Hi guys I''m sorry if I have posted this in the wrong section but this is my first post, let me start by saying this truly is an amazing site and its obvious there is a lot of hard work put in to it, well done.

Anyway if was looking for some help in guiding me in the right direction to buying a flat in Madrid, say a 2 bedroomed flat, are there any websites that you can guide me to, when you search the web all you seem to get is property for sale in the Costas, but I prefer the REAL SPAIN, when I say Madrid this is just a guide, for instance I was looking through the INMADRID online guide and in the classifieds someone was advertising a 3 bedroomed house in a village 50 minutes from Madrid for 29,000 euros!!!! IS THIS FOR REAL??? it seems far to good to be true that price, or maybe is this what you pay for a house in a small Spanish Village? I would welcome any replies with thanks.

Kenny, well, the old saying, if its too good to be true... well, although prices are cheaper in the smaller towns and villages, THAT'S a bit TOO inexpensive. But you never know! You'd really have to go look at it!

Look in www.segundamano.es - they have a real estate section and even pictures sometimes. You don't have to limit to Madrid either- you can put in a specific search to province, area, and price. That should start you off and give you an idea on the prices in the different areas you're interested in.

Good luck!

How is your Spanish? Both Century 21 and REMAX have offices throughout Spain. Perhaps checking out their websites will also give you some ideas about purchasing a property here.

I have been lurking around MadridMan and other Madrid sites for quite some time - but never posted. Here's my chance. I first went to Madrid as a student a long time ago and always dreamt of owning a piso - a piece of Madrid.

I started looking seriously around 1999 and bought a downtown piso (flat) in 2001. You can look at some web sites to get an idea - but you really have to be on the ground in Madrid to get anything done. A great web site is Idealista.com , there you can search for many different options of the apartment you want. One thing to know about the real estate system in Spain is that each realty company will only show you listings that they have - unlike in the states, if you go to ReMax in the states for example, they will show you houses listed by Century 21 and others, etc. Not in Spain. This makes the work slow going. Also, most people in Spain hold realtors in pretty low regard. Many listings are without a realtor because nobody wants to pay a commission, etc. One reason for this is the commissions never seemed to be spelled out in advance. The seller will tell the realtor the price he wants then the realtor will get whatever he can and keep the difference.

I wanted a piso in the center, so I basically "hit the streets" with a cell phone looking for "For Sale" signs on the balconies. I walked around in the areas I wanted to be - and started calling. I saw a lot of nasty stuff for big money. But I then found just what I wanted - an "exterior" fourth floor piso, 100 sq.m., 3 balconies to the street. Prices have gone up a lot recently - but there is talk of a real estate "Burbuja" or bubble meaning they could come tumbling down - good for you...

Regarding financing, I was surprised to find out that if you have enough of a down payment you can get a loan in Spain without having a source of income in the country. I have a loan from BBVA ( a big bank over there) I would send you to my banker if you are really interested....

The center of Madrid is the most expensive, it does get much cheaper in the outskirts...

En fin, there is a lot more to know of course, but this is a start - if you have a specific question, I'll try to answer.

PisoMadrid,

I am also extremely interested in this as well..is it alright if i email u? I'd really appreciate it..i have a few questions..

Gracias

Guapetona,

I'll be here...

Listen guys thanks for the info I'm really grateful, also piso I may be in touch for more information soon, once again Thank You.