Buying a house abroad is one of the biggest decisions you can make. When we first started thinking about emigrating from Northern Europe, Galicia was not even on our radar. We were convinced that Portugal would become our new home. However, after months of research, several scouting trips, and countless hours browsing property websites, we eventually found ourselves buying a beautiful house in Galicia, Spain.

This is the story of how we found our dream home in the Ribeira Sacra and what we learned during the process.

Why We Started Looking at Portugal

After deciding to emigrate in January 2024, our first choice was Portugal. At the time, we were spending our holiday in the Algarve and loved the relaxed atmosphere, beautiful scenery, and lifestyle.

Like many people planning to move abroad, we had a specific budget in mind. It did not take long to discover that property prices in the Algarve were far beyond what we were willing to spend. We then started looking further north into Central Portugal, hoping to find more affordable options.

While prices were lower, we noticed they were steadily increasing there as well.

How We Discovered Galicia

One evening, while browsing property websites, I came across a search tool that allowed me to draw a custom area on the map. Suddenly, a property appeared that was not only affordable but also looked surprisingly attractive.

The property was located in Galicia, Spain.

At that point, Galicia was not a region we had seriously considered. Curious, I started researching everything I could find about the area.

The most important factors for us were:

• Climate
• Quality of life
• Peace and quiet
• Access to essential services
• Natural surroundings
• Affordable property prices

The more I researched, the more Galicia seemed to tick all the boxes.

Another advantage was the language. As Northern Europeans, we felt that learning Spanish would be slightly easier than learning Portuguese, especially considering the amount of learning resources available.

Our First Visit to Galicia

Before discovering Galicia, we had already booked a trip to Central Portugal in May 2024 to explore the region and view several properties.

During that trip, we visited a number of houses, but none of them felt right.

In the second week of our holiday, we decided to make a spontaneous change of plans. We booked a hotel in Galicia and drove north.

The first town we visited was Allariz.

We immediately fell in love with it.

The historic centre, the atmosphere, the surrounding countryside, and the slower pace of life all made a strong impression on us. Looking back, that was the moment we truly decided that Galicia would become our future home.

Choosing the Ribeira Sacra

When we returned home, we continued our research and booked a three-week stay near Ourense for January 2025.

By then, we had become particularly interested in the Ribeira Sacra region. For us, it offered the perfect combination of beautiful landscapes, traditional villages, vineyards, peace, and accessibility.

Before travelling to Galicia, we created a list of eight requirements that our future home needed to meet.

The most important ones were:

• Beautiful views
• A fully renovated house
• A peaceful location
• No more than ten minutes from essential facilities
• Good access roads
• Enough outdoor space

We also prepared a list of around twenty properties that we wanted to inspect from the outside before arranging viewings.

One by one, most of them were eliminated.

Some had great views but needed major renovation work. Others were beautifully restored but lacked privacy or were too far from everyday services.

As someone who is not particularly handy, I knew that a large renovation project was not something I wanted to take on.

Working with a Local Estate Agent

After about a week and a half of searching, we decided to contact an estate agent who spoke our native language.

Looking back, this was one of the best decisions we made.

Buying property in Spain is very different from buying property in many Northern European countries. Having someone who understands both languages and cultures can prevent misunderstandings and make the entire process much smoother.

Together with the agent, we viewed several additional properties.

The third house we visited turned out to be the one.

It met six of our eight requirements, which was more than any other property we had seen. No house is perfect, and we felt this was the right balance between location, condition, and price.

Making an Offer

After taking two days to think it over, we decided to make an offer.

Coincidentally, we were staying in Allariz at the time, the very place where we had first decided that Galicia was the region for us.

Following a short negotiation, our offer was accepted.

For a moment, we simply looked at each other in disbelief.

Buying a house in another country is a huge step, and suddenly it had become reality.

The Spanish Buying Process

Fortunately, our estate agent guided us through every stage of the process.

He helped us arrange:

• Our NIE numbers
• A Spanish bank account
• Communication with the sellers
• The preliminary purchase contract
• Administrative requirements

The deposit, which is typically around 10% in Spain, was paid from our home country after signing the preliminary contract.

On 5 May 2025, we officially became the owners of our house in Galicia.

Our New Home in Galicia

The property offered almost exactly what we had been searching for:

• Stunning views
• Peace and privacy
• Modern standards throughout
• No major renovation work required
• Easy access to local facilities

The previous owner had already renovated and modernised the property, which saved us a huge amount of time, money, and stress.

We were so excited that we immediately spent the entire month of May in our new home.

Even after the purchase was completed, our estate agent continued to help us with practical matters such as home insurance and various administrative tasks.

Final Thoughts

Buying a house in Galicia was one of the biggest decisions we have ever made, but it has also been one of the most rewarding.

What started as a search for property in Portugal eventually led us to a completely different region that we now proudly call home.

If you are considering moving to Galicia or buying property in Northern Spain, our advice is simple:

Take your time, do your research, visit different areas, and don’t be afraid to adjust your plans when you discover something unexpected.

For us, that unexpected discovery was Galicia.

And we couldn’t be happier with our decision.