Joan Company, President of the Consell de Col-legis API de Catalunya and of the Col-legi i Associació dels API de Girona, stresses that "the purchase of second homes by foreigners on the Costa Brava continues to be very active". From the sales that have taken place up to the third quarter of 2023, "foreign purchases are above 30%, when we were usually at 26 or 27%". On the other hand, "the purchase of primary residences has fallen". Mortgages have risen, which affects part of the buyers, but not those who want a second home, "those who have a higher purchasing power and in most cases do not need financing". What is more, "historically, the foreign client was attracted by the prices, which were cheaper than in France or Belgium. Now, in the last three or four years, it is a higher profile. They are not looking for low prices, they are looking for investment". For example, to avoid the higher tax rates that exist in France.
Most of them, he says, want second homes or "to rent and speculate". He also highlights the foreign client, especially the French, who come to the coast. "In 2022, in Roses, there have been more sales and purchases than in the city of Girona," he points out.
