Your first 90 days as an agent in Spain

The first three months decide whether you stay in this job. Newcomers rarely struggle for lack of talent. More often they wait for leads, skip the routine or lose a fee on a paperwork mistake. Here is a simple plan.

Days 1 to 30: set up and learn

1. Paperwork first. NIE, contract or autónomo registration, and the regional register if your agency needs you on it (lessons 2 and 3).
2. Learn the agency’s process. Its nota de encargo, visit slip, anti-money laundering checklist and fee rules.
3. Learn one patch. Walk it. Visit every listing your agency has there. Note schools, beaches, transport and new projects.
4. Learn the numbers. ITP or VAT in your region, notary and registry costs, the 3% withholding for non-resident sellers. Clients test you on these first.
5. Set up your tools (see below).

Days 31 to 60: find people

Sellers are the business. A listing brings buyers to you. Spend at least half your prospecting time on owners.

• Portals. The best-known Spanish portals include idealista, Fotocasa, pisos.com, habitaclia, Milanuncios and Yaencontré (OCU). Watch new private listings in your patch and call owners who sell alone.
• Your network. Tell everyone you know what you do. Keep in touch with lawyers, gestores, mortgage brokers, builders and community administrators: they hear about sales first.
• Social media. Short videos of your patch, market updates with named sources, and a few listings explained well. Post in the languages of your buyers.
• Open houses. Use them to meet neighbours who may sell next.
• Developer launches. On the Costa del Sol, Savills data reported in July 2026 show some schemes selling 30% to 50% of units before construction. Ask which developers your agency works with and attend every launch.
• Foreign buyer communities. Registradores data show British, Dutch, German and Moroccan buyers leading foreign purchases in Q2 2026. idealista reported Dutch non-residents as the largest non-resident group in 2025. Clubs, schools and expat groups are good places to be known.

Days 61 to 90: convert

• Qualify every buyer. Budget, cash or mortgage, timeline, resident or not. A non-resident often borrows only 60% to 70% of the value (Costa Luz Lawyers), so check funds early.
• Follow up within 24 hours after each viewing.
• Bring the lawyer in early. Deals fall apart when checks start late.
• Aim for your first signed arras contract, not just viewings.

A daily routine

Time	Task
9:00 to 11:00	Prospecting: owner calls, portal checks, network messages
11:00 to 13:00	Viewings and valuations
15:00 to 16:00	Follow-ups and CRM updates
16:00 to 18:00	Viewings, content, market study
End of day	Plan tomorrow, log three wins and one lesson

Adapt the hours to your agency, but keep the prospecting block fixed. It is the first thing to disappear on a busy day, and the reason your pipeline dries up a month later.

Your tools

• A CRM with every contact, viewing and follow-up date.
• Accounts on the portals your agency uses.
• A phone with WhatsApp and good photo and video quality.
• Templates: nota de encargo, visit slip, buyer qualification form, cost estimate by region.
• A source list: Registradores, notary statistics, INE and portal reports for your market updates.

Five mistakes to avoid

1. Showing a home without a signed mandate or without a visit slip. OCU found some agencies did not say when their fee is due. Be clear, and put it in writing.
2. Charging a long-term tenant your fee. Since Law 12/2023, the landlord pays.
3. Taking cash or skipping ID and source of funds checks under Law 10/2010.
4. Promising a visa. The property golden visa ended on 3 April 2025.
5. Quoting old tax rates. Valencia cut its ITP in June 2026. Always check the date of the deed.

Keep your energy up

Rejection is part of every day. Count activities you control, such as calls, valuations and viewings, not only deals. Review your numbers every Friday.

Find openings on CloserPass jobs and compare employers on agencies. Practise with mindset, marketing and Spain clients training.

Rules change, so check the official source before you act. This lesson is general information.