Real estate careers in Alicante and Costa Blanca

The market in Alicante and Costa Blanca

Nearly one home in two in Alicante province (46.43%) was bought by a foreigner in Q2 2026, the highest share of any Spanish province (Colegio de Registradores).

Alicante province, covering the city of Alicante and the Costa Blanca, is the Spanish market where foreign buyers weigh most: they made 46.43% of home purchases in Q2 2026, the highest share of any province (Registradores). Prices are lower than on the Costa del Sol, with a provincial registered average of EUR 2,267 per sqm in Q2 2026, which attracts retirees, second-home buyers and rental investors. The north (Marina Alta and Marina Baixa: Jávea, Dénia, Calpe, Altea, Benidorm) is greener and pricier, while the south (Vega Baja: Torrevieja, Orihuela Costa) offers volume and value. Buyers also benefit from the Valencian cut in transfer tax from 10% to 9% from 1 June 2026, for homes up to EUR 1 million.

Foreign buyers

Foreigners made 46.43% of home purchases in Alicante province in Q2 2026 (Registradores), the highest share in Spain. In Q3 2025 the leading foreign buyers in the province were British (7.9%), German (6.5%), Dutch (6%), French (5.2%) and Italian (5%), with Belgian, Scandinavian and Polish buyers also active, especially in the south of the province.

Main neighbourhoods

Alicante city centrePlaya de San JuanEl CampelloBenidormAlteaCalpeJávea (Xàbia)DéniaTorreviejaOrihuela CostaGuardamar del Segura

Agent licence

Spain has no national broker licence and no compulsory exam. Royal Decree-law 4/2000 (Article 3) opened real estate intermediation to anyone, with no need for the official Agente de la Propiedad Inmobiliaria (API) title or membership of a Colegio de APIs; the API title and the colleges still exist and are a mark of quality, not a legal requirement. Regional rules then add conditions where an agent has premises. Catalonia (Law 18/2007 and Decree 12/2010) requires every agent who works regularly and for pay to register, with recognised training, an office open to the public (or an online-only regime), professional liability insurance of at least EUR 100,000 per claim and EUR 600,000 per year per office, and a surety of EUR 60,000 per year per office (EUR 300,000 for online-only agents), according to the Generalitat. The Valencian Community made registration mandatory with Decree 98/2022, but in January 2025 the Valencian High Court (TSJCV), on an appeal by the competition authority CNMC, struck out the EUR 60,000 guarantee, the EUR 100,000 liability insurance and two other requirements; the ruling could be appealed to the Supreme Court. Andalusia's Housing Law 5/2025 (BOJA 24 December 2025, BOE 8 January 2026) creates a register that its preamble calls mandatory, with entry based on a sworn statement and conditions such as an API title, a relevant degree, or four years of documented experience, plus 100 hours of specific training for the owner and half of the staff, insurance or guarantees and a clean record; a final provision leaves the start of the register to a later step, and its launch date was not confirmed as of October 2026. The Balearic register is voluntary. The full guide