We are in the middle of the World Cup, so allow me the analogy: there are sellers in Benalmádena who have been celebrating a goal for months that the referee is never going to award. They are offside and they don’t even know it. Or worse: the linesman has had his flag up for a while now, and they just keep on running towards the net.

In this market, the linesman’s flag comes in the form of data. Today, approximately 14% of all property listings in our area on Idealista show price drops, and in many cases, those reductions reach 15% of the original asking price. Home sales continue to decline, and available stock in Málaga capital is growing from levels of 4% year-on-year. Translation: there are more properties competing for fewer active buyers.

And this is only the first half. After the summer, the market cycle points towards an increase in supply across the entire coastline: owners who were waiting “to see if things improve” will enter the market all at once. This concentration of stock will drive prices down, precisely among those who genuinely need to sell. Anyone who enters the market late and overpriced will find themselves competing against neighbours who have already adjusted.

The Offside Play

In football, the offside rule has a cruel logic: the striker believes they are in the perfect position. They feel ahead of everyone else, ready to finish. But the defensive line moved, and they didn’t. The goal is disallowed not due to a lack of quality, but because they failed to read where the line was at the moment of the pass.

This is exactly what is happening to the seller who set their price based on references from 2024 or early 2025. The line —the real price at which transactions are actually closing today— has dropped back. They remain stuck where they were, convinced that their position is correct because “the neighbour asked for that amount” or because “my house is worth more”. Reality is shouting otherwise: viewings that never materialise, offers that fail to appear, and months on the market with no movement. The results speak for themselves. Yet, some would rather argue with the linesman than look at the replay.

The VAR in this market is unforgiving: if your property has been listed for more than 90 days without any serious offers, it isn’t bad luck. It’s an offside position.

How to Get Back Onside

The solution isn’t drastic, but it does require honesty. Before playing the final pass —whether that means entering the market or correcting your current strategy— you must ensure that whoever is going to finish the play is onside. That means three specific steps:

• First, accept where the line stands today. Not where it was when you bought, nor where you would like it to be. A rigorous comparative market analysis, based on actual closing prices and not just asking prices, tells you exactly where the match is being played.
• Second, start in the correct position, don’t chase the play. A seller who positions themselves well from day one captures the most motivated buyers, who are the ones monitoring new listings. Those who price high “to leave room for negotiation” burn that initial window of opportunity. Consequently, successive price drops —the kind already affecting 14% of listings— end up forcing a sale well below what would have been achieved by starting at the right price.
• Third, make your move before the second half. If autumn brings more stock to the coast, as all indicators suggest, the best time to position yourself correctly is now, not when the competition multiplies.

Nobody disallows a goal when the play has been read correctly. At Hernán Bustos — Real Estate Experts, we do exactly that: we tell you where the line is, even if it is not what you want to hear, because our job is to make sure your goal actually makes it onto the scoreboard.