Eurostat: House Prices Rose by 6.2% in Spain in 2017

11 July 2018 – Eje Prime

The acceleration of the housing market has placed Spain amongst the leading countries in Europe in terms of price rises. In fact, in just one year, the country has risen from 21st position, with an average increase of 4.6% in 2016, to 12th , with an average increase of 6.2% last year.

In 2016, Spain already exceeded the average rise for the European Union as a whole, which amounted to 4.6% at the time, but in 2017, it distanced itself further from the average, moving closer to the group of countries with the highest rises in prices: whilst in Spain, the increase amounted to 6.2% in 2017, the average rise for the European Union as a whole was 4.4%.

Spain outperformed Austria, where prices rose by 8.5% in 2016 (in 2017, they only increased by 5.3%); Norway, which went from an increase of 7.9% in 2016 to 5.4% in 2017; and the United Kingdom, where house prices increased by 7% in 2016 and by 4.5% in 2017.

Iceland, the Czech Republic and Ireland were, in that order, the three markets where house prices rose by the most in 2017, with rises of 19.5%, 11.7% and 10.9%, respectively. Iceland was the only country to feature in the top 3 in both years; in 2016, it was joined by Hungary and Sweden.

Several countries from Eastern Europe, such as Lithuania, Latvia, Bulgaria, Slovenia and Hungary (with high volatilities in terms of the evolution of house prices) were amongst the most inflationary in terms of house prices in 2017, together with countries in Western Europe, such as Portugal, where prices rose by 9.2%; the Netherlands (7.5%) and Sweden (6.4%).

At the opposite end of the spectrum, the only European country where house prices decreased in 2017 was Italy, with a reduction of -0.8%. It was accompanied by moderate price increases in Finland (1.6%), Cyprus (2.2%), France (3.6%) and Croatia and Poland (both 3.8%).

The figures from Eurostat, the European Union’s statistics office, include purchase prices of new and second-hand homes. According to the EU entity, these prices “have fluctuated significantly since 2006”. “The annual growth rate in the European Union as a whole was close to 8% in 2006 and 2007, followed by decreases of 4% as a result of the financial crisis”, it continued.

Prices started to increase in 2014, with an average cumulative rise across the whole of the European Union of 11% between 2010 and 2017, and of 6% in the Eurozone during the same period, according to Eurostat. In the case of Spain, despite the increases in recent years, the country has registered a cumulative decrease of 17% since the start of the century.

Original story: Eje Prime (by Christian de Angelis)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Solvia: Buy-to-Let Returns Reach 11% in Alicante

3 March 2018 – El Mundo

If you want to generate some decent returns from your savings and are thinking about getting into the world of real estate, to buy a home and let it out, then the best options in Alicante can be found in the neighbourhoods of Carolinas Altas and Bon Repós, where rental yields currently exceed 11%. The lowest returns are being recorded in the centre and in the old town, with 5.8% and 5.6%, respectively. That is according to the report Solvia Market Overview: Alicante, the forecast for 2018, prepared by Solvia, the real estate arm of Banco Sabadell.

The analysis indicates that in the local rental market “prices are rising at a faster rate than sales prices, taking the average rent to €614/month, up by 9.6% compared to one year ago”. Tenants paid €6.6/m2/month. The stock of rental homes has increased to 3,297 units, up by 0.5% compared to the previous quarter. The average return on a rental property in Alicante amounts to 6%, which significantly exceeds the returns generated by other conservative investment options such as bank deposits and treasury bonds, whose yields are in tatters. The average return on rental properties across Spain is 6.1%.

The most expensive rental prices are located in the centre of the city: €8.65/m2/month, which means that for a 90m2 home, the monthly rent amounts to around €778 on average. Playa de San Juan is the second most expensive location, at €8.61/m2/month, which corresponds to an average monthly rent of €774.

The most affordable areas are La Florida Alta and Florida Baja, with rents of €5.64/m2/month and €6.23/m2/month, respectively. Moreover, the most profitable neighbourhood for a landlord to rent out a flat is Carolinas Altas. The €560 that can be obtained for the rent on average, taking into account the sales prices in the area at the moment (around €60,000 per property on average) allow for the generation of a return of 11.2%; that is much higher than, for example, the dividend yield of any company listed on the Ibex.

Upwards trend

In its report, Solvia highlights that the forecast for 2018 is that house prices “are going to continue to rise in the city, with an expected increase of 5.3%, slightly below the 6.1% that is forecast for the whole of Spain”.

Property prices in Alicante recorded a YoY increase of 4.1% at the end of 2017 to reach €1,258/m2, above the national average. Specifically, second-hand properties reached a sales price of €1,207/m2, whilst new build homes cost €1,653/m2. “The amount per square metre is still considerably lower than the highest peak, reached in 2007 in the case of second-hand homes (€1,765/m2) and in 2008 in the case of new build properties (€2,041/m2). The most expensive areas are in the centre (€2,250/m2), the old town (€2,126/m2) and Playa de San Juan, where prices have soared by 9.7% over the last year.

Original story: El Mundo (by F. D. G.)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Residential Investment: Which Are The Most Profitable Districts?

30 May 2016 – Expansión

Madrid and Barcelona are pulling the real estate wagon. The recovery is happening at two speeds, at least. On the one hand, house prices are rising in the large cities, where sales volumes are also increasing significantly, rental prices are growing, non-residential investment is on the up and there is a shortage of land available for sale.

Most of this improvement in due to underlying macroeconomic trends, but not all of it. The impact of private investors is playing a crucial role in the strengthening of the two large real estate regions, whose central areas are the most sought-after by investors, both businesses and individuals, and Spaniards and foreigners alike.

The prime districts of the Madrid and Barcelona offer the highest rental yields for those looking to buy homes as investments. If we also include the appreciation that these properties are experiencing in terms of price, then the total return on these homes exceeds the 10% threshold.

That is according to a report about rental yields, by district in Madrid and Barcelona, prepared by Fotocasa.

The analysis of the Madrilenian capital concludes that the districts that spark the most interest for rented housing are: Centro, Carabanchel, Tetuán, Puente de Vallecas and Latina. They currently offer an average yield of 6%, almost one percentage point higher than the average return in Spain, which stands at 5.3%. The yields offered from rents in these districts range from 4.9% in Centro to 7.4% in Puente de Vallecas.

In Barcelona, the gross yield from buying a home and putting it up for rent (excluding capital gains) is 5.3%, in line with the national average. The districts that are most sought-after by investors in Barcelona are: L’Eixample, Sant Martí, Ciutat Vella and Gràcia, which are currently generating an average return of 4.7%, i.e. 1.3 points below the yield being offered by an average home in the most sought-after areas of Madrid. In any case, the prime returns range between 4.2% in L’Eixample and 5.3% in Ciutat Vella. (…).

Double-digit price rises

In terms of prices, nine of the 10 districts in the Catalan capital recorded double digit increases in 2015. “Within the last few months, we have seen unheard of increases in rental prices in the city of Barcelona. Whilst historically, the Madrilenian district of Salamanca was the most expensive place to rent a home in Spain, now that ranking is led by the Catalan district of Ciutat Vella, after prices there rose by more than 20% YoY. In fact, Ciutad Vella is currently 11% more expensive than the Madrileñian district of Salamanca”, said Beatriz Toribio.

“The high demand for rental housing in the most central areas of the city, and the limited supply of homes, are combining to cause rental prices in Barcelona to rise to record breaking levels. They are even causing rental prices in less central areas, such as Sant Martí and the district of Horta Guinardó, to see double-digit YoY increases in rental prices”, added Toribio.

The most sought after rental properties in Madrid are smaller than the most sought after properties for purchase. Whilst to buy, the average home measures 80 sqm and has two or three bedrooms; to lease, the average home has a surface area of 57 sqm and two bedrooms. The same thing is happening in Barcelona: the average home to buy measures 80 sqm, and has between two and three bedrooms. Nevertheless, to rent the average house size is 60 sqm with two bedrooms.

Original story: Expansión (by Juanma Lamet)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Eurostat: Spanish House Prices Rose By 4.5% YoY In Q3 2015

21 January 2016 – Cinco Días

The evolution of house prices across the European Union varied significantly between countries during the third quarter of 2015, just as it did between different regions in Spain. In this way, the data published yesterday by Eurostat, the EU’s Office for Statistics, shows that house prices rose by 2.3% on average in the Eurozone and by 3.1% across the EU as a whole, compared with the same period in 2014. If the evolution of house prices is measured with respect to the second quarter of 2015, then they rose by 1.0% on average in the Eurozone and by 1.3% across the EU as a whole.

Spain stands out in the ranking by country, with an average increase of 4.5% between July and September compared with the same period last year. As such, house prices here rose by almost twice the average recorded in countries that share the euro currency. Moreover, that figure represents the greatest increase since the last quarter of 2007. The increase amounted to 0.7% with respect to the previous three months. The highest YoY increases amongst State members during Q3 2015 were recorded in Switzerland (13.7%), Austria (9.3%), Ireland (8.9%) and Denmark (7.2%).

By contrast, the countries that recorded the most significant price decreases were Letonia, with a YoY decline of 7.6%, Croatia (-3.0%), Italy (-2.3%) and France (-1.2%).

Economic recovery

A comparison of the evolution of real estate prices and GDP in the Eurozone, as well as in the rest of the EU, shows that in global terms, houses are currently being sold at higher prices in those countries in which the economic recovery is well underway and where employment is also on the rise.

Moreover, the improvement in access to credit in general terms across the whole of Europe is driving up property sales, such as in the case of Spain, and so the logical result is that prices are also rising. (…).

Other noteworthy statistics include the fact that house prices rose by 5.6% YoY in both the UK and Germany in Q3 2015. (…). Meanwhile, in France and Italy, house prices depreciated by 1.2% and 2.3% YoY in the same period (…).

Original story: Cinco Días (by Raquel Díaz Guijarro)

Translation: Carmel Drake