Coupled with the fact that the city is the capital of Catalonia - so therefore has two official languages; Catalan and Castillian Spanish - many Real Estate terms have nothing to do with the literal meaning of the word you might find in a dictionary. Here's a little list to help you decipher those all-important terms within the city centre itself.
First up is a simple one. Moving into the metropolis that is Barcelona, it's likely you'll be staying in an apartment or a flat. This is translated into "Apartamento" or "Piso" - no major issues there. Apartments are found in blocks which can vary in size and age - old town properties can bare little resemblance to brand new properties, with installations and communal areas such as stairwells in need of repair. However, history is on your side, and an authentic apartment in an old town block oozes character and charm, whereas new blocks can be bare and empty. Apartments can vary in size and "Studios" are those on the smaller size, often with one bedroom, sometimes in open plan and rarely reaching above 35m2.
If you see a "Duplex" advertised, this refers to a property which has one entrance, but is distributed over two floors - more often than not by an internal staircase. Many upper floors in apartment blocks are constructed with higher ceilings than those floors which prop them up, meaning it's easy to add another level - be it for a bedroom, a living room or simply an "internal balcony". The difference between a two-storey property and a duplex is basically that it occupies the same floor space as an apartment, whereas a two storey property allows for the construction of the staircase.
Spanish "Lofts" are contrary to the English translation and are not a space directly below the roof of a house with sloping walls! Quite the opposite. Lending itself from 1950s New York a "loft" is a very open space with large windows, very few partitions and generally very little has been done to a somewhat industrial construction (such as a warehouse) to make it hospitable. Think old factories and warehouses converted into large, open dwellings, with ceiling to floor windows. The term is abused slightly in Barcelona to refer to any space which has few partitions - and on any level within a block, so that's something to be aware of.
"Local" refers to the space on the ground floor of a building which is typically destined for commerce - be it a shop, restaurant, bar or cafe. It's the street-level front to the building - most typically having one either side of the apartment block's main entrance. Locales are usually large, open spaces, but often have difficulty in obtaining a legal living permit, known as a "cedula de habitabilidad" - given the fact that they are destined towards retail or hospitality. If you fancy looking for one of these properties, ensure you ask for an up to date permit.
Finally, we come to "Bajos" which literally translates as Ground Floor, but can differ from a "Local" as there can be many bajos within an apartment block - some interior some exterior - whereas locales generally occupy either half or whole of the ground floor of an apartment block. Bajos are also usually accessed from the same main apartment building door, rather than an exclusive entrance, as locales are. Bajos tend to be a little darker in terms of natural sunlight given the proximity of buildings within the city centre, but can often make up for this deficit with fantastic terraces which stretch the same length and breadth of the living space itself.
If you're having trouble deciding on your favourite type of living space, or fancy checking out a few of each, then contact Luxury Barcelona Real Estate Agency, Modus Vivendi, who have an outstanding selection of the best properties for sale in Barcelona as well as an ample portfolio of long term rentals in Barcelona.
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