MI CASA: Expats choose crystal Mediterranean waters and sunny shores as Alicante named province with most foreign house buyers in Spain

EXPAT homeowners are flocking to the crystal Mediterranean waters of Alicante as new figures reveal it as the province with the most foreign buyers.

Spain’s College of Registrars announced a whopping 40.7% of all homes sold in the third trimester of 2019 were snapped up by expats – more than triple the national average.

Alicante’s popularity conquered other expat hotspots in Spain, with Santa Cruz de Tenerife registering 32.6% of sales to foreign buyers, followed by Malaga (28.8%), Baleares (28.1%), Girona (27.5%) and Murcia (21.5%).

British buyers again took the lion’s share of expat house purchases, accounting for 14.27% of the foreign market nationwide.

The number of houses sold to Brits across Spain – 2,160 – showed a 1% increase on 2018’s final trimester.

UK buyers were trailed by the French (8.4%), Germans (6.6%), Belgians (6.17%), Maroccans (6.05%) and Romanians (5.83%).

“The foreign demand continues to represent a very important strength in the Spanish residential market,” a statement from the College of Registrars said.

“The expat market is a counterweight factor in the face of stagnation of domestic demand.”