13 spanish homes for sale per 1,000 people

Photo: JFCaro

The portal's research, based on 2013 census data, shows that there are an average of 13 second hand homes for sale in the capitals of each province per 1,000 residents, a ratio that has jumped 55 per cent in the past three years.

The figures follow repeated reports of ghost villages and abandoned developments after Spain's construction boom was crippled by its financial bust. While the glut of new build properties may be big, though, the country also has a significant inventory of existing homes to shift.

Alicante has the highest density of empty houses, where 25.8 properties are available per 1,000 inhabitants, just ahead of Ciudad Real (25.6) and Bilbao (21.7).

Sales, though, are on the up, according to new figures. The National Statistics Institute says that sales in Spain jumped 8.8 per cent in June, the fourth monthly rise in a row. The majority of sales are existing homes, with foreign buyers driving activity.

Indeed, one couple from Macclesfield recently completed the purchase of a holiday home in the Canary Islands.

In a market where such figures as those above can cause some concern, Barry and Natalie Kimber completed on their one-bedroom apartment in Lanzarote in June 2014 and cited the importance of getting information and confidence from free online resource SpainBuyingGuide.com.

"SpainBuyingGuide.com was the springboard we needed to put our buying plans into action," said Barry. "Before discovering the site I went two months not knowing where to start, but within a week of coming across it, we had booked flights and things began to happen. And not only did I download their free Buying Guide, but I’ve found their special guide to viewing trips and regular e-newsletters useful too."