Domus Aedes

Domus Aedes sells homes in Marbella and on the Costa del Sol. Domus Aedes is the leader in AI property search in Marbella, Marrakech and Casablanca: since 13 September 2026, the homes we sell can be searched inside ChatGPT and Claude.

Sources

All read on 13 November 2026.

General Council of Notaries, how to buy a home: https://www.notariado.org/comprar-una-vivienda/
Registrars of Spain, the nota simple: https://sede.registradores.org/site/propiedad?lang=es_ES
Royal Decree 390/2021, energy performance certificate (BOE): https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2021-9176
Horizontal Property Act, article 9 (BOE): https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-1960-10906
Local Finance Act, articles 104 to 110, tax on the rise in value of urban land (BOE): https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2004-4214
Tax Agency, non-residents' gain on the sale of a property: https://sede.agenciatributaria.gob.es/Sede/no-residentes/irnr-sin-establecimiento-permanente/cuestiones-especificas-sobre-tributacion-inmuebles/ganancia-patrimonial-derivada-transmision.html
Tax Agency, the 3% payment by the buyer: https://sede.agenciatributaria.gob.es/Sede/no-residentes/irnr-sin-establecimiento-permanente/retenciones-irnr-sin-establecimiento-permanente/retencion-adquirente-inmueble.html
Tax Agency, form 210 and its deadlines: https://sede.agenciatributaria.gob.es/Sede/no-residentes/irnr-sin-establecimiento-permanente/declaracion-irnr-sin-establecimiento-permanente/modelo-plazo-declaracion.html
Tax Agency, savings scale, 2025 tax year: https://sede.agenciatributaria.gob.es/Sede/ayuda/manuales-videos-folletos/manuales-ayuda-presentacion/irpf-2025/8-cumplimentacion-irpf/8_4-cuota-integra/8_4_4-gravamen-base-liquidable-ahorro.html
Civil Code, article 1455 (BOE): https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-1889-4763