I bought a second home in Spain for $250,000 because I no longer want to live in the USA. It's almost half the price of living in Manhattan.

Sitges is a beach town located on the Mediterranean coast of Spain, just a 30-minute drive from the center of Barcelona. Michael Steven Grant and his partner bought a second home in Sitges, a town near Barcelona, Spain. The couple still live in the U.S. and are able to visit for extended periods due to remote work opportunities. Grant, who plans to retire in Spain, gives some advice on buying real estate abroad. This is an essay based on a conversation with Michael Stephen Grant about his decision to purchase a second home in Sitges, Spain. Grant previously worked in the nonprofit sector and since July of this year has been working for VistaFutura, a company that helps Americans buy and maintain real estate in Spain. Grant declined to identify his partner for reasons of professional confidentiality. The conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Finding a place to buy

After many years on the West Coast, I found myself back on the East Coast, in Manhattan, eight or nine years ago. A year ago, my partner and I were thinking about where we wanted to buy a second place with the hope of retiring and living permanently in the future. Although we had previously lived in California, Hawaii and other places, we couldn't decide on a place in the United States. We traveled to Spain about five years ago and visited its three largest cities-Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia-so I thought we should go back and maybe consider one of them.

We decided to see what was within a 30 minute drive of Barcelona that was close to a big city, but also had a vacation beach character. I did some research remotely and Sitges came up very often in the results. Sitges is a very European beach town just three blocks from the Mediterranean Sea. Apartments there are half the price of Manhattan and twice as expensive.

Purchasing process

So last September we flew into Barcelona and drove to Sitges, which took about 30 minutes. We were there for about two weeks, mostly vacationing but also with the intention of looking at properties to buy. We looked at a few places but didn't do anything - didn't make an offer on the place. We were on a fixed budget due to having a mortgage on our place in Manhattan, so we didn't want to overextend ourselves too much. We wanted to stay in the $500,000 range, which was about €300,000 at the time.

Within our budget, there were pretty limited choices. Through friends, we met a local Spanish bilingual lawyer who was absolutely essential. We also set up an account with Santander, a Spanish bank. The process took a full day and we had to go with a lawyer. It's quite a hassle compared to opening an account in New Jersey or New York.

Choosing and buying an apartment

When we moved back to NYC, we mostly looked for places online. It's really up to you, as a buyer, to do your research. It's kind of like Manhattan - if you really want something, you can find it yourself. Because everything is out there, but real estate agents will try to sell you what they have listed, which doesn't always fit your budget. We went back to Spain in March this year and looked at maybe a dozen places, none of which we liked. Then we found another option on Idealista, a general real estate suggestion service.

The best part was that we had an attorney who could handle all the paperwork and everything. He actually handled all the negotiations with the older woman who was selling it. We were probably one of the first, if not the first to look at the condo. We wanted to buy it at the listed price, so there was no negotiation. We took it as is. She had just had the entire place newly finished. The apartment is on the second floor of a four-story building. There are two apartments on the floor. It's very nice. It is a back apartment, so there is no noise from the street.

Transaction formalization

The next day our attorney met with her, us and our banker at a neutral office and finalized all the paperwork. We got a mortgage from the bank we opened the account with. Our attorney helped us with that. Some people think it is impossible to get a mortgage through an account in another country. We got a mortgage for about half the cost of the condo. We spent much less than $500,000, getting the apartment for €235,000, which was a little under $250,000 at the time.

Future plans

We plan to keep this place for a few years, until we possibly finally move there. And, of course, we might buy another place as well. We travel there for a couple of weeks every quarter, so we have the opportunity to go every three months.

Important points and tips

Patience is the key to success. In apartments and houses, there is no heating. In winter, it can be around 60 or 50 degrees at night. In summer, we use a small air conditioner in the living room. Electricity and other bills are not high. In Sitges and Barcelona, things are done very personally, one-on-one. Of course, some things are done electronically, like payments and deposits, but a lot is done the way it could have been done 40 or 50 years ago. Everything must be registered at the city notary's office. So there are many little details that you cannot do on your own.

I would say that for many Americans, it’s important to be very patient. Yes, it’s a different country, a different language, different banking services, different real estate; things won’t happen as quickly as you can make them happen here. As long as you are very patient and say, "Okay, I’ll go to the bank, and it will take two to three hours," and accept that, then there will be lunch, drinks, and a nap, and that might be the only thing you do that day. You will be frustrated if you try to do some things quickly.