A record number of Belgians, 4,635, are buying a second residence in Spain

2021 ended with 3,458 Belgians achieving A’s a house acquired in Spain. Last year, nearly 1,200 more were added. Despite the high prices due to the high prices of building materials and the scarcity of real estate – purchases are made even before the building permit is issued. “2022 was an absolute record year. In the more than 25 years we’ve been active, we’ve never seen this before,” says Leen Vermeulen of Hip Estates.

“It is clear that after the lockdowns during the Corona pandemic, people decided to have more fun. At the same time, work from home has become stable and this is quite possible from Spain. It certainly plays a role that consumer prices in shops and restaurants are much lower than in Belgium.” “And the energy crisis was an additional argument for buying a second home. With an average of six hours of sunshine per day, from November to February, the temperatures on the Spanish coast are very pleasant. As a result, homes need to be heated much less.”

By far the most popular area is the area around Alicante on the Costa Blanca, followed by the area from Mijas to Estepona on the Costa del Sol and the Canary Island of Tenerife. There are several flights to these areas daily from Brussels, Antwerp, Ostend, Charleroi and Liège.