A whopping one in five homes on the Costa del Sol are sold within days as market moves at breakneck speeds

THE Costa del Sol’s red-hot property market shows no signs of cooling, with nearly one in five homes snapped up by buyers in less than a week.

Malaga province recorded 19% of properties sold within just seven days during the third quarter of 2025, marking it as one of Spain’s fastest-moving markets, according to new data from Idealista, the country’s leading property marketplace.

The figure represents a leap from 15% the previous year, suggesting the coastal region’s popularity with foreign buyers and Spanish nationals alike continues to intensify.

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The so-called ‘express sales’ put the Costa del Sol well above the national average of 13%, and ahead of major cities including Barcelona at 15% and even hot market Palma at just 12%.

Only Madrid matched Malaga’s pace at 18%, whilst cities further inland like Avila and Granada recorded even higher rates at 28% and 24% respectively, though on much smaller transaction volumes.

Across Spain, the data reveals a property market moving at breakneck speed. 

One in eight homes nationwide were sold within a week, whilst another 21% took between one week and a month to find buyers. Just 8% of properties remained on the market for over a year.

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The rapid sales trend has remained stable compared to last year, when express sales also stood at 13% nationally in the third quarter of 2024, suggesting consistent high demand across Spain’s housing market.

Other major coastal and urban centres showed strong performance. 

Valencia recorded 17% express sales, whilst San Sebastian, Bilbao and Sevilla each registered 16%. Alicante, another popular expat destination, saw 11% of homes sold within a week.

At the opposite end, Zamora recorded just 2% of sales within seven days, followed by Ourense at 6%. Logrono, Lugo, Ceuta and Jaen all registered 8%.

Some cities experienced dramatic year-on-year shifts. Teruel jumped from 0% express sales to 18%, whilst Segovia surged from 7% to 22%. 

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Bilbao also saw significant growth, rising from 10% to 16%.

However, 16 provincial capitals saw their express sales rates decline compared to last year. Girona dropped most sharply, from 23% to 13%, whilst Barcelona’s rate eased from 18% to 15%. Alicante also slipped from 13% to 11%.

The overall picture shows another 26% of Spanish homes sold within one to three months, whilst 32% took between three months and a year to find buyers.

By province, Granada topped the national rankings with 23% express sales, followed by Segovia and Avila at 19% each. Madrid, Navarra and Cantabria all recorded 17%.

The data was compiled by Idealista/data, the property tech firm’s professional analytics division, which tracks all listings across Spain, Italy and Portugal to provide strategic market intelligence.

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