40 of the best · the world’s prime property markets
How Buying Works, Market by Market
How a purchase works in each market, who can buy, the taxes and the official bodies to know, from government and official sources.
Our 40 favourites, listed A–Z · Updated October 2026
What's onThis week in the world’s prime property markets
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Insiders' picks
Three places from this list we would show a friend first.
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The back story
Buying property in Andalusia: the back story
How buying works in Andalusia: the NIE, the notary and the Land Registry, the transfer tax, and the end of the golden visa.
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Generalitat de Catalunya
Agents: check the register
Estate agents in Catalonia must be on the Generalitat’s register.
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The back story
Buying in Barcelona: the back story
The Quadrat d’Or’s Modernista flats, Sarrià’s villas and Poblenou’s lofts: where people buy, and the official rules.
The full list: Buying, A–Z
Andalusia 1
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The back story
Buying property in Andalusia: the back story
How buying works in Andalusia: the NIE, the notary and the Land Registry, the transfer tax, and the end of the golden visa.
Barcelona 4
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Generalitat de Catalunya
Agents: check the register
Estate agents in Catalonia must be on the Generalitat’s register.
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The back story
Buying in Barcelona: the back story
The Quadrat d’Or’s Modernista flats, Sarrià’s villas and Poblenou’s lofts: where people buy, and the official rules.
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Check the title
Land Registry (Registradores de España)
Spain’s Land Registry, where you check who owns a property and what charges it carries.
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Where sales are signed
Notaries: Col·legi de Notaris de Catalunya
Property sales in Spain are signed before a notary.
French Riviera 2
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The back story
Buying on the Riviera: the back story
Belle Époque apartments in Nice, villas on the capes, mas in the hills: where people buy, and how a French purchase works.
Helsinki 1
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The back story
Buying in Helsinki: the back story
Housing-company shares, a 1.5% transfer tax, and a Ministry of Defence permit for some buyers from outside the EU: how buying works in Finland.
Ibiza 1
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The back story
Buying in Ibiza: the back story
Apartments by the marinas, villas in the hills of the south and old fincas in the north: where people buy on Ibiza, and how it works. We never publish prices.
London 4
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The back story
Buying a home in London from overseas: how the process works
From the first viewing to completion: the steps, the people involved and the questions to ask when buying in London from abroad. General information, not advice.
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The back story
Garden squares and mews houses: London’s most charming homes
How the garden square and the mews house shaped Georgian and Victorian London, and what to know about living in one today. General information, no prices.
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The back story
Who owns Mayfair? London’s great estates, the back story
How a handful of aristocratic families and institutions came to own large parts of central London, and what that means for buyers today.
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The back story
Working with a buying agent in London
What a buying agent does, how they differ from estate agents, and the questions to ask before you appoint one. General information, not advice.
Madrid 4
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The back story
Buying in Madrid: the back story
Salamanca’s mansion blocks, Chamberí’s balconied streets, Los Jerónimos by the Retiro and the new north: where people buy, and the official rules.
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Check the title
Land Registry (Registradores de España)
Spain’s Land Registry, where you check who owns a property and what charges it carries.
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Where sales are signed
Notaries: Consejo General del Notariado
Property sales in Spain are signed before a notary.
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ITP on resale homes
Property taxes: Comunidad de Madrid
The regional government sets the transfer tax on resale homes.
Mallorca 1
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The back story
Buying in Mallorca: the back story
Palma’s old town, Son Vida, the south-west harbours, the Tramuntana villages and the north: where people buy, and how. We never publish prices.
Tuscany 1
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The back story
Buying property in Tuscany: the back story
How buying works in Tuscany: the codice fiscale, the preliminary contract, the notary and the land registry, and the rules on holiday lets.
Valencia 4
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Generalitat Valenciana
Agents: check the register
Estate agents in the Comunitat Valenciana must be on the Generalitat’s register.
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The back story
Buying in Valencia: the back story
The grand flats of the Eixample, the tiled houses of El Cabanyal and the new towers by the Turia: where people buy, and the official rules.
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Check the title
Land Registry (Registradores de España)
Spain’s Land Registry, where you check who owns a property and what charges it carries.
Los Angeles 1
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The back story
Buying in Los Angeles: the back story
From the estates of Bel-Air and Holmby Hills to the beach houses of Malibu: how prime Los Angeles property works, and who sells it.
New York 4
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The back story
Billionaires’ Row explained: the back story
The supertall towers along West 57th Street and Central Park South, and why they were built there.
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The back story
Buying in New York from overseas
What overseas buyers should know: condos, financing, attorneys and the tax when you sell. General information, not legal or tax advice.
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The back story
Co-op or condo? How buying a home in Manhattan works
The difference between co-ops and condominiums, board approval, attorneys and closing costs in New York City. General information, not legal advice.
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The industry body
REBNY (Real Estate Board of New York)
The Real Estate Board of New York, the city’s real-estate trade association.
The Bahamas 2
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The back story
Can foreigners buy property in the Bahamas?
What the International Persons Landholding Act means for overseas buyers: when you only register, and when you need a permit.
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Check your agent is licensed
The Bahamas Real Estate Association (BREA)
The regulatory body for real-estate transactions and agent licensing in The Bahamas, with a searchable list of licensed agents.
Barbados 1
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The back story
Buying property in Barbados, and the Welcome Stamp
Where buyers look, the main estates and agents, the new Pendry Residences, and the 12-month Barbados Welcome Stamp for remote workers.
St Lucia 3
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The back story
Buying property in St Lucia, and Citizenship by Investment
Where people buy, from Cap Estate and Cabot’s Point Hardy to Rodney Bay and Marigot Bay, how the Citizenship by Investment programme works, and the professionals you need.
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The official CBI programme
Citizenship by Investment Unit
The official site of the Saint Lucia Citizenship by Investment Programme, where approved real-estate and enterprise projects are listed.
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Investing in the island
Invest Saint Lucia
The government’s investment promotion agency.
Castries, Saint LuciaExplore View on map
Bangkok 1
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The back story
Buying in Bangkok: the back story
Condominiums within a 49% foreign quota, land that foreigners generally cannot own, and the neighbourhoods people choose: how buying works in Thailand.
Hong Kong 2
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The back story
Buying in Hong Kong: the back story
Licensed agents, saleable area in square feet, the Land Registry and stamp duty: how buying works in Hong Kong, and the neighbourhoods people choose.
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Check your agent’s licence
Estate Agents Authority
The regulator that licenses every estate agent in Hong Kong.
Mumbai 1
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The back story
Buying in Mumbai: the back story
Sea-facing South Mumbai, the towers of Worli and Lower Parel, Bandra’s lanes and the villas of Alibag: where people buy, and the rules for NRI and foreign buyers.
Dubai 2
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The back story
Buying in Dubai: the back story
Freehold areas for foreign buyers, the Dubai Land Department’s fees and the communities people choose: what the official sources say.
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Register every sale
Dubai Land Department (DLD)
The government department that registers property sales and regulates brokers.
General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules and rates change: check the official sources linked on each page.