Selling a house in the Canary Islands: the seven mistakes that slow it down

The seven mistakes, in brief

1. The price is out of step with the market The most expensive mistake of all, because it burns through the first weeks, the ones when the house is still new to anyone searching.
2. Photos taken on a phone Backlit shots, unmade beds, the bathroom door left open: that's where buyers draw up their shortlist, before any viewing.
3. Paperwork that isn't ready Escritura (the title deed), nota simple (the land registry extract), IBI (the local property tax), the certificate from the comunidad (the owners' association): when they're missing, the negotiation stalls just when it's getting somewhere.
4. The energy certificate left until the last minute It's needed before publishing, not before signing: without it, the listing isn't in order.
5. A listing in one language only Buyers on these islands come from all over Europe: a listing in a single language halves your audience.
6. Viewings with no filter Letting anyone in wears the owner out and doesn't bring in offers.
7. Defects kept quiet What you don't say today, the buyer's surveyor finds in three weeks' time, and by then it isn't a defect any more: it's a lie.

The price: the first weeks don't come back

A house listed above its value doesn't get low offers: it gets none. Buyers have already seen thirty similar listings and move on in two seconds. Then it gets cut, cut again, and by the time the price is finally right, the house has become "the one that's been on the market for a year", and by then offers come in lower than they would have at the start.

My advice is simple, and I repeat it to everyone: start from a price that stands up against the paperwork and the area, and hold it. If nothing moves after a few weeks of a well-put-together listing, the market has already answered, and that's when you cut once, and cut for real.

Photos and languages: the listing is the first viewing

The photos are the real first viewing, and thousands of people take it. I always ask owners to clear the surfaces, open the curtains, take the washing down and shoot in good daylight, which here means early morning or late afternoon. The terrace and the view need to be photographed when they're actually at their best, not backlit at midday.

On language, I take a practical view: buyers in the Canaries come from all over Europe, and not all of them read Spanish. A text written for each reader, not run through a machine translator, changes the number of enquiries you get. It's not a question of style: the wrong words make a genuine listing look fake.

Paperwork and the energy certificate: get them ready early

I open the paperwork folder on the day I take on the listing, not on the day an offer comes in: the escritura, an up-to-date nota simple, the latest IBI receipt, the comunidad's certificate on fees, and the cédula (the certificate of habitability) if there is one. A house with its paperwork ready sells faster, because the negotiation doesn't stall waiting on an office.

The energy certificate deserves a paragraph of its own, because it's the mistake I see most often. Real Decreto 390/2021 applies to existing buildings or parts of a building that are sold or let, and it puts the responsibility for commissioning the certification on the owner.

• Anyone publishing a sale listing is required to include information on the calificación de eficiencia energética, the energy rating: without a certificate, the listing isn't compliant.
• A copy of the duly registered certificate has to be attached to the sale contract for an existing building, along with the label.
• For the certificate to be legally valid it has to be registered with the region's competent authority; the deadline for filing it is whatever the region sets or, failing that, one month from the date it's issued.
• The qualified technician makes at least one visit to the property, no more than three months before the certificate is issued: it isn't something wrapped up in half a day.
• The maximum validity is ten years, dropping to five when the rating is G. Before re-listing a house that's been sitting unsold, I always check the certificate's date.

This guide is general information based on the law cited at the bottom of the page, not legal or tax advice. For the obligations that apply to your case, and the taxes on the sale, get help from a professional qualified to practise in Spain.

Viewings and defects: fewer people, more honesty

Viewings with no filter are a mistake that hurts most when you're selling on your own: you spend afternoons with the curious, the neighbours, and people who haven't even spoken to a bank yet. Before arranging a viewing I always ask who the buyer is, how they plan to pay and on what timeline: it isn't suspicion, it's respect for everyone's time.

On defects, I'm categorical. Damp on a wall, a boiler that needs replacing, a noisy neighbour, a floor area that doesn't match the Registro (the land registry): say it upfront, in writing, and price it in. Buyers don't walk away over a declared defect; they walk away when they find out it was hidden from them, and after that they stop trusting anything else you tell them.