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Idealista: Second-Hand House Prices Rose by 2.4% in 2017

27 December 2017 – El País

Despite the Catalan crisis, this year, Barcelona has managed to dislodge San Sebastián from the top of the ranking as the most expensive capital city in Spain.

During 2017, buying a second-hand home has become 2.4% more expensive. Owners have paid an average price of €1,586/m2 in 2017, compared to €1,553/m2 in 2016, according to the latest price index from the real estate portal Idealista.

Nevertheless, not all of the markets have behaved in the same way; some have grown at double-digit rates, whilst others have expanded at more moderate rates, and others have seen price continue to decrease, still not reaching rock bottom.

Thirty of the provincial capital cities have seen price rises, although the most marked increase was recorded in Palma de Mallorca, with a rise of 29.1%, taking the average second-hand house price there to €2,667/m2. It was followed by the city of Málaga, where prices have risen by 16.7% to €1,934/m2. By contrast, Soria is the capital where prices have fallen by the most (-8.3%), followed by Ávila (-6.9%) and Almería (-5.1%).

Despite the Catalan crisis, which “will affect the final result for the year”, according to Fernando Encinar, Head of Research at Idealista, this year, Barcelona has managed to dislodge San Sebastián from the top of the ranking as the most expensive Spanish capital, at €4,284/m2, compared to €4,052/m2 in the Guipuzcoan capital. Those two cities are followed by Madrid (€3,285/m2) and Bilbao (€2,871/m2).

By autonomous region, the largest increase was recorded in the Balearic Islands, where owners are now asking 25.3% more for their homes than they were a year ago. It is followed by increases in Cataluña (9.5%), the Canary Islands (8.4%), the Community of Madrid (7.1%), Aragón (2.3%), the Community of Valencia (1.9%), Andalucía (0.8%) and País Vasco (+0.5%). At the other end of the spectrum, the largest decreases were recorded in Navarra (-4.8%), Asturias (-3.2%) and Castilla La Mancha (-2.4%).

The Community of Madrid is the most expensive autonomous region, at €2,544/m2, followed by País Vasco (€2,519/m2), the Balearic Islands (€2,472/m2) and Cataluña (€2,082/m2), whilst the regions with the most affordable prices are Castilla-La Mancha (€897/m2), Extremadura (€932/m2) and Murcia (€1,019/m2). The provinces with the most expensive homes are Guipúzcoa and Vizcaya, at €2,760/m2 and €2,591/m2, respectively. They are followed by Madrid (€2,544) and Barcelona (€2,544/m2). Toledo is the most affordable province (€770/m2), followed by Avila (€801/m2) and Ciudad Real (€840/m2).

Original story: El País (by S. L. L.)

Translation: Carmel Drake