Tag: developments

Domo Gestora Invests €33M to Build c. 100 Homes in Tres Cantos (Madrid)

27 April 2018 – Eje Prime

New challenges lie ahead for Domo Gestora. The property developer has just acquired a new plot of land in Madrid on which it will build around one hundred homes in Tres Cantos, according to sources at the group speaking to Eje Prime. The real estate manager, which specialises in housing cooperatives and delegated management, is going to invest €33 million in this development.

Domo is going to manage the project after one of its cooperatives acquired the plot where it is going to build the development. It will consist of 101 apartments in a gated community with a swimming pool and common areas, whose quality stands out due to the proposals in terms of efficiency, sustainability, child safety and accessibility. Construction work is expected to start in June and all of the homes are expected to be handed over in the middle of 2020.

Domo Gestora is currently operating in the market with a dozen developments. In Madrid, where the group has already handed over more than 500 apartments, the company has 700 homes under development, whilst in Guadalajara, Badajoz, Málaga and Granada, it has 81, 26, 23 and 24 homes under construction.

The most noteworthy developments include one located on Paseo de la Castellana, where Domo is building around twenty terraced homes and one located on Calle Raimundo Fernández Villaverde, which is going to comprise 334 homes.

In addition to the homes under construction, the company has also handed over more than 500 homes in recent years, located in places such as Valdebebas, where it has built 200 apartments; Vallecas, with around fifteen family homes; and Arroyomolinos, with a development of 43 family homes, amongst others.

In total, since Domo Gestora has been active, it has built more than 200,000 m2 of properties, handed over around 1,000 homes and managed more than 2,000 assets. Domo has also managed more than €108 million of contracted work and has accessed more than €300 million of financing.

Domo Activos, the Socimi

In addition to its core business, Domo Gestora has also had to focus on its Socimi in recent months. Last year, the company launched the first property developer Socimi dedicated to medium-sized investors. The business model of Domo Activos involves the acquisition of land for the development of buildings destined for rent, which are then sold off after three years of ownership.

The return on that project, once the divestments have been made could reach 10% per annum, according to the company’s estimates. Until the home is sold and for the period that the building is leased, investors receive the profit resulting from the rental income in the form of a dividend.

Currently, the largest project being promoted by Domo Activos is the development that it is constructing in Madrid, in El Ensanche de Vallecas. This building is going to comprise eighty rental homes, according to explanations from the group.

The next steps for the group are to look for new land on which to build more homes under its Socimi. The company has already identified opportunities in Spain and is now hoping to increase its financial muscle in order to carry out the purchase of the new land through a capital increase of up to €15 million. Domo Activos is going to focus these acquisitions on Madrid, Málaga and Valencia, in the first instance, but is also on the lookout for plots in Sevilla, Córdoba, Granada and Zaragoza.

Original story: Eje Prime (by C. Pareja)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Savills Aguirre Newman: House Prices Will Rise by 5%-8% in Málaga in 2018

22 March 2018 – 20 Minutos

The average price of housing in Málaga rose by 5.4% in 2017, according to the Residential Market report published by the international consultancy firm Savills Aguirre Newman, which also predicts that house prices will rise by between 5% and 8% this year.

The report reveals its forecast for this year is that prices will continue their growing trend thanks to the “strong behaviour of demand”. In 2018, the increase in property development activity and the construction of new promotions are going to continue to increase, which means that new residential areas in Málaga are going to be consolidated; this is already happening in the Martiricos area.

In terms of the main players in the residential market in Málaga, during 2018, the consolidation of financial institutions and servicers will continue, as it will of international funds with a vocation for making long-term investments.

For José Luis Sanz, the deputy director of Savills Aguirre Newman’s delegation in Andalucía, the residential market in Málaga has evolved “in a positive way, offering more modern and efficient projects, and with a clear focus on design and quality”.

Moreover, he added that the entry of international groups into the market has benefitted the sector. Currently, the product offered/demanded is a type of home that is characterised by, on the one hand, open plan spaces with large terraces in coastal areas, and, on the other hand, vertical designs that make efficient use of the available space in more urban areas.

The report analyses 113 developments in total, of which 82 are being marketed (…) and 31 have already been sold. The study counted 54 new promotions and, for the third year in a row, reported that no developments have been suspended or removed from sale.

The main areas of growth for new housing in Málaga are Teatinos and Pacífico (…).

“It is important to highlight the dynamism of the land market in the capital”, said Sanz, who added that “Over the last year, there have continued to be numerous, significant transactions involving residential land both in the Málaga metropolitan area, as well as in the neighbouring districts, such as Alhaurín de la Torre, Rincón de la Victoria and in the Churriana district of the capital” (…).

2017

Last year, the average price of a home in an apartment block in the province amounted to €216,713, whilst the average price of a family house stood at €274,420.

In Málaga, the split by type of home is 78% homes in apartment buildings and 22% family houses. This increase in prices takes the average price per m2 of a flat/apartment to €1,727, with an average surface area of 125 m2, whilst the average price of a family home now stands at €1,616, with an average surface area of 170 m2.

With these average prices, the highest price recorded for the sale of a home in an apartment building in the Málaga-East area amounted to €820,000 (€5,622/m2) and in the centre amounted to €1,350,000 (€5,555/m2). In terms of family homes, a property was sold also in the Málaga-East area for €1,175,000 (€2,937/m2) according to Aguirre.

Original story: 20 Minutos

Translation: Carmel Drake

CV-Grupo Acquires Logistics Plot in San Fernando de Henares (Madrid)

16 March 2018 – Inmodiario

The Valencian firm CV-Grupo has purchased a plot measuring 12,500 m2 in San Fernando de Henares (Madrid) on the Puerta de Madrid industrial estate, alongside Amazon and other large companies, where it is going to construct a logistics warehouse.

In this way, CV-Grupo is expanding its land in Madrid. The Valencian property developer is led by Salvador Vila and specialises in the construction and promotion of assets in the logistics and industrial sectors. The firm has purchased the plot in Madrid in order to expand its portfolio of industrial properties through the promotion of a logistical warehouse. Its portfolio now spans a surface area of more than 200,000 m2, including the assets in Valencia and Madrid.

The acquired space is located on the A-2 highway, in the heart of the Henares corridor, in the town of San Fernando de Henares, on the industrial estate known as Puerta de Madrid (…).

The asset will allow CV-Grupo to develop a logistics warehouse measuring 8,500 m2 on the Puerta de Madrid industrial estate, by the A-2 and M-45 highways, one of the most sought-after in the sector in the Spanish capital. There, its neighbours will include, amongst others, multinational firms such as Amazon, Tdn, XPO and Plaza supermarkets. This industrial estate is considered as one of the fastest growing and best located in the Community of Madrid.

CV-Grupo began its activity in Madrid in 2000 in the Corredor de Henares, where it undertook developments in Coslada, San Fernando and Torrejón de Ardoz (…).

The construction work on this site, which is due to start in the second quarter of the year, will be completed before the end of the year (…).

Original story: Inmodiario 

Translation: Carmel Drake

Lar Launches Fund to Coinvest in Residential Segment in Spain & Latam

12 March 2018 – Expansión

Founded in 1975 by Felipe Pereda, the real estate developer Lar was one of the few high-profile companies during the boom that survived the subsequent crash. Having become the manager of one of the largest real estate companies on the stock market, Socimi Lar España, the company owned by the Pereda family has not been neglecting its house building activity. “We are currently working on residential projects in seven countries. At the global level, we are working on projects involving 18,000 units”, explains Miguel Amo, Director General of the Lar Group.

This extensive portfolio also includes the Spanish market, where the company has focused on the residential business, after years of investing in shopping centres (it has a clause not to invest in commercial assets beyond the Socimi). “The first thing we did when we saw the signs of recovery in the market in 2013 was to team up with Fortress to acquire a portfolio containing almost 1,400 homes and plots of land spread all over Spain from Sareb. With that batch, we created a FAB (banking asset fund), which expires this year, with the delivery of the final homes. Next, we entered the luxury business, with Lagasca 99, a project that we are managing and in which we also hold a stake through the Socimi. And, with the market recovering, we saw the opportunity for new build projects”, said Amo.

First fund

Last year, after selecting several plots of land, Lar opted to create a fund, called Acacias Inmuebles, to promote seven projects with 450 homes in total. “The vehicle was created in July 2017 with €35 million and we have now invested 100%. We manage it and we own 30% of the vehicle (…) and the rest is owned by investors from Spain and Peru (…), explains the head of Lar.

In total, Acacias Inmuebles is going to promote five primary residence projects over the next three years in Madrid, Valencia, Málaga, Torremolinos and Sevilla, and two other second-home developments in the Malaga towns of Benalmádena and Mijas (…).

The success of that first vehicle has caused the real estate company to launch a second fund. “We are asking for a minimum capital investment of €500,000. It is a fund without any intermediary liquidity, but which will distribute dividends when the projects are handed over and the investments will be recovered within a period of between three and five years, with an approximate annual return of 12%”.

Besides Acacias and Lagasca, Lar owns other plots for the development of an additional 400 homes. “They are located in Móstoles (Madrid) and Valladolid; in the case of the latter, we will likely sell off some of the land to be developed by third parties”, said Amo. In addition to its activity in Spain, the majority of Lar’s developments are based abroad, primarily in Latin America.

Specifically, Lar, which was one of the first Spanish real estate companies to branch out overseas (in 1998) has 9,000 homes under construction in Mexico, another 5,000 in Peru and 1,300 in Colombia (…) “We are also building in Romania. We always do it by ourselves, in conjunction with a local team, and we are very happy with the results so far”.

Revenues

Thanks to all of these projects, Lar had forecast revenues of between €400 million and €450 million in 2017, which would be added to the fees received for the management of the Socimi. “2017 was a good year in all areas, we sold 1,500 homes in private contracts and 1,300 were notarised. This year, we will hand over 1,500 homes, of which between 200 and 300 will be in Spain”, highlights Amo.

Lar is also committed to buying land for its subsequent management. “In Spain, we are also going to intensify our investment in land. We think that developable land is running out all over Spain, after 10 years with no investment and, so there is a need to “manufacture” land. We want to acquire plots for at least 1,000 homes and if we can buy land for 3,000 units, then even better”.

Original story: Expansión (by Rocío Ruiz)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Deloitte: Residential Property Developers Set Their Sights on Consolidation

1 March 2018 – Expansión

The residential sector is on a roll. After years of significant declines in property development activity in Spain, the housing industry recorded its best year since the crisis in 2017, with a total of 500,000 transactions, of which almost 85,000 involved new homes, although the evolution of house sales is still light years away from the levels seen in 2007.

In this context, prices also recovered, recording an increase of 6.6% between 2014 and the third quarter of 2017, albeit with significant differences by province. This recovery in prices came after a cumulative decrease of 27.3% between 2008 and 2014, according to data reflected by Deloitte in its report The Residential Development Handbook. According to that analysis, there are currently 2,150 developments underway, with 114,000 homes being built. Of the total new developments, almost 80% are located in just 10 provinces.

This recovery is happening in the context of a favourable macroeconomic evolution with GDP growth of 3.1% in 2017, a reduction in unemployment and a favourable demographic makeup: Spain has 21 million citizens aged between 25 and 55 years, who may become potential buyers.

Moreover, financing is working in favour of house sales as the banks have opened the credit tap once again, although with greater demands on borrowers and more rigorous controls.

Alberto Valls, Partner responsible for Real Estate at Deloitte, explains that there is “growing unmet demand, which extends beyond the 10 main provinces”. In this sense, sources at the Deloitte have identified 272 hotspots where both demand and prices are growing, unemployment is decreasing and the market dynamics are favourable. “One third of those hotspots are not being covered by any property developers”, explains Gonzalo Gallego, Partner at Deloitte in the Financial Advisory Real Estate team.

These hotspots are located in 158 areas of the country. Specifically, Madrid and Barcelona account for more than 35% of them. In this context, funds such as Castlelake, Cerberus, Blackstone and Värde saw an opportunity in the wake of the recovery and have set up shop in the country. Others, such as Lone Star, have already completed their cycles, and with the sale of its entire stake in Neinor, which has been listed for less than a year, has collected its gains.

For Valls, the Spanish market continues to offer opportunities for investors to create value. “They are continuing to invest through alternative structures: alliances in projects, purchases of property developers and development of platforms for their subsequent debuts on the stock market”, he says.

The Partner responsible for Real Estate at Deloitte also recalls that, despite the creation of new players, the residential market in Spain is “highly fragmented”. And he predicts: “The market for real estate property developers is going to become more concentrated”.

Specifically, the five largest property developers in Spain account for just 6% of the market in terms of units handed over and 12% of the units under development. If we compare those figures with other more mature markets, the Top 5 British property developers account for 39% of the total units handed over, whilst the top five French developers account for 42%, according to data from Deloitte.

Large listed companies

Placing the focus on the large listed property developers, Metrovacesa, Aedas and Neinor, which have a combined stock market capitalisation of €5.2 billion, together, they own a portfolio of land with capacity for the development of 61,500 homes. Their French counterparts Nexity and Kaufman Broad, which have a combined market value of €3.3 billion, own land for the development of 72,100 homes. Meanwhile, the eight largest property developers in the UK, including Persimmon, Taylor Wimpey and Barratt, which have a combined market capitalisation of €37 billion, have potential land for around 300,000 homes.

Original story: Expansión (by Rebeca Arroyo)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Bankia Plans to Grant €400M Per Year in Property Developer Loans

28 February 2018 – El Confidencial

Talking about property developer loans at Bankia is like mentioning rope in the house of a man who hanged himself. Nevertheless, José Ignacio Goirigolzarri is not only not afraid of the business that took his entity to the brink of bankruptcy, he also wants to become an important player in that segment once again. His aspiration is to reach a market share of between 7% and 8% between now and 2020, which would mean granting more than €400 million per year since then. That is according to the new strategic plan for 2018-2020 presented by the entity on Tuesday. The plan did not excite the market for its forecasts, but rather for the announcement that it is going to return 20% of the bank’s capitalisation to its shareholders.

The President of Bankia estimates that “the real estate development market, in terms of turnover (not balances) is going to amount to between €5 billion and €5.5 billion over the next three years. We aspire to reach a market share in the origination of new loans of between 7% and 8%, from the 0% that we registered at the end of 2017”. The restructuring plan imposed by the European Commission for the entity’s rescue with public money prohibited it from participating in that business until now. “We think that it is reasonable and that we will be able to achieve it”, he added.

This ambition to enter the property developer loan market contrasts with its prudence in terms of retail mortgages, where it expects a decrease of 2.2% during the year. Bankia explains that “mortgages account for a very significant weight, representing around two-thirds of the bank’s total portfolio. It is reasonable for the balance to decrease and for higher quality loans to join the fold”.

These figures are incomparable with those recorded during the real estate bubble that burst in 2008: the entity transferred property developer loans and foreclosed assets to Sareb amounting to €22.3 billion. But the return to this activity by Bankia is nevertheless significant, no matter how much Goirigolzarri assures that “it does not represent a large lever” for future results. Moreover, the President clarified that now the developments are more concentrated both geographically – Madrid, Cataluña, Andalucía and Valencia account for 65% of the total – as well as business-wise – the largest 20% of operators control 25% of the market.

Is it different this time?

(…). According to one source in the sector, “it seems that the banks have emptied their balance sheets of property and are now wanting to fill them up again”. The move is so clear that even the Bank of Spain has issued its first warnings to the sector and has introduced safeguards in the form of the new accounting circular to prevent a repetition of the disaster.

The major argument that the entities are using to justify themselves is one that you always hear before any crisis: “This time it’s different”. “Despite the best moment, the banks are now much more prudent when it comes to granting loans. In the property developer business, for example, we are analysing the feasibility of the project to be financed in great detail, as well as the solvency and professionality of the applicant, who will also have to assume part of the risk associated with the operation”, said one of the big four.

The proposal to return capital attracted more attention than the plan itself

In all other respects, the strategic plan presented on Tuesday did not surprise the market, given that it is less aggressive than those unveiled by the bank’s competitors recently. Basically, Bankia forecasts that its profits will grow to €1.3 billion in 2020 due to: rate hikes (it is the entity that will benefit the most from the forecast increases); even greater synergies with BMN than expected (€190 million vs the €155 million previously announced); and a reduction in toxic assets and in the need to recognise provisions against them. It also expects to increase its market share in all segments, although that will account for less than 20% of its forecast growth.

Original story: El Confidencial (by Eduardo Segovia)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Kutxabank Prepares the Sale of Residential Land Worth €700M

26 February 2018 – Eje Prime

Kutxabank is awakening from its lethargy in the Spanish real estate sector. The Basque bank, which resulted from the merger of three savings banks from the region (Kutxa, BBK and Caja Vital), wants to get rid of 40% of its portfolio of toxic assets, which would mean launching onto the market a portfolio of land and promotions worth between €500 million and €700 million.

This operation will be the second most important divestment to be undertaken by the financial entity, after it sold its real estate arm, Neinor Homes, to the fund Lone Star, back in 2015 for €930 million.

The objective of the bank is to take advantage of the good times that the residential market in Spain is currently enjoying to place its assets with international funds and new property developers, according to Vozpópuli.

This option that Kutxabank is considering comes at a time when the sector is complaining about the lack of developable land, which means that it is likely that the bank will easily find groups interested in acquiring its land. The plots are largely inherited from the merged Cajasur, a Cordoban entity that BBK integrated in 2010.

If it carries out the transaction, Kutxabank would join Santander and BBVA on the roadmap of Spanish banks with respect to real estate. The sale of a large part of the property held by two of the country’s major financial institutions last year, both to US funds, set a course that other smaller banks are now starting to follow.

Original story: Eje Prime

Translation: Carmel Drake

Spain’s Large Property Developers Handed Over Just 3,000 Homes in 2017

2 February 2018 – Expansión

Market / The property developers Amenabar, Aelca and Corp take the lead in the race to notarise new homes.

The property developers have returned to the forefront after years of ostracism. In this way, two companies, Neinor and Aedas, debuted on the stock market in 2017, putting an end to the 10-year drought. Meanwhile, a historical company in the sector, Metrovacesa, is planning its stock market debut for Monday (5 February), and is waiting to close the requests book.

These companies, together with the other large property developers such as Vía Célere, Aelca and Habitat (all three of which are controlled by investment funds) have set themselves the objective of handing over between 3,000 and 4,000 homes per year, something that they will achieve over the next 2-4 years. Nevertheless, for the year just ended (2017), the figures recorded were much more modest.

According to data facilitated by the companies, the 13 largest residential property developers notarised an average of 270 new homes each last year. Together, they handed over just 3,168 units, compared with the more than 77,500 newly-built homes that were sold (according to data as at November from INE).

Amenabar is the leader of the ranking for the number of homes handed over. The property developer owned by the Amenabar family closed 2017 with 752 homes notarised. This year, that company, which is headquartered in Zarautz plans to start work on around 3,094 homes and to sell 4,087 units.

Of those properties for sale, approximately half correspond to land in the portfolio and the rest to new purchases to be made over the coming months, say sources at the company.

With almost 500 units each, Aelca and Corp Promotor complete the top three firms in terms of the number of homes notarised, with 498 and 496, respectively. Founded in 2012 by José Juan Martín and Javier Gómez, and controlled by Värde Partners (75% stake), Aelca is one of the new real estate companies and it has a more advanced pace of work. In this way, it plans to launch almost 4,000 homes across almost 50 new developments during 2018. In 2017, Aelca sold 1,128 homes.

Meanwhile, with 360 flats registered, Gestilar also stands out. The Madrilenian company created by Javier García-Valcárcel closed sale and purchase or pre-reservation contracts for another 419 homes in 2017, up by 57% compared to 2016. The company controlled by its founder does not have any immediate plans to debut on the stock market. Nevertheless, it has closed an alliance with one of Morgan Stanley’s investment funds to boost its plans to buy land and subsequently develop it.

Neinor

With a figure of more than 300 units (between 310 and 315, according to the latest estimates from the company), Neinor Homes has accelerated its house building plans to fulfil its business plan, which aims to put between 3,500 and 4,000 homes per year on the market between now and 2020.

Those hand overs will allow Neinor to increase its revenues, which, during the first half of last year, amounted to €127 million, after the hand over of 150 units.

It was followed by Inbisa, with 223 notarisations, and Vía Célere, with 183. The real estate firm led by Juan Antonio Gómez Pintado handed over two developments in Madrid and part of a third on c/Aragó in Barcelona, its first project in the Catalan capital.

In the absence of year-end data, during the first three quarters of last year, Realia handed over 80 homes amounting to €16.9 million (around €212,000 per unit), compared with 69 and €13.4 million in the previous year.

Less than ten each

Finally, three of the largest domestic property developers are operating at a  much slower rate. Such is the case of Quabit, which notarised just six homes in 2017, although it is expected to reverse that situation this year, after closing new land purchases, including co-investment alliances with the fund Avenue Capital. In this way, it plans to hand over 215 units in 2018, corresponding to four developments in Boadilla, Barcelona and Guadalajara, and also start work on around 2,000 new homes, confirms the company.

In the case of Habitat, the company did not notarise any homes in 2017, a year that was marked by its own sale, formalised by Bain Capital Credit just a few weeks ago. Now, the fund is working to boost the company, which is planning to hand over its first homes in 2018, of the more than 1,000 that it has up for sale.

The same thing is happening with Aedas. Launched in 2016, the company controlled by the fund Castlelake plans to hand over its first 231 homes this year.

Original story: Expansión (by Rocío Ruiz)

Translation: Carmel Drake

The Value of Lar España’s Asset Portfolio Rises by 29% to €1.5bn

25 January 2018 – Eje Prime

Lar España said goodbye to 2017 with more valuable assets in its portfolio. The Socimi has reported that its property portfolio experienced a 29% increase in value last year, up to €1.538 billion. According to the Socimi, that figure is higher than the sum of the prices at which it purchased its properties (€1.196 billion).

The company specified that the valuation of its real estate portfolio has been prepared by Cushman&Wakefield and JLL Valoraciones, according to Europa Press. This increase in the value of its portfolio is due to the various efforts undertaken in respect of its assets and the investments made during the course of the last twelve months.

As Lar España itself explained, between 2016 and 2017, it invested €74 million in improvements to assets in its portfolio, split between shopping centres (€20 million), office buildings (€11 million) and developments (€43 million).

Moreover, according to the Socimi, from the point of view of management, several actions have been undertaken. Specifically, the company highlights the purchase of properties for numerous rental rotation operations. In total, those types of operations account for 22% of the surface area occupied by the Socimi’s assets to date.

Original story: Eje Prime

Translation: Carmel Drake

Habitat Considers Moving Its HQ To Madrid Due To Cataluña Crisis

7 November 2017 – El Confidencial

The historical property developer Habitat Inmobiliaria is on its way to becoming the next iconic Catalan company to abandon its region of origin in order to avoid the risks associated with the current crisis being caused by the independence challenge. The company’s shareholders, led by Capstone Equities Management, have been discussing the possible transfer of its corporate headquarters from number 458 Avenida Diagonal in Barcelona to Madrid for several weeks now; they want to reduce any risks to the sales plans being developed by its commercial network (in other parts of the country).

The company, founded in 1953, was owned by the Figueras family until November 2015, when it was taken over by Capstone and a group of funds, including Värde, in an operation that included a multi-million debt discount and in which Goldman Sachs and Bank of America also participated. The change in ownership led, in turn, to an about-turn in its management. Rafael del Valle took over the role of President and a significant part of the operations were moved to Madrid, although the registered address of Promociones Habitat, as the company is known formally, was maintained in Barcelona.

Now, the owners have initiated a sales process and the private equity firms Apollo, Oaktree and Bain are all competing in the final round, according to El Confidencial. In this context, the uncertainty generated in Catalaña could give the final push to move, however, the debate is on-going internally, which sources from the real estate company freely admit.

The problem for Habitat is not so much its exposure to the Catalan market itself, but more a question of its image in the commercial network across the rest of Spain. Of the 11 real estate developments that it currently has up for sale, only one is located in Cataluña, specifically, in Cornellà de Llobregat, called Parc de Can Mercader. The rest are located in Madrid (four developments), the Community of Valencia (four), Andalucía (three), Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Portugal (one each). In other words, the problem facing the company is the opposition that its products may receive given the fact that it is a Catalan company, a phenomenon that is being seen in other sectors.

If this change of registered address comes about, Habitat will be the second large real estate company to abandon Cataluña for political reasons after the Board of Directors of Inmobiliaria Colonial also decided, on 9 October, to move from Avenida Diagonal in Barcelona to Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid.

Original story: El Confidencial (by Víctor Romero)

Translation: Carmel Drake