More than three in four prospective home buyers in Spain (76.52%) are unable to purchase a property in their preferred area due to high market prices and limited supply, according to the 2025 Buyer Profile Study in Real Estate Agencies, presented by the Spanish Federation of Real Estate Associations (FAI) at the FAI Conecta Spanish Congress held in Toledo.
The report reveals that 39.45% of buyers are postponing their purchase because suitable homes are too expensive, while a further 37.07% are constrained by a lack of available properties. The study provides a comprehensive snapshot of today’s housing market and warns of a structural problem in housing accessibility that is already affecting medium-sized and smaller cities.
The typical home buyer in Spain is described as a 41.8-year-old in a couple with children, seeking a family home within their urban area. The most common price range is between €150,000 and €250,000, with an average floor area of 88.7 m².
In terms of sociodemographic characteristics, couples with children account for 41.2% of transactions, followed by couples without children (36.6%). Individual buyers represent 16.8%, while companies or corporations make up 5.3%.
Regarding purchase purposes, 57.1% of transactions were for primary residences, 24% for investment properties and 18% for second homes. Nearly half of buyers (48.8%) were relocating, 25.8% were moving from renting to owning, and 25.4% were first-time buyers purchasing their home after leaving the family home.
The report also underscores the high reliance on mortgage financing: 72% of buyers take out a mortgage, either alongside savings (58.4%) or with help from their family (14%). Only 27.6% of buyers can pay in cash.
The FAI study confirms that buyers of primary residences tend to remain local, with 41.49% purchasing in their own city and 26.93% within their province, highlighting a market with strong territorial roots.
For second homes, nearly 30% of buyers come from other autonomous communities, while foreigners account for 27.1% – 16.5% from the EU and 10.6% from outside Europe.
Investment properties show a more balanced distribution: 24.88% are purchased in the buyer’s own city, 23.05% within the same province, and 17.42% by international buyers.
The housing problem already affects medium-sized cities
FAI President José María Alfaro warned during the report’s presentation that Spain’s housing shortage “has become a structural problem,” placing “pressure on the most in-demand segments, such as primary residences.”
“Access to housing is not just an economic challenge, but a social one. It is creating inequalities, restricting labour mobility and affecting consumption and family stability,” Alfaro added.
He also emphasised that the issue is no longer confined to large capital cities, but is “spreading to medium-sized and smaller towns, where access has traditionally been easier.”
FAI is calling for genuine coordination between administrations and comprehensive planning that integrates land use, urban development, taxation and transport policies to expand the supply of affordable housing. It also stresses that European funds must be managed more efficiently and that tax revenue from housing should be proportionally reinvested in public initiatives to support new housing development.
The study concludes that the Spanish property market faces an unprecedented challenge: aligning housing supply with actual household demand. The federation notes that one in three homes needed to balance the market is still unavailable, highlighting the urgent need for coordinated action between the public and private sectors.