Frequently asked questions

No. An agency sells homes that belong to other owners; Sophiq owns the homes it lists, because it buys them before selling them. That is why it knows every home inside out and stands behind it. It works with partner agencies as a sales channel.

No. A developer builds new homes. Sophiq buys existing prime homes in Madrid and on the Costa del Sol, reviews their legal and technical status and sells them, either as a blank shell or renovated.

The homes Sophiq lists on its website and channels are its own: they have been chosen, bought and reviewed before being put on the market.

Sophiq sells prime homes in the best areas of Madrid (Salamanca, Almagro, Recoletos, Ibiza, Los Jerónimos and El Viso, among others), most of them as a blank shell under the name Lienzo Infinito. On the Costa del Sol, its homes are renovated and furnished apartments and duplex penthouses. If you are looking for another type of property, such as a villa, Sophiq will also help you find it.

Sophiq homes cost between €1M and €6M, depending on the area, the size and whether they are handed over as a blank shell or renovated. In Madrid, most are blank-shell Lienzos Infinitos, and the renovation is priced separately. On the Costa del Sol, the price includes the renovation and the furniture.

Sophiq's portfolio is a small, curated selection: only a few homes at a time, because it only buys those that pass its analysis and its standards.

Sophiq has been working in prime Madrid for more than 11 years, with over 100 transactions sold and completed and more than €180M in real estate transactions.

Sophiq began as a prime real estate investment firm, founded by Roberto, Guerson and Rogelio, three Mexican engineers. Today it is a team of more than 15 people in Madrid who handle the whole journey of each home: finding it with in-house technology, buying it, telling its story and supporting whoever buys it.

Sophiq owns the homes it sells: it reviews them legally and technically before putting them on the market and stands behind them. It has been working in prime Madrid for more than 11 years, has completed over 100 transactions and has been featured in Forbes España, La Razón and El Español.

If you buy directly from Sophiq, you do not pay any agency commission.

Sophiq helps you find one that does. First it checks whether one of its own homes suits you; then it looks at homes from other owners it works with, and Sophiq still manages the process. If needed, and with your permission, it introduces you to trusted agents and agencies.

Sophiq uses Sophiq OS, its in-house technology, which cross-references data on buildings, areas and prices in Madrid and on the Costa del Sol to spot the homes worth buying. The final purchase decision is always made by a person on the acquisitions team, after visiting the home.

The home's technical and legal documents are available from the first viewing: land registry extract (nota simple), energy performance certificate, floor plans and technical reports. Because the home belongs to Sophiq, there is no waiting for a third party to obtain them.

Sophiq replies to any message within 24 hours on working days.

You can email info@sophiqproperties.com or use the contact form on the website. Sophiq's office is at Calle Don Ramón de la Cruz, 38, in the Salamanca district (28001 Madrid).

Prime prices have levelled off in 2026. According to idealista, in September 2026 Salamanca (-1.2%) and Retiro (-0.7%) were down slightly year on year, while Chamberí (+2.6%) and Chamartín (+4.6%) were still rising. Analysts point to a long plateau rather than a sharp fall. (Data as of October 2026)

It is an extract from the Land Registry that shows the description of the home, who owns it and whether it carries any charges, such as mortgages or liens. You request it at registradores.org; it costs a few euros and usually arrives within hours. It is the first document worth checking before buying.

Registered charges (mortgages, liens) appear on the nota simple from the Land Registry. Debts to the owners' association are checked with a certificate from the building's property manager, and property tax (IBI) debts with the latest receipts. Sophiq checks all of this before putting each home on the market.

The ITE, now called the Building Assessment Report (IEE), reviews the state of repair, accessibility and energy efficiency of older buildings, and is renewed periodically. It matters because an unfavourable report can signal works and special levies for the owners' association. It is worth requesting it before signing the deposit contract (arras).

A renovated home lets you move in straight away, but someone else chose the layout and finishes. One to renovate takes time and building work, but lets you make the home your own. Sophiq offers both: in Madrid, mainly blank-shell Lienzos Infinitos and a few renovated homes; on the Costa del Sol, always renovated.

Buying a blank-shell home means buying it with no interior layout: just the structure and the load-bearing walls, so you can design it from scratch. In Madrid, Sophiq sells most of its prime homes this way, under the name Lienzo Infinito, and supports the buyer with a renovation proposal from its partner studios.

In Madrid's prime neighbourhoods, few homes are sold ready to be designed from scratch; the usual route is to buy an older home and carry out a full renovation. Sophiq sells blank-shell homes, with no imposed layout, in the city's best areas: it calls them Lienzos Infinitos, and they come with a renovation proposal as a starting point.

The home is designed for the people who will live in it: number of bedrooms and bathrooms, which way the living room faces, a dressing room, finishes. You make the most of what cannot be changed (size, ceilings, windows, location) and decide everything else. This is the model behind Sophiq's Lienzos Infinitos in Madrid.

The blank-shell home, with its legal and technical status reviewed, a renovation proposal from SO Arquitectura or Forma Prima and, at the viewing, renders and a staged corner to help you picture it finished. The renovation is optional and is decided after buying.

Yes, entirely. The proposal is only a starting point to show the home's potential; decisions on layout, finishes and studio are the buyer's.

Yes, although they are a small share. In Madrid, Sophiq renovates some homes for buyers who would rather move in without building work. On the Costa del Sol, all homes are handed over with a high-quality renovation and furnished.

No. The renovation is optional and is decided after buying. You can do it with SO Arquitectura or Forma Prima, coordinated by Sophiq and with a platform to follow the works, or with the studio of your choice.

Yes. The home is yours from completion and you can renovate it with the studio or architect you trust. If you prefer, Sophiq can put SO Arquitectura and Forma Prima at your disposal and coordinate the works.

It depends on the size, the condition of the home and the permits. In a large home, the design and City Council permit time must be added to the works themselves. If you renovate with Sophiq, the timeline is set with the studio when the project is finalised, and you follow it on the tracking platform.

Partition walls, yes: they are part of your home and can be removed in a renovation with the corresponding municipal permit. Load-bearing walls are part of the building's structure, a common element: altering them requires a technical project, a licence and the owners' association's approval. That is why Sophiq's Lienzos Infinitos are handed over with no partition walls, only the load-bearing ones.

For an interior renovation you do not need approval, but you must notify the owners' association beforehand (Article 7 of the Spanish Horizontal Property Act), provided the works do not affect the building's safety, structure or external appearance. If the works touch common elements, such as load-bearing walls or the façade, you need the agreement of the owners' meeting.

If you renovate with Sophiq, you get access to a tracking platform to see how the works are progressing from anywhere, and Sophiq keeps an eye on everything until they are finished.

They are the two architecture studios Sophiq works with. They prepare the renovation proposal for each Lienzo Infinito and, if the buyer wishes, carry out the works in coordination with Sophiq.

Habitar el Cambio is Sophiq's series about its renovations: what each home was like, how it was transformed and the home it became, with video pieces and real testimonials. It is the best way to see the potential of the Lienzos Infinitos.

Yes. You can grant a power of attorney to someone you trust so they can sign on your behalf: it is executed before a notary in your country (with an apostille and, if needed, a translation) or at a Spanish consulate. With Sophiq, its partners handle the NIE, the power of attorney and the signing, and if you renovate, you follow the works on the tracking platform.

Yes. Mexico is a party to the Hague Convention, so a Mexican power of attorney with an apostille is valid in Spain to sign the purchase without travelling. You will also need an NIE, which you can apply for at a Spanish consulate in Mexico. Sophiq, founded by three Mexican engineers, supports buyers from Mexico with its ecosystem of vetted partners.

The NIE is the foreigner identification number, required to buy a home in Spain. You apply with form EX-15 and fee 790 (code 012) at a Spanish consulate in your country or at an immigration office or police station in Spain; a representative with power of attorney can do it for you. Sophiq's partners can help you obtain it.

In practice, yes. A Spanish account makes it easier to pay the seller, which the notary needs to be able to verify, and later the taxes, the property tax (IBI) and the owners' association fees; if you take out a mortgage, the bank will require one. Sophiq's partners help you open it before completion.

No, as of October 2026. In 2025 a tax of up to 100% was proposed for non-resident buyers from outside the EU, but the bill has still not been passed by Congress. Today a foreign buyer pays the same purchase taxes as a Spanish one: in Madrid, 6% transfer tax (ITP) on a home that is not a new build. (Data as of October 2026)

In addition to the property tax (IBI) that every owner pays, a non-resident pays Non-Resident Income Tax on the home every year even if it is not let: it is calculated on 1.1% or 2% of the cadastral value, at 19% if you live in the EU and 24% if you live outside it (Mexico included). It is filed with form 210.

No. The residence visa for real estate investment was abolished on 3 April 2025. Today, people who want to live in Spain without working here usually opt for non-lucrative residence, which requires proof of financial means and health insurance. Sophiq's partners can advise you on the option that suits you.

It is the residence permit for people who want to live in Spain without working here. In 2026 it requires proof of around €2,400 a month (400% of the IPREM index) plus €600 for each family member, private health insurance in Spain and a clean criminal record. It lasts one year and is renewable. Sophiq's partners guide you through the process.

It is a special tax regime for people who move to Spain to live and work: in the year of arrival and the following five, employment income up to €600,000 is taxed at 24%. It is open to those who have not been tax resident in Spain in the previous five years. The tax advisers in Sophiq's ecosystem check whether it applies to you.

Yes. Sophiq has an ecosystem of vetted partners (lawyers, administrative agents, tax advisers and financing specialists) for the NIE, the bank account, the mortgage, the purchase structure and non-resident taxation. It does not refer you to just anyone: they are professionals Sophiq has chosen and trusts.

For a non-resident, the usual list is: passport and NIE, tax residence certificate, payslips or tax returns for recent years, several months of bank statements and a credit report from your country. The financing specialists Sophiq works with tell you exactly what you need for your case.

Yes. Within its ecosystem of vetted partners, Sophiq works with financing specialists who support you with the mortgage, including if you do not live in Spain.

They are regulated fees that rise with the price of the home. In a prime purchase, notary and Land Registry fees usually add up to around 0.5–0.8% of the price, plus a few hundred euros for the administrative agency (gestoría). The buyer chooses and pays the notary.

In Madrid, allow around 7% on top of the price: 6% transfer tax (ITP) and about 1% for the notary, Land Registry and administrative agency. If you take out a mortgage, add a few more costs. If you plan to renovate, add the budget for the works.

The fixed costs are the property tax (IBI), paid by whoever owns the home on 1 January, the owners' association fee, home insurance and utilities. If you do not live in Spain, add the annual Non-Resident Income Tax.

Salamanca is grander and more commercial, with the Golden Mile and somewhat higher prices (around €10,900/m² versus €9,200/m² in September 2026, according to idealista). Chamberí has more of a neighbourhood feel, with squares, markets and local life, especially in Almagro and Trafalgar. Sophiq has homes in both.

Living in the Retiro district means having Retiro Park as your garden and the Prado Museum a short walk away. Los Jerónimos, between the park and the Prado, is one of the quietest and most elegant areas of Madrid, and one of the most highly valued in the prime market. It is one of the districts where Sophiq buys.

Yes. Chamartín is more residential and quieter than the centre, with good schools and areas such as El Viso, an enclave of houses and tree-lined streets next to the Castellana. It was the prime district with the strongest price growth in September 2026 (+4.6% year on year, according to idealista). Sophiq buys homes in Chamartín and El Viso.

Within the city, the Salamanca district, especially Recoletos and Castellana, is Madrid's most expensive and prestigious area. It is followed by Almagro (Chamberí), Los Jerónimos (Retiro) and El Viso (Chamartín). These are the areas where Sophiq selects and sells its prime homes.

Because it is a different market: buyers on the Costa del Sol are looking for a finished home, ready to move into.

The most sought-after areas are Marbella (with its Golden Mile), Estepona's New Golden Mile, Benahavís and Sotogrande. Marbella is the most expensive, at around €4,800/m² on average in early 2026, according to the Spanish notaries' association. On the Costa del Sol, Sophiq sells all kinds of renovated and furnished properties.

No. For Sophiq, the deed is not the end. If you renovate with Sophiq, it coordinates the works and keeps an eye on them until they are finished, and its ecosystem of partners continues to support you with any formalities you need. As a client, Sophiq also invites you to its private events, where it brings together clients and partners.