Selling an apartment in a finca regia in the Eixample

A finca regia is a stately apartment building from the late 19th or early 20th century, most often in the Eixample laid out by Ildefons Cerdà from 1859. Its apartments attract specific buyers, often from abroad, who are looking for original features. Their value depends on details that need to be shown well, and on the condition of the building as much as that of the apartment.

What buyers look at

• Original features: ceiling height, mouldings, hydraulic tiles, wooden joinery, interior doors, balconies onto the street. Each one counts, and so does its condition.
• The floor. The planta principal, the noble floor above the entresol, often has the highest ceilings and sometimes a tribune. Upper floors have more light; the entresol has lower ceilings.
• The aspect. On the street side, balconies and the façade; on the side of the inner block, quiet and often a sunny gallery.
• The layout. These apartments often have a long corridor and rooms onto an inner light well. Buyers ask themselves what they can open up or reconfigure.
• The common areas: entrance hall, staircase, lift, porter.

The building matters as much as the apartment

In a building more than a century old, buyers and their lawyers look closely at the owners' association:

• work done or pending on the façade, roof, downpipes and lift, and any special levies already approved;
• the technical inspection of the building (ITE), compulsory beyond 45 years, and its certificate of fitness;
• the asbestos certificate, required for all properties built before 2002;
• the minutes of meetings and the accounts for the last three years.

A well-maintained building, with recent work and clear accounts, reassures buyers and is reflected in the price.

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Protected features

Some Eixample buildings are listed in Barcelona City Council's architectural heritage catalogue. Depending on the level of protection, work on the façade, entrance hall, staircase or certain interior features is regulated and requires permission. I check this with you before the property goes on the market: it appeals to some buyers and limits others, so it is best stated clearly.

Renovated or to renovate

These apartments appeal to two kinds of buyer. One wants to move straight in and pays for a careful renovation that has kept the original features. The other wants to renovate and works out a price from the cost of the works. I do not recommend a full renovation just to sell: buyers usually have their own plans. An up-to-date floor plan, and sometimes an architect's outline project, helps them more.

Presenting the apartment well

• Photographs in natural light that show the ceilings, the floors and the details.
• An up-to-date floor plan with a checked floor area: in older buildings, the actual area often differs from the one registered at the Land Registry.
• A valid cédula de habitabilidad, or a planned solution if some interior rooms raise issues.
• The history of works on the apartment and the building, with invoices.

What I do for you

I know these buildings and what their buyers are looking for. With Coldwell Banker Prestige, your apartment is presented to the network's advisors, many of whom have clients abroad, and to partner agencies. I prepare the owners' association file before the first viewing, so that negotiation focuses on the property and not on unknowns.