You're not buying a finished house. You're buying the house before it's finished.
The best spots in the province of Málaga are already taken by finished homes. What remains is potential: homes that call for a plan rather than an estate agent's photo. That's where the gain is, and that's my trade.
Dankzij Christian hebben we een woning kunnen aankopen die ik zelf waarschijnlijk niet had gekozen. Waar ik vooral moeite had om door de rommelige staat, het achterstallige onderhoud, de gekleurde wanden en volgepropte i…
Wij hebben een bouwkundige aankoopscan door Christian laten uitvoeren. We stonden op het punt een finca te kopen, we wilden niet blind de reserva tekenen. Christian kwam binnen 24 uur langs en dat was heel fijn omdat het…
De afgelopen dagen met raad en daad bijgestaan door Christiaan de Cock van @espacio360.malaga. We hebben samen een bod uitgebracht op mijn eerste huis aan de Costa. Christiaan houdt overzicht en passende snelheid in het …
This approach is a choice, not a compromise.
This is for you if
- You'd rather build value than pay the asking price for a "finished house".
- You understand that a home with character is rarely sold in showroom condition.
- You want a say in the layout, materials and finish, instead of inheriting a kitchen that isn't yours.
This is not for you if
- You're looking for a turnkey home within six weeks.
- You have no room for a renovation process lasting several months.
- You're after the lowest price rather than the best outcome.
You can't change a location. You can change the state of a home. Understanding that means buying smarter than someone waiting for the perfect photo.
Adding value before you turn the key.
Less competition
A home that still needs a plan attracts ten times fewer bidders than a "finished house" on the same street.
Value growth
Purchase plus renovation consistently comes in under the market value after completion. You build that difference yourself.
A home to your taste
You choose the layout, the colours and the materials. No renovating someone else's choices.
From search to completion, one point of contact.
Purchase guidance
I search together with you for homes with potential, through my network of local estate agents in the province of Málaga. Independent, your interest only.
No stake in the sale →Structural survey
Before you sign, you know what you're buying. Structural condition, hidden defects and a realistic estimate of renovation costs.
Before the purchase, not after →Renovation management
Translating your wishes into a work specification and drawings, selecting the contractor. Directing the execution and safeguarding time, money and quality, right up to completion.
I direct, you decide →Six steps, from first conversation to the keys.
Introduction and search profile
Budget, wishes and the level of renovation that suits you. Clear, and without obligation.
Search through my network
I search alongside you, with local estate agents who know homes with potential.
Structural survey
For every serious candidate, a realistic picture of condition and costs, so you make an informed offer.
Offer and purchase
A well-founded offer based on the survey, the negotiation and guidance right through to the notarial transfer.
Plan and cost estimate
A concrete renovation plan with layout, materials and a clear budget.
Execution and supervision
Local craftsmen carry out the work, I safeguard quality, planning and budget through to completion.
From mountain village to city centre, the same way of working.
Cómpeta: a house with a plan, from ruin to move-in ready.
A country house in the Axarquía, fully worked out: purchase, renovation plan and guidance through to completion. This is what the approach looks like in numbers and images.
Before
Málaga city: our own house, from badly dated to home.
Not a client project, but my own undertaking. An apartment and a villa, in the middle of Málaga city, bought, stripped and fully renovated myself with local craftsmen. The same decisions I now make for buyers on the coast and in the city, I made myself first, at my own risk.
Before
Christian de Cock
I'm Christian de Cock. Dutch, living in Málaga since 2024, and active in construction for more than twenty years.
My background runs from a construction education and drafting office through estimating, work preparation and execution to project management and plan development. I've learned how building processes work, where the risks lie, and what it costs when decisions are made at the wrong moment.
In 2018 I bought an apartment in Spain myself. The renovation was disappointing, despite hired guidance. No grip on quality, no oversight of planning, no point of contact who truly took responsibility. Years later we bought a villa, a real fixer-upper with considerably more complexity, more risk, and a correspondingly greater increase in value with the right approach. I worked out the plans myself, selected and directed contractors, and kept a tight hold on costs and planning. That went excellently.
That contrast made clear what is structurally missing here: someone who truly understands a home during the viewing. Who sees the potential and understands how to realise it, but who also sees, even in a move-in ready home, what lies technically behind the finish. Who knows what a contractor means, what a drawing implies, and what a decision means in practice for budget and planning.
That is what I do for my clients. I don't sell homes. I represent only your interest, independent, with structural insight, and without any stake in the sale.
I guide a limited number of buyers per year. Not for volume, but for the result that truly matters.
What buyers with renovation plans ask me most often.
What does buying and renovating a home in Spain cost?
For an existing home, you can expect on average nine to eleven percent on top of the purchase price in buyer's costs. On top of that comes the renovation itself, which varies greatly depending on the condition of the home. I prepare a complete calculation in advance based on the specific property, so you know exactly where you stand before making an offer.
Can I, as a foreign buyer, get a mortgage for a home with renovation potential?
Yes. Spanish banks typically finance sixty to seventy percent of the appraised value, and that percentage applies to the purchase of the home itself. Financing for the renovation is separate, and only possible once the project has been fully worked out: design, budget and permit need to be in place before a bank will consider it. I map this out with you in advance, together with the renovation costs, so you know what's achievable.
Would you also advise against a purchase if the survey turns out badly?
Yes. I work exclusively for you, never for the seller or a contractor. If the structural survey reveals defects that don't weigh up against the price, I'll say so, even if that means walking away from a home you'd already fallen for. Better an honest no before the deed of sale than a surprise during the renovation.
Do you handle permits for renovations in the province of Málaga?
Yes. Regulations for renovation and extension differ per municipality and change regularly. I check this as part of the purchase guidance, so you know in advance what is and isn't allowed before you start on the plan.
Do I need a lawyer for the purchase?
Yes, and it's not a formality. A lawyer checks ownership and registration, any debts on the property, permits and contract terms. I work with a regular lawyer on the Costa del Sol and coordinate this process as part of the guidance.
What are the biggest risks in buying a home that still needs a plan?
Besides the normal risks of buying Spanish property, such as mismatches between the land registry and the property register, illegal past renovations, debts on the property and missing permits, the biggest risk is underestimating the work involved. Not having a complete picture of the defects that genuinely need fixing, separate from the cosmetic changes you want to make yourself, is where budgets and schedules fall apart. These are exactly the points I systematically check during the structural and legal assessment, so you sign with certainty, not with hope.
Tell me what kind of home you're looking for.
No obligation, just an honest picture of what's achievable within your budget and timeline. Six short questions, done in a minute.