If you’re planning on buying a vacation house or want to be prepared to rent a great apartment for your next vacation in a Spanish-speaking country, this guide with real estate vocabulary in Spanish is perfect! I’m going to share with you several words in Spanish that will definitely be useful if you’re dealing with real estate in a Latin country!
Everyone knows how complex buying or renting an apartment is. You have to deal with real estate agents, who I bet are great people but sometimes leave you scared that they are trying to pull a fast one on you!
I have a funny story for you: Last year I decided to stay in the South of Spain for a couple of weeks. I found a charming place near the beach, the price was great, so I decided to book it. While scrolling through the comments, a phrase kept appearing – pagamento en efectivo. However, I ignored it.
I got to the apartment really late that day, and to my surprise (it shouldn’t have been), I could only pay for my stay with cash! That’s when all the neurons in my brain made a proper link, and I finally understood what pagamento en efectivo meant! – “Payment in cash”.
It goes without saying that for the better part of half an hour after that, I went running around like a headless chicken looking for an ATM to withdraw the money!
Finally settled in my new apartment for the next few weeks, and even before unpacking, I just went online and looked up every single Spanish word related to real estate that I could find, as my trip around Spain was not yet over. I really didn’t want any more surprises.
So, if you don’t want to be like me and run around like a complete maniac, asking everybody I could see for an ATM, then you better read this guide carefully and write down a few words that you think will be helpful to you. If you’re not close to a piece of paper, just save this blog post and come back anytime to freshen your memory!
If you want to look at some basic topics first, make sure to explore our blog, where you can find several other interesting topics, along with the basics of the Spanish language or a discussion about how hard Spanish is to learn.
How To Say House In Spanish
What is real estate all about? Houses. You buy them, you rent them, or you remodel them. It would be shameful if we talked about real estate in Spanish without knowing how to say the word house in this language, right?
House in Spanish is called Casa, and also means Home. So when E.T. said, “E.T. phone home,” if he was Spanish, we would say “E.T. telefonar a casa.” Actually, I believe every movie in Spain is translated, so you might actually find a version of it with a Spanish guy talking in the background.
Can You Actually Buy A House In Spain?
Spain is a country revered for its international reputation. Many people choose this incredible country to retire, study or even work, so much so that it is estimated that around 6 million ex-pats currently live in Spain.
But can ex-pats actually buy a house in Spain? The short answer is yes! The Spanish government highly incentivizes foreign buyers in general, mostly by simplifying the buying process.
The process is very simple, and first, you need to get an NIE (Número de Identificación de Extranjero), also known as the Foreigner’s Identification Number. As an expat, this is the Spanish financial number, and you need it to do any fiscal activities in Spain. Then is just a matter of choosing the house, talking to the property owners and your real estate agent, setting an independent valuation and the exact mortgage conditions with your bank, and signing the contract.
To ease this process even more, Spain has one of the most successful Golden Visa programs in Europe. If you don’t know what this program is, it is basically a residency by investment scheme, which grants the holder residence in Spain in exchange for an investment in real estate.
30+ Useful Real Estate Vocabulary In Spanish
In the following table is a series of Spanish words that you can use in any Spanish-speaking country if you want to discuss anything regarding real estate in Spanish.
Let’s Put These Into Practice: Conversation Examples
Now that you know the words, it is always helpful to see them being used in daily conversations.
Example 1:
Person 1: Hola, eres el dueño de la propiedad? ¿Esta casa está en venta? – Hello, are you the owner of the property? Is this house for sale?
Person 2: ¡Sí, lo es! Tiene 300 metros cuadrados y 3 dormitorios. – Yes it is! It has 300 square-meters and 3 bedrooms.
Person 1: ¿Tiene una cocina totalmente equipada? – Does it have a fully equipped kitchen?
Person 2: ¡Sí! También tiene una hermosa terraza con increíbles vistas al océano. – Yes! It also has a beautiful terrace with incredible views over the ocean.
Person 1: ¡Perfecto! Enviaré una oferta la próxima semana! – Perfect! I’ll send an offer next week!
Person 2: Si desea reservarlo, primero debe realizar un pago inicial. – If you want to reserve it, you must make a down payment first.
Example 2:
Person 1: Me acabo de mudar a un apartamento nuevo en un gran condominio. ¡Tenemos garaje, piscina y gimnasio! – I just moved into a new apartment in a great condominium. We have a garage, pool and gym!
Person 2: ¡Impresionante! Estoy buscando una casa nueva pero no puedo mudarme hasta que pague mi hipoteca. – Awesome! I’m looking for a new house but I cannot move out until I pay my mortgage.
Person 1: Oh, que malo es eso. Hay otra casa en alquiler en mi condominio. Tiene una enorme sala de estar con mucha luz natural. – Oh, that’s too bad. There’s is another house for rent in my condominium. It has a huge living room with so much natural light!
Learn More Spanish With Ling App
If your goal is to get your new house and discuss it with your real estate agent in perfect Spanish, then you’re in the right frame of mind; however, there are still some aspects that you have to improve.
This is where Ling enters, just like a knight in shining armor coming to your aid! Ling App is a language learning app filled with vocabulary and grammar tips that will help you master any language in no time!
Ling app aims to motivate, engage and help learners develop their own routines in their target language. With only 15 minutes per day, you will see big progress daily!
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