The first crucial step when buying or selling a property is determining its market value. Although there are numerous free tools to appraise a home, including one available directly on our website, what factors allow us to obtain a realistic idea of our home's market value?

A common method is comparing with other properties on the market, a usual practice among individuals. However, this approach has its limitations. It is common to hear, "My neighbor is selling their house for this price, and mine is superior." The downside is that often, the neighbor does not sell at that advertised price. Their property may be on the market for months without success. Therefore, it is valuable to access data from the Property Registry regarding transactions formalized in recent months or years.

However, this data also has limitations, as it mainly considers the surface area, year of construction, and an approximate location. The condition, the presence of a pool, the views, or whether the sale price matches the actual amount paid remains unknown. Still, they provide a useful initial estimate.

Another alternative is to calculate the replacement value. This method involves adding the current value of the land (obtained by comparing with similar plots) to the cost of new construction, subtracting the accumulated depreciation over time.

Finally, returning to the comparison with properties of similar characteristics for sale, there are tools that allow selecting those with a proper quality-price ratio and discarding long-standing listings that do not reflect the current market.

Setting a realistic price for a home is the result of combining all these elements: current listings, recent transactions, replacement value, and the experience of a professional in the field.

The EPBD Directive is the legal framework of the European Union that establishes minimum energy efficiency requirements for buildings. This regulation has significantly evolved in recent years, imposing increasingly stringent requirements in terms of energy consumption and CO2 emissions.

One of the most relevant updates from the latest revision of the EPBD is the introduction of restrictions on the sale and rental of properties with an energy rating below certain thresholds. Starting in 2030, all residential buildings must have a minimum energy rating of E. Subsequently, in 2033, this threshold will rise to D to be sold or rented

These measures aim to promote the energy rehabilitation of the existing real estate sector and encourage the construction of new buildings with high energy efficiency standards.

The energy efficiency certificate, mandatory for advertising a property for sale or rent, has become a key element in the real estate sector. Investing in improvements to increase the energy efficiency of a property is not only a legal obligation but also a smart investment that will generate long-term benefits for both owners and the environment.

House of the Month

According to data provided by Idealista in its 2024 annual residential report, in the province of Girona, the rent burden rate amounts to 28.8% of families' income, while the sale burden rate only reaches 21.6%. Given that a growth of 3.7 million households is expected in the next 15 years, and that the market is already experiencing very low vacancy rates, both in sales and rentals, a drop in prices is not anticipated in the short term. If you are renting and have savings, it is probably a good time to buy your primary residence, and if you are young or a single-parent family, there are subsidies available to help you achieve it.