ACR: Construction Costs Rise by 10.3% in 2018

28 November 2018 – Eje Prime

Construction, at the price of gold. The costs relating to residential construction increased by 10.3% in 2018, according to the second edition of the Direct Construction Costs Index published by the ACR group.

In this way, the upward trend that started in 2015 is continuing, mainly due to the exponential rise in the cost of labour and the slight upturn in the price of materials. The data provided by the property developer reflects significant growth in the most representative items of buildings such as, for example, the façades, internal divisions and structure.

For Michel Elizalde, CEO of the ACR Group, “the sector must react to this reality and look for solutions that help to alleviate the effects of such a volatile scenario”. According to the executive, the solution involves “finding more collaborative contractual formulae with clients; seeking more stable relationship frameworks; embarking on training so that professionals are prepared; and taking determined steps towards the industrialisation of components and processes”.

Original story: Eje Prime 

Translation: Carmel Drake

Finestrelles Shopping Centre Opens with a 98% Occupancy Rate

27 November 2018 – Eje Prime

The Finestrelles shopping centre has fired the starting gun. The complex, located in the Catalan town of Esplugues de Llobregat, on the outskirts of Barcelona, has opened its doors today after two years under construction.

Finestrelles, which has a commercial surface area of 40,000 m2, spread over five floors, has opened with an occupancy rate of 98%. The complex contains 110 stores, with tenants of the calibre of JD Sports, Mango, H&M, Zara and other Inditex chains.

For the construction of the shopping centre, which is owned by the Belgian real estate firm Equilis, an investment of €120 million has been made and 1,500 direct and indirect jobs are expected to be generated. Moreover, the complex is expected to attract 8 million visitors during its first year given that it is located along one of the main entrances into Barcelona.

Initially, Finestrelles was scheduled to open at the beginning of October, but according to the construction firm, due to the poor meteorological conditions, a decision was taken to delay the opening until the end of November.

Original story: Eje Prime 

Translation: Carmel Drake

Construction Costs Soar & Feed the ‘Boom’ in House Prices

9 September 2018 – El Confidencial

“A year and a half ago, I asked for a quote from a small construction company for a building project in Leganés. I drafted the plans, obtained the permit from the Town Hall and when I spoke to the construction company again about starting the work, they quoted me 35% more than we had originally agreed. It was crazy. And something similar has just happened on another project in Móstoles. I signed a building contract with another construction company two months ago, the work starts next week, but they can’t stick to the price we agreed because they can’t manage to hire workers for that price”.

The speaker is a property developer from Madrid, who prefers to remain anonymous so as to not generate hostility amongst construction companies. Over the last few months, he has suffered as a result of the significant rise in construction costs. There are severe labour shortages, which are causing prices to rise, given that the cost of construction materials, although increasing slightly, has remained much more stable.

The increase of 35% is not generalised across Spain, but it is starting to become quite frequent in cities such as Madrid, Barcelona and Málaga where real estate activity has recovered more strongly than in other parts of the country, according to the experts consulted.

To give us an idea, according to a study prepared at the beginning of the year by ACR Grupo, residential construction costs have risen by 17.5% in the last 24 months, and by 12% in the last year alone. After 2007, and coinciding with the crisis, those costs decreased by 20% and remained almost flat for more than five years until two years ago, when the long lethargy was finally broken.

This higher cost of labour has a direct impact on house prices. According to the experts consulted, a 40% increase in construction costs results in a 20% rise in house prices. And, if the price of land represents around 35% of the total cost of the construction, then construction costs now account for around 50%. “Why do you think that prices are rising so quickly in Madrid and Barcelona? The price of land is soaring and now this unexpected enemy has arrived on the scene”, said the same developer.

In the Spanish capital, prices are out of control in certain areas, with price rises of up to 20%. “…”. “Within a given development, a home that used to cost €400,000 is now being sold for almost €500,000. The increases are not only due to the fact that there is a lot of demand and limited supply, but also because if the properties aren’t sold at those prices, then the project is not profitable. Some of the listed property developers have already warned that they will not be capable of building as many homes as they had planned. We will see in a few months time whether they are going to be able to fulfil their sales forecasts”, add sources from a construction company.

Although property developers have recognised this problem publicly for months, they are also convinced that it has gotten worse over the last nine months (…).

Destruction of the production fabric

The lack of skilled labour is evident. Plumbers, framers, electricians, bricklayers, etc…And like in any market, scarcity causes increases. Many of those who used to earn their living building homes at the height of the boom have changed jobs or left the country and have no intention of returning.

The figures speak for themselves. In 2008, the year the bubble burst, 600,000 new homes were completed in Spain. Now, that number barely reaches 50,000 units. Moreover, that decrease in activity has led to the disappearance of more than 12,600 companies linked to the sector since 2012, around 6,800 construction companies and 5,700 real estate firms, according to data from PwC.

That destruction of business fabric has resulted in an enormous number of unemployed people. Whilst a decade ago, the number of wage earners linked to the construction sector amount to 2 million people, in 2017 the number barely exceeded 800,000. In other words, almost 60% of the workers have disappeared (…).

“The main problem is that people who worked in the sector before and who have now found work now elsewhere do not want to return because of the fear of another crisis…”.

The problem goes far beyond the increase in prices that the property developers end up passing onto end buyers. The severe labour shortage, together with the lack of financing, puts in danger the sector’s estimates in terms of their forecasts for the construction of homes necessary for a healthy real estate market. And no solution for that problem is likely to be found in the short term (…).

Original story: El Confidencial (by E. Sanz)

Translation: Carmel Drake