property market Archives - Page 5 of 6

Spanish Home Sales Drop 15 Percent in August

SpainHouses.netOctober 21, 2013Leave a comment

Total home sales in Spain in August plunged 15.3 percent from a year earlier to 23,552 as rampant unemployment and downward pressure on wages more than offset the impact of ongoing falls in prices, according to figures released Monday by the National Statistics Institute (INE).

The fall was the biggest registered this year and the fourth of its kind in a row. The government announced in the summer of last year that tax relief on purchases of family homes would disappear at the start of this year, prompting households to buy in anticipation of the change. The administration also announced at the same time that the VAT rate on new homes would be raised from 4 percent to 10 percent.

The INE’s figures are based on transactions recorded by property registrars, meaning that the actual sales took place about two months prior to that.

Despite the sharp fall in August, sales for the first eight months of the year were up 1.2 percent from the same period a year earlier, in part spurred by growing interest by foreign purchasers. The number of transactions paid for without recourse to a mortgage accounted for 70 percent of the total.

According to figures released by the INE, house prices have fallen 37 percent from their peaks just before the bubble burst. The jobless rate at the end of June stood at 26.3 percent.
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Number of Foreign Buyers Surge in Spain, Government Data Shows

SpainHouses.netOctober 8, 2013April 2, 2020Leave a comment

Foreign buyers are more important than ever for the Spanish property market as it continued to shrink in the second quarter of 2013.

Data from the Spanish department of housing shows that home sales fell by 4.2% compared with the second quarter of 2012, but they were up on the previous quarter.

The data shows that it is foreign buyers who are keeping the property market propped up, especially in popular coastal areas where foreigners tend to buy second homes. Overall purchases by foreign buyers increased by 29% over 12 months and 49% quarter on quarter.

In popular areas like Malaga on the Costa del Sol the number of foreign buyers increased by 61% year on year and foreign buyers were up 52% in the Costa Brava, up 50% in Murcia, up 45% in Valencia, up 35% in Alicante on the Costa Blanca and up 25% in the Canaries.

Alicante leads the way in terms of number of sales to foreign buyers, with 4,001 recorded in the 12 month period, followed by Malaga with 2,028 sales and the Canaries with 1,600.

The figures back up evidence from estate agents who say they have seen an increase in the number of foreigners buying property since the start of the year.
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Mortgages granted in July drop to new record lows

SpainHouses.netSeptember 30, 2013September 29, 2013Leave a comment

Spain’s mortgage market continues in the doldrums due to low demand because of rampant unemployment and stricter conditions imposed by the country’s banks.

According to figures released Thursday by the National Statistics Institute (INE), the number of home loans granted by banks in July fell 42.7 percent from a year earlier to 13,777, the lowest figure since the INE began the current statistical series in 1995. Home loans granted in June were down 42.2 percent at 14,053. Mortgages disbursed have now fallen for 39 months in a row.

The amount of capital lent by banks fell by 42.2 percent to 1.380 billion euros, with the average mortgage down 4.3 percent at 100,180 euros. House prices in some parts of the country have fallen by over 40 percent from their peaks around the end of 2007 and the start of 2008.
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Marbella doubles the number of licences granted for new housing projects

SpainHouses.netSeptember 9, 2013September 8, 2013Leave a comment

The construction sector in Spain in general may still appear to be in a coma, but in Marbella there are further signs of activity in the property market. At least, that appears to be the case according to information from the Town Planning Department, where the number of new building licences granted in the first six months of this year was double that in the same period in 2012. Until June, 123 licences were issued, whereas last year the figure was 64.

The councillor for Town Planning, Pablo Moro, is convinced that this data reflects the fact that the construction sector in the town is beginning to reactivate. “This shows that there is more activity in terms of new building in Marbella and the town continues to be a focus of attention for many investors who now have confidence in it again”, he says.

Although the figures are light years away from those registered before the bursting of the property bubble, the rhythm of growth in applications for new projects does invite optimism and, for some people, it is beginning to dispel doubts about whether the town would, after all, be one of the first in Andalucía to show signs of economic recovery.
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Forecasts for the commercial real estate market in Spain improve 1

SpainHouses.netSeptember 2, 2013April 2, 20201 Comment

Although Spain continues to be affected by the uncertainty that has impacted the country over the past five years, an economic recovery does now appear to be closer and forecasts for the real estate market have improved.

It is expected that the Spanish economy will continue to contract over the coming months, and the fall in GDP in 2013 is projected to be similar to that of 2012, with the economy shrinking by around 1.6% and domestic demand is expected to remain weak but this will be partially offset by a more positive contribution from external demand, the report says.

GDP forecasts for 2014 indicate that growth will be close to 0.5%, boosted by an expected improvement in the global economy. The outlook will also be aided by the measures taken by the European Central Bank (ECB) to stabilise and ensure the survival of the Euro. ...continue reading "Forecasts for the commercial real estate market in Spain improve"

Millionaire foreign investors to buy property in exchange for visas 1

SpainHouses.netAugust 19, 2013August 19, 20131 Comment

Thousands of non-European Union high-net-worth individuals are expected soon to invest in luxury Spanish properties, in return for being granted permanent residency in Spain, according to international real estate experts.

In a bid to revitalise the property sector, and therefore the wider economy, the Spanish government announced last October that those who invest more than 500,000 euros in real estate will be allowed to stay indefinitely in Spain, and therefore the entire Schengen Area, which consists of a group of 26 European countries.

“The law is due to be passed any day, but it is now more likely to come into force in September, after the summer break. We will not know the exact process until the law is enacted but it is expected to be an administrative one involving checking the applicant has all of the necessary documentation.” Explains Alex Vaughan, a partner at an estate agency specialising in high-end properties.
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Marbella’s summer rental prices remain unchanged 1

SpainHouses.netJuly 8, 2013July 7, 20131 Comment

This summer the cost of holiday rentals in Marbella has remained the same as last year, in the luxury sector as well as for standard properties. The town has not been affected by the fierce price war which has affected other tourist areas of the province, where the cost of holiday rentals has dropped by up to 20 per cent compared with the summer of 2012.

Estate agents in the Marbella area confirm that prices have remained at the same level, although they point out that the demand differs according to the target market. The most fortunate property owners are those who attract clients from Eastern Europe. Travellers who come from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and other countries from the former Soviet Union are the most popular this year because they rent the most attractive properties. In fact, they are able to pay an average of between 3,000 and 5,000 euros per week for a villa.

Spanish clients, on the other hand, are very cautious about the price they pay for a holiday rental. The average price a Spanish family is willing to pay, normally for a fortnight, is about 2,000 euros. This is a similar figure to that of last year.
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Ibiza and Mallorca bucking the trend in Spanish property market

SpainHouses.netJanuary 28, 2013March 31, 2020Leave a comment

The worst appears to be over for the top end of the property market in Spain’s Balearic islands with demand increasing especially from wealthy overseas buyers.

Americans, Russians and Chinese buyers are increasingly attracted to the lifestyle offered on Mallorca and Ibiza.

Throughout the property downturn demand for holiday homes in Mallorca has remained high, largely due to the mix of nationalities involved. The island is two hours flying time from most northern European cities and more than 80% of buyers in Mallorca are not Spanish. Properties on the island are also popular with Germans, Austrians, Swiss and buyers from Scandinavia.

Overseas buyers are attracted by the pretty inland villages, beautiful coves, marinas and beaches, imposing mountain ranges and 24 golf courses. Upmarket design is also helping to attract buyers. The Philippe Starck designed superyacht marina Port Adriano, Nikki Beach and Jumeirah Port Soller Hotel and Spa all opened in 2012.
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Changes in the Spanish property lending market

SpainHouses.netMarch 29, 2012April 2, 2020Leave a comment

The Spanish government is trying to put the country mortgage market back on track, and it is forcing takeovers and mergers to accelerate the change.

Banco Sabadell acquired CAM bank for €1 in December 2011 and BBVA acquired Unnim bank for the same price this month, and Catalunya’s CaixaBank has purchased Banca Cívica, becoming the leading financial institution in Spain in terms of assets.

Although Spain did not have official subprime mortgages as the United States, in the late 2000s it did fall into unrealistic mortgages, which consequences nowadays are banks having to repossess a meaningful number of properties, converting them in enormous real estate owners with no buyers.

‘As the property market in Spain boomed, many banks took a naive approach to lending money and they are suffering for it now. Whilst the UK has various checks and balances in place to prevent the recurrence of scandals such as the endowment mortgage mis-selling of the 1980s and 1990s, Spain has yet to get a watertight grip of its financial products although Rajoy is making huge strides,’ explained Marc Elliott, independent mortgage consultant and owner of Fluent Finance Abroad.

‘Deals such as those seen in the past are either non existent or hard to find but if you have a good income and clean credit history the banks will lend. Certain banks did not fall into the reckless subprime trap and are lending pretty much as they were prior to the credit crunch,’ he pointed out.

‘If you are a first time buyer and you don’t have a large cash deposit then it might be wise to consider a bank property. If you have a sizeable deposit at your fingertips it would probably be better to look at the traditional real estate market as these properties tend to be slightly better value for money,’ said Elliott.

‘At the moment banks are looking to get the best price possible for their properties to try and recoup the original funds that were lent, they do this is by slightly inflating asking prices and offering excellent finance terms such as little or no money down deals,’ he added.

‘Always speak to more than one mortgage consultant to make sure you are satisfied that you are getting the best person to represent your interests. If anyone suggests that obtaining mortgage finance in Spain is easy, they are not being completely truthful,’ said Elliott.

Source: Property Wire

propertywire.com

Changed Spanish Property Market touching Recovery

SpainHouses.netSeptember 13, 2011April 2, 2020Leave a comment

The Spanish property market is finally starting to recover

The consensus is that demand is now growing, and that prices have fallen far enough, but that the market is still difficult and very different to what it was -- a fact that the road show planners seem to have missed.

The road show hopes to appeal to the mass-market, low end buyers, but these buyers relied on the loose lending that fuelled recklessness and over-development in the market, and also on the surge of confidence that came from house prices rising rapidly in their home countries.

So, now we have a Spain that is still over developed and over supplied, and where lending is hard to come by, but where prices are up to 70 per cent below peak 2007 prices. And it is that last fact that has the buyers coming back.

property-abroad.com