A good viewing day on the Costa del Sol is one of the more enjoyable parts of the buying process. You're out in the sunshine, walking through properties you've been imagining from behind a laptop screen, and starting to see how your life here might actually look. The key is making sure you're also gathering the right information while you're at it.
Average prices across Málaga province hit €3,842/m² in 2025, up nearly 14% year-on-year, and well-priced properties attract serious interest quickly. Buyers who arrive prepared, knowing what to look for, what to ask, and what documents to request, tend to move with confidence when the right place comes along. Here's the checklist we walk our clients through before their first viewing trip.
Documents to Request Before You View
A bit of homework before you fly out sets the tone for a smooth process. Your agent should be able to provide or arrange most of these, and a good one will have them ready without being asked:
The nota simple. An extract from the Land Registry confirming ownership, any charges against the property (mortgages, embargos), and the registered description. It costs a few euros and takes minutes to request, there's no reason not to have one available for any property you're seriously considering.
The IBI receipt (Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles). Spain's annual property tax. The most recent receipt confirms the cadastral reference, the cadastral value (which feeds into your tax calculations), and that it's been paid. In Spain, any outstanding IBI transfers with the property, so this is one your lawyer will verify as part of the standard checks.
The community fee certificate. For any property within a comunidad de propietarios, this confirms fees are up to date and tells you the monthly amount. Community fees on the Costa del Sol range widely, from around €50 a month for a modest apartment block in La Cala de Mijas to €500+ for a luxury frontline development on the Golden Mile. Both might be perfectly reasonable, but you need the number before you budget.
The energy performance certificate (certificado energético). Legally required for any sale or rental in Spain. Most resale properties on the coast sit somewhere between D and G, that's typical for the building stock here. A lower rating on an older property isn't a deal-breaker, but it's useful context if you're planning a renovation and want to understand the scope.
What to Look For During the Viewing
Bring a phone with a torch function and comfortable shoes, you may be walking hillside urbanisations and sun-drenched garden terraces. A tape measure is handy if you like to check room dimensions. Take your time with each property rather than rushing from room to room; the small details are often what seal the decision weeks later.
Water and Moisture
Living by the Mediterranean means warm air and proximity to the sea, both wonderful things, but they do bring humidity, particularly in properties that sit empty between visits. The distinction that matters is between normal humidity (which clears with regular ventilation and is easily managed) and genuine damp. A quick check of the corners of rooms and along external walls tells you most of what you need to know. If anything looks like more than surface condensation, it's straightforward to get a professional opinion before moving forward.
Turn on the taps and run the shower. You're checking water pressure (it can vary in hillside urbanisations, especially during summer peak), hot water reliability, and drainage. Slow drainage might be a minor blockage or something more fundamental, either way, good to know before you make an offer.
Electrics
Open the fuse box. A modern consumer unit with RCDs is a good sign and common in properties that have been well maintained or recently updated. Older panels with ceramic fuses simply mean an electrical update is on the cards, typically €5,000 to €10,000 depending on the property's size, and something your builder can usually handle alongside any other renovation work. It's also worth asking about the boletín eléctrico (electrical certificate), which you'll need if you change the contract holder with the electricity company.
Build Quality and Structure
Look at terrace and balcony edges for cracks. Hairline cracks in plaster are common in Spanish construction and usually cosmetic. Diagonal cracks running from window corners or significant gaps between structural elements are worth asking about, they may indicate movement and a surveyor's opinion would be sensible before proceeding.
Check the windows. Double glazing is standard in newer builds and increasingly common in renovated resales. If the property still has single-glazed aluminium frames, upgrading them is one of the most worthwhile improvements you can make, it transforms both comfort and energy efficiency, and the investment pays for itself quickly in a climate where you're managing heat as much as cold.
The Surroundings
This is often where people fall in love with a property, or realise it's not quite right. Walk the communal areas. A well-kept pool, tidy gardens, and a community noticeboard with recent meeting minutes are all signs of an engaged, well-run community, and that's one of the best indicators of a sound purchase.
If your schedule allows, visit the area at different times of day. You'll get a much fuller picture of the neighbourhood rhythms, how busy the road is, what the evening atmosphere feels like, whether the terrace catches the sunset. If the property borders undeveloped land, ask your agent about the planning status for that plot. It's usually straightforward to check.
Good Questions to Ask
These are the questions that help you build a complete picture, and a good agent will welcome all of them:
How long has the property been listed, and has the price been adjusted? A property that's been on the market for a while may simply have been overpriced initially. Understanding the history helps you pitch your offer sensibly.
What are the annual running costs? IBI, community fees, basura (rubbish collection), and utilities. For a three-bedroom apartment in Mijas Costa, typical annual running costs sit between €4,000 and €7,000 before you turn the lights on. For a detached villa with a private pool, expect to roughly double that.
Does the property have a licence of first occupation? This is the local authority's confirmation that the building complies with planning permission. Older properties, particularly rural or semi-rural builds, sometimes lack one. It's not necessarily a barrier, but it's something your lawyer needs to assess early.
Has any work been done that might not be registered? Extensions, enclosed terraces, and converted garages are common along the coast, particularly in properties built before stricter enforcement from the mid-2000s. If the property's physical footprint doesn't match the registered size on the nota simple, that's something to resolve, usually manageable with the right legal guidance, and much simpler to sort out early in the process.
Are there any planned community works or special levies coming up? Large upcoming expenses, a new roof, pool renovation, lift replacement, can mean a special derrama (levy) for owners. The minutes of the last two AGMs will tell you if anything significant is on the horizon.
Getting the Right Team Around You
One of the most valuable things we do for clients viewing with us is connect them with professionals we've worked with for years, lawyers, surveyors, mortgage brokers, currency specialists. These are people we trust with our own clients' transactions, and having them in place early means your due diligence can start while you're still on the ground rather than after you've flown home.
A lawyer experienced in Costa del Sol conveyancing will handle the nota simple checks, verify community debts, confirm planning compliance, and manage the entire completion process at the notary. Getting them instructed during your viewing week, rather than starting from scratch afterwards, keeps everything moving smoothly if you find the right property.
Making the Most of Your Viewing Trip
Take photos of everything, the fuse box, the community noticeboard, the view from every window, the terrace in the afternoon light. After viewing eight or ten properties across a few days, the details start to merge. Photos and notes taken in the moment become invaluable when you're back home weighing up your favourites.
If a property stands out on day one, ask to revisit later in the week at a different time of day. Morning light and afternoon light tell completely different stories, and a second viewing with fresh eyes is one of the best investments of time you can make. It's often on the second visit that a house starts to feel like home.
And above all, enjoy the process. Viewing property on the Costa del Sol, with the mountains behind you, the Mediterranean ahead, and the possibility of a whole new chapter taking shape, is one of the best days out you'll have. There are roughly 37,800 property transactions a year across Málaga province. The right one is out there, and you're closer to it than you think.