The Day Laura Stopped Viewing Homes “Blindly” (and Found Her Buying Range in 15 Minutes)

Laura loves looking at houses. She had spent two weeks booking viewings all over northwest Madrid. By Saturday, after seeing the third flat, she realised she was falling for homes she might not be able to — or shouldn’t — afford.

She called us.

“I want to stop wasting time — and money. What should I do first?”
“We stop and run the numbers,” I told her. “Before seeing more places, we’ll define your real buying range and put it in writing. Then, yes — we’ll only visit what truly fits.”

1) The number that lets you sleep at night: your maximum monthly payment

On a video call, Laura opened the Bank of Spain simulator and entered her figures. She saw how her payment changed as she adjusted the term or rate — pure magic (or maths).

“Okay, this is the payment I can sleep with.”
Perfect. We saved that as her ceiling.
→ [Use it yourself: Official Bank of Spain Simulator]

2) A friendly dose of reality: taxes and costs

Laura was viewing both new builds and resales. I explained the essentials, with links so she wouldn’t get lost:
New build → pays VAT (generally 10%). → [AEAT: VAT or Transfer Tax?]
Resale → pays Transfer Tax (rate varies by region). → [Official Guide: Transfer Tax / Stamp Duty by Region]
Mortgage → nowadays, the valuation is paid by the client and other costs are shared differently than before. → [Bank of Spain: Mortgage Expenses]

Our practical rule of thumb for clients:
Budget ≈ available savings + taxes & fees (VAT/ITP, notary, registry, valuation, etc.) + sustainable loan based on your simulator limit.

3) The pre-approval: your negotiation passport

With her payment limit and costs clear, we applied for mortgage pre-approval. It’s not a contract, but it clarifies your range, reduces uncertainty, and puts you in a stronger position when making an offer.

“What if the bank later gives me less?”
“That’s why we use the BdE simulator and compare scenarios — so you visit homes grounded in reality, not wishful thinking.”
→ [Other BdE Simulators]

4) Targeted viewings (and paperwork ready)

Two days later, we ruled out seven properties that didn’t fit and viewed three that did. Before making an offer on the one she liked, we ordered the Land Registry extract to confirm ownership and encumbrances.
→ [How to request it online: Registrars – Land Registry Extract]

5) The result

Laura made an offer backed by numbers and pre-approval. It wasn’t the highest offer… but it was the strongest.
It was accepted.

“I haven’t seen fewer houses — I’ve seen the right ones,” she told me at the signing.