Selling a Holiday Home in Gran Alacant for an Owner Living in Madrid

In this case study, I explain how I helped a property owner living in Madrid sell a holiday home in Gran Alacant, Costa Blanca.

The owner did not live near the property and did not have time to manage viewings, buyer enquiries, agency coordination or the sales process personally. I received the keys, prepared the property for marketing, filmed and photographed it, listed it correctly and opened it to serious buyers and collaborating agencies.

The property was sold in around two and a half months to a Norwegian buyer who purchased with a Spanish mortgage.

Key facts

• Seller profile: private owner living in Madrid
• Property location: Gran Alacant, Costa Blanca
• Property type: holiday home / resale property
• Asking price: around €280,000
• Buyer profile: Norwegian buyer
• Financing: Spanish mortgage
• Reservation deposit: €5,000 paid at the arras contract stage
• Time to sale: around two and a half months
• Seller presence at notary: not required; represented by a lawyer
• My role: key handling, property presentation, marketing, agency collaboration, buyer coordination and sales follow-up

The seller's situation

The owner lived in Madrid and had a property in Gran Alacant that he wanted to sell.

This is a common situation on the Costa Blanca. Many Spanish owners from Madrid, Bilbao and other large cities bought holiday homes in areas such as Torrevieja, Gran Alacant, Santa Pola, Alicante and Orihuela Costa many years ago. Later, when they decide to sell, they often do not have the time or availability to manage the process themselves.

Selling a property from another city can be difficult because the owner must deal with:

• buyer enquiries;
• viewings;
• keys;
• photos and videos;
• price positioning;
• agency calls;
• negotiation;
• the reservation contract;
• the buyer's mortgage process;
• lawyer coordination;
• notary preparation.

In this case, the owner needed someone local to manage the process professionally from start to finish.

What I did for the owner

After being contacted by the owner, I took over the local sales process. My role included:

• receiving and managing the property keys;
• visiting the property;
• filming the property;
• taking photos;
• preparing the property for listing;
• positioning the price correctly;
• listing the property for sale;
• managing interest from potential buyers;
• opening the property for viewings;
• collaborating with other real estate agencies;
• coordinating the process after the buyer was found;
• following the sale until completion.

This is important because selling a property is not only about publishing an advert online. The real work is making the property visible to the right buyers, filtering serious interest and coordinating the process correctly until the notary signing.

Why collaboration with other agencies helped

The property was sold through collaboration with another agency that had the buyer.

This is an important point for property owners to understand. A good sales strategy should not depend only on one agent's direct clients. If I do not already have the right buyer for a property, I can collaborate with other trusted agencies that may have active buyers looking for exactly that type of home.

In this case, I had the property, and another agency had the buyer. That cooperation helped the owner sell the property faster than relying only on passive advertising.

For sellers, this is one of the advantages of working with an agent who is open to professional collaboration. The goal is not to keep the property hidden. The goal is to find a qualified buyer and complete the sale safely.

The buyer and mortgage process

The buyer was from Norway and purchased the property with a Spanish mortgage.

When a buyer needs financing, the sale can take longer than a cash purchase because the bank must review the buyer's financial situation and approve the mortgage. The bank may also require a property valuation before final approval.

This means the seller needs patience and proper coordination between the buyer, bank, lawyers, agency and notary.

In this case, the buyer paid a €5,000 reservation deposit at the arras contract stage. After that, the buyer continued the necessary steps to obtain the mortgage and complete the purchase.

The process moved correctly because the price was realistic, the buyer was serious and the professionals involved coordinated the transaction properly.

The seller did not need to travel for the final signing

The seller did not need to come personally to the notary.

He was represented by his lawyer, who protected his interests and handled the signing on his behalf. At the notary, because the buyer purchased with a mortgage, the bank issued the bank cheque used for the final payment.

For owners who live in another city or another country, this is very important. In many cases, with the right legal representation, the seller can complete the sale without being physically present at the final signing.

This makes the process easier for owners who live in Madrid, Bilbao, another part of Spain or even outside Spain.

Result

The property in Gran Alacant was sold in around two and a half months.

The owner did not need to manage viewings, buyer calls, agency coordination or the notary process personally. The property was marketed, shown to serious buyers, shared through agency collaboration and sold to a Norwegian buyer who completed the purchase with a Spanish mortgage.

The key factors that made the sale possible were:

• correct price positioning;
• professional presentation;
• local key management;
• cooperation with other agencies;
• access to international buyers;
• proper legal representation;
• coordinated follow-up until notary completion.

Key lesson for property owners

Selling a property in Spain is not only about putting it online. A property sells faster and more safely when it has:

• a realistic price;
• good photos and video;
• local key management;
• access to serious buyers;
• cooperation with other agencies;
• legal support;
• clear coordination until the notary.

For owners who live far from the property, working with a local agent can make the difference between a stressful process and a managed sale. The owner does not need to meet every potential buyer personally, answer every call or travel repeatedly to open the property. With the right local support, the entire process can be organised professionally.

Every sale is different, and timelines, costs and legal steps depend on the property, the buyer and the professionals involved, so the details should always be confirmed with a lawyer.