When buying a property in Spain, it's easy to look at what's there today.
Price. View. Pool. Distance to the sea. Estate standard.
However, when buying for several or a dozen years, another question is equally interesting:
What will make this property still attractive to the next buyer in 5 or 10 years?
It's not about predicting prices or promising increases. That honestly can't be done.
The Spanish market is currently very strong. According to the INE, in the second quarter of 2026, Spanish apartment prices were on average 12.2 percent higher than a year earlier. The increase in the primary market was 7.4 percent, and in the secondary market, 12.9 percent. However, this is only a snapshot of what has happened so far, not a guarantee of a similar scenario in the coming years.
So instead of trying to guess the future price, it's worth looking at things that might affect the attractiveness of a property in the long run.
1. Not only where you buy, but what will be built around it
A good location is not permanent.
Today, from the terrace you can see the sea and an undeveloped plot of land. In a few years, another building may be built in the same spot.
A quiet neighborhood might get a new road, shopping center, or school. Another might remain virtually unchanged.
Therefore, when purchasing a property, not only its current surroundings are important, but also spatial planning.
A good example is Alicante, where a draft of a new General Estructural Plan was made available for consultation in September 2026. These documents outline the directions of the city's future development, planned development, and the use of specific areas.
This is why two apartments located just a few hundred meters apart may, after many years, find themselves in completely different surroundings.
2. Good communication may be more important than the first line from the sea
With a holiday property 200 metres from the beach, it sounds great.
But in the long run, how easy it is to get to a place year-round can also be of great importance.
Costa Blanca has a very strong argument here.
Alicante Elche Airport served nearly 20 million passengers in 2025 and offered 228 routes. Approximately 90 percent of traffic was international.
Moreover, in the first seven months of 2026, the airport served over 12.4 million passengers, which is 9.6 percent more than during the same period a year earlier.
This does not mean, of course, that real estate located close to the airport will automatically become more expensive.
However, it shows something else.
A region that is easily accessible from many European cities may be attractive to a much wider group of future buyers and tenants than a location dependent on a few seasonal connections.
3. What matters is how many uses the property can offer
Today you are buying an apartment for yourself.
In five years you might want to rent it out.
Or vice versa. Today you treat it as an investment, but in a few years you want to spend half the year in Spain.
Therefore, the flexibility of real estate can be of great value.
This is particularly visible in tourist rentals.
In the Valencian Community, tourism activities are subject to specific regulations. Currently, the registration of a tourist activity generally has a five-year validity period, and the property must meet certain requirements, including appropriate urban planning compliance.
From April 3, 2025, the consent of the owners' association is also required for the commencement of new tourist rental activity in a building owned by a community of owners. The law stipulates a three-fifths majority of the owners, representing three-fifths of the shares.
This shows that the option of legally renting is not something that can be automatically added to every apartment after purchase.
From the point of view of the future of real estate, it may be important not only how many square meters it has, but also what possibilities of use its legal status actually provides.
4. Energy class may mean more than today
Just a few years ago, when buying an apartment in Spain, many people paid practically no attention to the energy certificate.
Today, it appears more and more often in the offers themselves.
In Spain, information about the energy class must be provided when advertising a property for sale or rent, and when selling an existing building, the buyer must receive a registered certificate.
Why might this matter in a few years?
Because the energy class says more than just about the building itself.
Indirectly, it also concerns the costs of its use, the installations used, insulation and energy demand.
Therefore, when comparing two similar properties, it may become increasingly important which one was built to a newer standard and will be cheaper and more convenient in everyday use.
5. The value of the apartment also depends on the entire estate
You can have a beautifully renovated apartment.
But if the building's facade needs renovation, the pool is neglected, the common areas are poorly maintained, and the community cannot reach an agreement on basic issues, a future buyer will see this too.
Therefore, it is worth assessing real estate in urbanization more broadly.
What matters is the condition of the common areas, the management method, the amount of community fees, planned major works and whether the owners actually care for the estate.
Sometimes an apartment located in an older but well-managed complex may hold up better in a few years than a newer property in a development that is starting to become problematic to maintain.
6. Year-round living may be more important than the holiday wow factor
There are places that look fantastic in August.
The restaurants are full, the promenade is alive, the shops are open, and the streets are crowded with people.
Then November comes and some towns practically fall asleep.
For someone who only wants to come in the summer, this doesn't have to be a problem.
But from a future sales perspective, a wider pool of potential buyers can mean greater flexibility.
Therefore, it is worth paying attention to places where shops, restaurants, schools, clinics, public transport and normal life are still open outside the season.
The property may then be of interest not only to tourists.
It may also be of interest to families, retirees, remote workers, or anyone planning to move to Spain.
The more real ways a property can be used, the less it depends on a single group of recipients.
7. A view is only valuable if it can be preserved
“Sea view” can have a significant impact on the offer price.
But the mere fact that you can see the sea from your terrace today does not always mean that it will be the same in ten years.
If there is undeveloped land in front of the building, the key factor is its intended use.
Could another block be built there?
How high is the building allowed?
Is the area protected?
Is infrastructure planned?
Therefore, when looking for more expensive properties with a view, it is worth looking not only ahead, but also at the planning documents.
Sometimes the real advantage isn't just the sea view.
It is the certainty that nothing will cover it.
8. New doesn't always mean better, and old doesn't always mean worse
The primary market offers modern technologies, new installations and often better energy efficiency.
The secondary market, however, may offer something that cannot be easily replicated.
Better location.
A larger plot of land.
Large terrace.
Lower buildings.
First line by the sea.
The estate is surrounded by mature greenery.
Therefore, when thinking about the value in a few years, it is not worth automatically assuming that a new property will always be a better investment.
Sometimes the greatest value of an older property is precisely what a new developer can no longer build in the same location.
9. Purchase price still matters
You can buy a great property in a great location and still get a mediocre deal if you paid way too much for it.
This is especially important in periods of rapid market growth.
According to the latest data from INE, housing prices in Spain in the second quarter of 2026 were 12.2 percent higher than a year earlier.
Such numbers easily create a belief:
“You have to buy now, because in a year it will be even more expensive.”
But the real estate market does not always grow at the same rate.
Therefore, instead of assuming further growth, it is better to answer another question:
Would I buy this property even if its price remained virtually unchanged over the next few years?
If the answer is still “yes” because the location, standard and use really suit us, the purchase is based on more than just waiting for the price to rise.
So what can “defend” the value of real estate?
There is no single magic parameter.
Most often it is a combination of several elements:
✓ a location that cannot be easily replaced
✓ good communication
✓ developed infrastructure
✓ life even outside the season
✓ good technical standard
✓ reasonable living costs
✓ orderly legal situation
✓ Possibilities of using the property in various ways
✓ well-managed community
✓ a purchase price that makes sense in relation to the local market
This is why two apartments with almost identical square footage may find themselves in a completely different situation after 10 years.
Don't just ask: how much could this property be worth?
When buying for years, the more interesting question is:
Why would anyone still want to buy it in 10 years?
If the answer is simply "because it's in Spain and has a swimming pool," that's a bit of an understatement.
However, if we have a good location, communication, infrastructure, reasonable costs, flexible use and property features that cannot be easily copied, we start to look at the purchase in a much broader way.
And this is probably how it is worth thinking about real estate for 5, 10 or 15 years.
Don't try to predict its price.
Just wonder if it will still be something people will be looking for in a few years.
Note: This article is for informational purposes only. It does not constitute a real estate price forecast, investment recommendation, or individual legal advice. The regulations and conditions applicable to a specific property should always be verified before purchasing.
