There are two prices for every flat in Madrid: the one on Idealista (what the seller asks) and the one in the escritura (what the buyer actually paid).
We pulled 30 current listings in Salamanca and checked each against registered sales on the same streets. The pattern was brutal, and it hit foreign buyers hardest. A national study found foreigners pay on average 35% more than locals for comparable property. Our street-level check says: believable.
Three examples
Calle de Goya: listed at €540,000, escrituras at €498,000. Gap: −€42,000 (−7.8%).
Calle de Lista: listed at €472,000, escrituras at €461,000. Gap: −€11,000 (−2.3%).
Why it happens to foreigners specifically
1. No data access. Registered sale prices (MVI Compraventas) are public but buried in Spanish bureaucracy. You can't check them; locals' agents can.
2. The language gap. The nota simple - the document that reveals debts, charges and legal issues - is in dense legal Spanish. Most foreign buyers never truly read theirs.
3. Who the agent works for. In Spain, the listing agent is paid by the seller. Their incentive is the highest price, not your protection. If your «advisor» earns more when you overpay, you don't have an advisor.
What to do about it
Never negotiate from the asking price. Negotiate from escrituras: what comparable flats on the same street actually sold for. It's the only number a bank, a judge and a future buyer will respect.
The uncomfortable question
If you're browsing from abroad right now with three tabs open: do you know what the flats on those streets actually sold for? If not, you're negotiating blind - against people who aren't.
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