News & Articles
Market insight, area guides and buying notes from the Gusto Casa team on the northern Costa Blanca.
Buying in Spain
The Spanish buying process step by step: contracts, legal checks, lawyer or gestor, and what a buyer's agent does for you.
Buying on the Costa Blanca North: the risks and pitfalls
The pitfalls of buying a house in Spain: how to avoid the risks, which documents you need and what belongs in your purchase contract.
Buying in Spain: how do you check a house is legal?
Is the house legal? Who checks it in Spain, what the notary does and does not do, and why a legality check comes before you sign a reservation contract.
I just called them myself… why you shouldn’t do that in Spain
I called the agent myself, I made the appointment myself. Here is why doing that in Spain backfires, and how it shuts out your buying agent.
Money, Tax & Renting Out
Mortgages, Spanish taxes and allowances, rental permits and what your second home really yields.
Rental yield and taxes when letting out your Costa Blanca home
What does a Spanish holiday home really return? How to work out your yield, the costs that come with it and the tax you pay on the Costa Blanca.
The Beckham Law and the rules for investing on the Costa Blanca
Living, working or investing on the northern Costa Blanca? The Beckham Law, transfer tax, visas and the new rental rules explained for Dutch buyers.
Taxes and Allowances in Spain: Costa Blanca North and Valencia
How do Spanish taxes, allowances and tax breaks work for Dutch residents? A plain guide for the Costa Blanca North and Comunidad Valenciana.
Building & Renovation
Build quality, common defects, energy labels, permits and what you may actually renovate on the Costa Blanca.
Renovating in Spain: easy value, or trickier than you think?
Renovating or flipping a house on the Costa Blanca? What you may build and where, plus a short town-by-town guide to the rules and the pitfalls.
Is a house with a low energy label in Spain unsellable?
What Spain's 2030 and 2033 energy label deadlines mean for your home, plus the quick wins that lift the rating before you sell or let.
The most common building defects on the Costa Blanca
The building defects we come across most often on the Costa Blanca, why they happen and how to spot them before you buy a house here.
Housing Market
Prices, trends and opportunities on the Costa Blanca and in the wider Comunitat Valenciana housing market.
The Comunitat Valenciana Housing Market: April 2025 Analysis
The Comunitat Valenciana housing market in April 2025: prices per m², the fastest-growing areas, the classics and the hidden gems.
The Comunitat Valenciana Housing Market: What's Happening?
Prices, figures and trends in the Comunitat Valenciana and on the Costa Blanca: who is buying, where the growth is and where to buy.
Housing market on the Costa Blanca, the figures of November 2024
The housing market on the Costa Blanca. What are the numbers? Where should you buy? What is the right place? We give you insight.
Living & Relocating
Really moving to Spain: residency, paperwork, schools, health and trying out life on the Costa Blanca first.
What living on the Costa Blanca North does for your health
The health benefits of the Costa Blanca North: what the climate, the clean air and the food do for body and mind, plus my own honest experience.
Moving to Spain: what really matters on the Costa Blanca North
Dreaming of moving to Spain? A step-by-step guide to residency, tax, paperwork, healthcare, cars and housing on the Costa Blanca North.
Trial Living on the Costa Blanca: Smart, Fun and Sunny
Why a trial stay on the Costa Blanca beats guessing: what to test in each season, from sun and heating to location, plus the paperwork to sort first.
Region & Lifestyle
Where to be on the Costa Blanca and how life feels there: towns compared, plus our favourite restaurants and shops.
Climate and Neighbourhoods on the Northern Costa Blanca: From Pego to Altea
Climate and neighbourhoods on the northern Costa Blanca, town by town from Pego to Altea: where it’s sunny and dry, where it’s damp, and what it means for you.
Are We Pricing the Spanish Out of the Costa Blanca North?
Are foreign buyers squeezing out the Spanish on the Costa Blanca North? The region's history, who lives there now, and the latest property figures.
Costa Blanca North or South: which region suits you?
An honest comparison of Costa Blanca North and South: climate, landscape, residents, property prices and amenities, to help you choose your region.