Alicante has hundreds of agency offices and, from the owner's side of the desk, no visible filter: they all have a website, they all promise a quick sale and they all show attractive photos. The real difference lies in things you can check in twenty minutes, before signing anything. These are the eight signs that separate a registered, insured professional from someone who simply posts your flat on a portal and waits.
Sign 1: it is listed on the Register of Property Intermediation Agents
Since 16 October 2022 the Valencian Community has had its own register, created by Decree 98/2022 of 29 July. The important nuance is this: the Register of Property Intermediation Agents of the Valencian Community is public, free of charge and compulsory for any individual or company that intermediates regularly and for a fee in sales, lettings, exchanges or transfers. It is not a voluntary badge, nor a trade body you join if you feel like it.
Registration requires proof of professional qualification — the official API title, a university degree in Social and Legal Sciences, Engineering or Architecture, or at least 200 hours of property training — a public-facing office with its licences and tax registrations, and financial standing. The question is short: are you registered, and can you show me? Once registered, an agent receives a certificate and a standard badge to display.
Sign 2: it holds indemnity cover and a bond, and will show you the policies
The same decree sets very specific minimum amounts. Professional indemnity insurance must cover at least €600,000 per claim and insurance year, with a sub-limit of €150,000 per victim; if the agency operates purely online, that rises to €1,000,000. On top of that, a bank guarantee or surety bond of €60,000 per public-facing office and year is required — €300,000 for online-only agents — designed to protect your money if the agent receives funds on account and cannot transfer them.
The rules oblige the agent to give the policy number and the name of the insurer to anyone who asks, and to include both in the mandate or instruction note. Ask, plainly. An estate agency in Alicante that cannot show you those details is not in a position to handle a €200,000 or €400,000 transaction.
Sign 3: it gives you a written instruction agreement
A verbal arrangement protects nobody, least of all you. The agreement must set out in writing the asking price, the fee and how it is calculated, the term, whether the instruction is sole or shared, what happens if you sell privately, and the moment the right to be paid arises. If you are asked to sign half a page with no figures on it, that alone is reason enough to get up from the table. Here is the summary of the eight signs and the red flags that go with them:
| Sign | What to check | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Register | Registration certificate for the regional register | «That one is optional» |
| 2. Insurance | €600,000 indemnity and €60,000 bond | Will not give policy or insurer |
| 3. Agreement | Written instruction with price, term and fee | A handshake |
| 4. Valuation | Real comparables in your area, dated | The highest figure, unexplained |
| 5. Marketing | Written plan: photos, floor plan, video, portals, dates | «We will put it on the portals» |
| 6. Fee | Percentage, VAT and inclusions in writing | Charges up front |
| 7. Languages | Genuine service in English and others | An improvised translator at viewings |
| 8. Reporting | Regular report on viewings and offers | Weeks of silence |
Signs 4 and 5: an evidenced valuation and a written marketing plan
A valuation is not a number, it is an argument. It should come with evidence: comparable properties on your street or in your neighbourhood, sold or on the market, with floor area, floor level, lift, condition, aspect and date. Beware of buying the instruction with price: whoever promises you the highest figure is not valuing, they are bidding for your business, and three months later the first reduction will arrive. Alicante city closed August 2026 at an average of €2,721/m² according to idealista, but within the same municipality there are areas at 3,859 and areas at 1,368: the average says nothing about your flat. For a quick reference before you sit down with anyone, start with the free online valuation and our guide on what your home is worth.
Ask for the marketing plan in writing too; it is more revealing than it sounds. Which photos, is there a dimensioned floor plan, is there video or a virtual tour, which portals and with what positioning, will there be paid campaigns, how are time-wasters filtered out, and by what date will everything be live. A promise to «put it on the portals» is not a plan.
Sign 6: who pays the fee and what it covers
Agency fees are not regulated in Spain: every agency sets its own and they are negotiable. The usual range runs from 3% to 7% of the final sale price, plus 21% VAT, with a sector average just under 5%. It is normally paid by the seller, who is the one instructing the service, but something else can be agreed: what cannot happen is that it is not written down. Also ask exactly what is included — photography, paperwork, negotiation, attendance at the notary — and when it falls due, which is normally on completion.
Sign 7: choosing an estate agency in Alicante when your buyer is foreign
In the province of Alicante 44.65% of home purchases are signed by a foreign buyer, the highest share in Spain. Translated into your sale, that means almost one in two people who could buy your home does not speak fluent Spanish and needs to understand the process, the taxes and the timings in their own language. An office that works in English, French, Dutch or German is not a luxury: it is the difference between receiving an offer and losing the buyer on the second phone call. Ask who will run the viewings and in which languages, and if you can, drop in: our offices in Alicante and Benidorm are there for exactly that.
Sign 8: it reports back, even when the news is bad
Reporting is the part almost nobody asks about and the one that changes the experience most. You should receive, at least every two weeks, how many views the listing has had, how many enquiries, how many physical viewings, what people said and what offers are on the table. With that data, adjusting price or presentation is an informed decision; without it, it is a hunch. And if the agency only calls when it wants to lower the price, you already know which phase of the process you are in.
Related reading: what an agency charges in Alicante in 2026, sole agency or multi-agency and survey or valuation.
At VITALITY we work on a sole-agency basis only, with a written agreement, full insurance and fortnightly reporting, from our offices in Alicante and Benidorm. If you are comparing options, see how this estate agency in Alicante works and ask us for a no-obligation valuation of your property.
Frequently asked questions
Does an estate agent in the Valencian Community have to be registered?
Yes. Decree 98/2022 of 29 July, issued by the Consell, created the Register of Property Intermediation Agents of the Valencian Community and defines it as public, free of charge and compulsory for any individual or company that intermediates regularly and for a fee. You can ask any agency for its registration certificate.
What insurance must an estate agent in Alicante hold?
Professional indemnity cover of at least 600,000 euros per claim and insurance year, with a sub-limit of 150,000 euros per victim, plus a bank guarantee or surety bond of 60,000 euros per public-facing office and year. The decree obliges the agent to give the policy number and the insurer to anyone who asks.
How do I know whether a valuation is serious?
Because it comes with evidence: comparable properties in your area actually sold or on the market, with floor area, condition, floor level, aspect and date. A figure without comparables is not a valuation, it is a way of winning the instruction by promising what the market will not pay.
Can I change agency if I am not happy?
Yes, subject to what the instruction agreement says about term, notice and how to communicate it. On top of that, if you signed away from the agency office you have 14 calendar days to withdraw as a consumer, and the agency must inform you of that right in writing.