Tag: municipality

Exxacon to Invest €200M in the Construction of 741 Homes in Andalucía & Madrid

28 February 2019 – Eje Prime

Exxacon Smart Living is stepping on the accelerator to expand its business. The Andalucían property developer, specialising in the residential market, is going to invest €200 million over the next four years to build 741 homes, distributed over twelve new developments in Andalucía and Madrid.

Within the coming weeks, the firm is going to unveil Living Colmenar, in Colmenar Viejo (Madrid), its first development outside of the Málaga and Costa del Sol area. The project will receive investment of €32 million for the development of a 156-home residential complex, the largest to be constructed by the company to date.

Exxacon, founded in Marbella in 2000 by Gastón Aigneren, the company’s current CEO and Chairman, is launching its expansion plan for the period 2019-2022, but at the same time will continue studying and considering investment in other markets, such as Valencia and Sevilla, according to sources at the company.

After consolidating its business on the Costa del Sol, the entry of the company into the residential market in the Community of Madrid is the real estate firm’s next challenge. The idea is to begin marketing Living Colmenar, which will have a buildable surface area of 17,400 m2, between March and April, and to start construction at the end of 2019.

The complex is going to be built on a plot acquired by Exxacon on Calle Alvarado in Colmenar Viejo, a municipality located to the north of the Community of Madrid, 39 kilometres from the centre of the capital. Living Colmenar will be a residential complex comprising 156 homes with various shared services, including: three swimming pools, a gym, a padel and fronton court and a children’s playground (…).

Original story: Eje Prime (by Roger Arnau)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Regional Property Taxes Will Rise in 74 Municipalities in Málaga From 2019

11 September 2018 – Diario Sur

The autonomic coefficients that are applied to cadastral values to adjust them to market prices for the purpose of calculating Property Transfer and Property Succession taxes are going to be updated from 2019.

If you are planning to buy a property next year or if you acquire one as a result of inheritance or a donation, then it is quite likely that you will be hit by an increase in the two autonomic taxes linked to the real estate market (the Property Transfer tax and the Property Succession tax) given that the index that the Junta de Andalucía uses to set the charge is going to increase in 74 of the 103 municipalities in the province of Málaga. With the recovery of the real estate market as the main justification, the multiplying coefficients that are applied to cadastral values to adjust them to market prices (to reflect the performance of the sector) will increase by an average of 12.05% in the Andalucían province with respect to the values in 2017, according to plans compiled by the Ministry of Finance (…).

Málaga province leads the rise

According to the corresponding economic report, Málaga and Almería are the only two provinces where increases are expected to be seen in global terms (of 12.05% and 10.83%, respectively). Many of the other provinces in the autonomous region will be moving in the opposite direction, with decreases expected in Huelva (-13.19%), Granada (-12.41%), Córdoba (-8.32%) and Sevilla (-7.26%) (…).

Original story: Diario Sur (by Francisco Jiménez)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Ibiza’s Real Estate Market is a “World of its Own”

11 July 2018 – Diario de Ibiza

The real estate market in Ibiza is not encouraging (for the majority): the available stock of homes “is residual”, the majority of homes bought there are rented out, the peak prices reached in 2017 have been exceeded…and all of this is being compounded by a distinct shortage of land. All in all, it is a troubling scenario for those wishing to live on the island all year round.

Tinsa’s Regional Director for the East and South of Spain, José Antonio López, warned on Wednesday that the lack of land, combined with the demand for housing “is generating a dangerous melting pot” in the Balearic Islands. As such, he is asking the administration to get involved to facilitate the availability of land for property developers.

Those were the words used by López in response to a question from participants at a Proinba-Tinsa real estate meeting held in Palma on Wednesday, where the situation of the residential real estate market was discussed, in particular, the market on the coast.

López warned that this situation may “lead to serious problems” on the islands, where “young people need primary residences” and they “need options”. “For this reason, land is required, and the administration needs to get involved”, said Tinsa’s Regional Director, before adding that the supply of urban land with building permission is “almost non-existent”.

What’s more, “the supply is going to decrease” and with the “surplus demand”, we are seeing “dangerous growth that cannot be met”. In this context, “rental is not an option because those circumstances are also being taken advantage of”. In fact, according to data from Tinsa, in areas such as Ibiza (town), many people are buying to let (…).

Based on data from Tinsa, the average monthly mortgage payment on the Balearic Islands is very high, €792, well above the average for Spain as a whole, €543/month. The financial effort being made by families on the islands is also greater, given that they spent 22% of their household income on mortgages during the first year, compared with the national average of 16.8%.

Ibiza and Formentera set a new record

Of the 12 coastal municipalities analysed on the Balearic Islands, Sóller leads the increase in prices over the last year, with price rises of 21%. Ibiza and Formentera towns came in close behind, with 17.8%, followed by Santa Margalida (17.7%), Palma (14.7%) and Llucmajor (13.8%).

Palma is one of the top five most expensive capitals in Spain, with an average price of €1,951/m2, and in the last year, its growing trend has exceeded the average for the autonomous region.

By contrast, the municipalities that have grown by the least are Sant Lluís and Mahón (3.7%), Ciutadella (4.5%) and Manacor (7.1%) (…).

Ibiza is “recovering too quickly”

According to data from Tinsa, the real estate sector on the coast in Mallorca is “clearly recovering”, whilst in Menorca, there are “signs of recovery” and in the case of Ibiza, there may even be an “excessive recovery”, in López’s opinion.

Prices have been “rising rapidly” on the white island, on a consistent basis for the last few years, and the YoY variation is well above the average. In fact, current prices have already exceeded the maximums seen in 2007.

On the basis of all of these indicators, the Regional Director at Tinsa said that Ibiza’s real estate market could be considered “a world of its own, set apart from other islands and provinces” (…).

Original story: Diario de Ibiza (by E.P.)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Fotocasa: Rental Home Prices Rose By 9.5% YoY In Q1

28 April 2017 – El Mundo

The average price of rental housing in Spain rose by 9.5% YoY and by 5.9% QoQ during the first quarter of 2017, according to the Real Estate Index compiled by the online portal Fotocasa. In this way, the average rental home cost per square metre amounted to €7.93/m2 as at March 2017.

This quarterly increase in rental home prices was in line with the trend observed in 2016. In the absence of official statistics, the index from Fotocasa corroborates the anecdotal evidence being seen on the street.

“Rental prices are rising significantly because demand is much higher than supply, above all, in those areas with the largest volumes of economic, tourist and demographic activity. Month after month, in regions such as Cataluña, Madrid and the Balearic Islands, we are seeing how the distance between the peak prices recorded in 2007 and 2008 is decreasing, and in some cities in those areas, the price per square metre has now reached the pre-crisis maximum, such as in the case of Barcelona”, explained Beatriz Toribio, Head of Research at Fotocasa.

In fact, the increase recorded during the first quarter of 2017 is the most markedsince Q1 2007, according to the Real Estate Index, when prices rose by 4.9%. Since then, the quarterly rental price has done nothing but decrease, with some exceptions in one-off quarters in 2011 and 2014. In 2015, the quarterly rental price began to recover, with increases of 2.8% and 1.5% in the first and second quarters, respectively, trends that continued in 2016, with the exception of Q3 2016, when prices fell by 2%.

At the inter-annual level, rental prices rose by 9.5%, the most marked increase in the history of the Real Estate Index, which has been compiled since January 2006. Moreover, during Q1 2017, rental prices rose in 14 autonomous regions at the quarterly level and in every region at the annual level. (…).

Evolution by autonomous region and province

Since reaching their maximum price in May 2007 (of €10.12/m2), rental home prices have recorded a cumulative decrease of -21.7%. In this regard, only three autonomous regions have recorded cumulative decreases of more than 30% since they peaked five years ago. In this way, Aragón is the autonomous region where rental prices have fallen by the most (-38.7%), followed by Castilla-La Mancha (-34.1%) and Cantabria (-31.3%).

During the first quarter of 2017, rental price increases were recorded in 14 autonomous regions, with the rises ranging from 5.4% in Cataluña to 0.4% in Castilla y León. Regarding the evolution by province, rental price increases were recorded in 36 provinces with respect to December 2016, with the rises ranging from 8.6% in Guadalajara to 0.2% in Alicante. By contrast, rental prices decreased in 14 provinces with the reductions ranging from -0.2% in Toledo to -3.6% in Ávila. (…).

By municipality, the town with the highest rental price was Barcelona, at €15.15/m2/month, followed by Eivissa (€14.60/m2/month), Sant Cugat del Vallès (€13.41/m2/month), Sitges (€12.85 /m2/month) and Castelldefels (€12.85/m2/month).

Original story: El Mundo

Translation: Carmel Drake

Tinsa: Holiday Home Prices Rises Spread Along The Coast

15 June 2016 – El Mundo

Holiday home price increases have spread to more than twice the number of municipalities that they were seen in last year, with the Costa del Sol, Alicante, Balearic and Canary Islands enjoying the most active markets. Meanwhile, Castellón, the Cantabrian coast, Menorca and La Palma are still seeing price decreases/stabilisation. Those are the findings of the Coastal Homes 2016 report prepared by Tinsa, which shows that prices increased in 71 of the 136 municipalities analysed along the coast during Q1 2016, compared with 35 in 2015 and 4 in 2014.

The appraisal company explained that although this trend, “which is more in line with a stabilisation phase than a clear recovery” is spreading “gradually”, the coastal market is still “very heterogeneous”, given that prices in certain locations are still decreasing at an annual rate of more than 5%. The company added that the most repeated pattern is the absence of construction as well as of transactions involving land. (…).

By municipality, the towns of Teguise and Tías, in Lanzarote, recorded the highest YoY price rises during the first quarter, with increases of 17.8% and 14%, respectively, according to provisional data from Tinsa’s appraisals. They were followed by Gavà (Barcelona) and Benicarló (Castellón), both of which saw an increase of 13.2%, and Blanes (Gerona), where prices rose by 12.8%, with respect to Q1 2015.

The largest decreases were recorded in Piélagos (Cantabria), where the average price fell by 16% over the last 12 months; Antigua (Fuerteventura), down by 12.6%; and Los Alcázares (Murcia), with a decrease of 10.6%.

Price decreases of more than 50%

Similarly, the report shows that the Spanish coast accounted for a large majority of the highest price decreases during the crisis. Of the municipalities analysed, the most intense reduction since 2007 was recorded in Mataró (Barcelona), where the average price has decreased by 59.8% since the height of the boom. (…).

Stable outlook

Tinsa’s forecast for the next few months is characterised by stabilisation. Tinsa expects prices to remain stable in just over half of the regions analysed in its report and for prices to rise in just over a third of the areas. This forecast for improving prices focuses primarily along the coast of Valencia Alicante, Málaga, Palma de Mallorca, Canary Islands and San Sebastián, as well as along some stretches of the coast in Gerona, Barcelona, Cádiz and Asturias.

In terms of the supply of holiday homes, the report notes that it mostly comprises second-hand properties. The stock generated in recent years as a result of the slowdown in financing and sales is gradually being absorbed.

Moreover, Tinsa’s technical network classifies the over-supply of holiday homes as “very abundant” in just 8 of the 55 regions. These include the northern coast of Castellón; the Manga del Mar Menor; the west of Almería; the south of Barcelona; the central stretch of the Tarragona coast; the western region of Cádiz and the eastern coast of Vizcaya.

To evaluate the degree of difficulty in terms of stock absorption, Tinsa concludes that the current stock is “manageable in the short term” in 56% of the regions. This group includes the coasts of the provinces of Girona, Valencia, Huelva, Granada and San Sebastián, as well as Ibiza, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, and most of the provinces of Alicante, Murcia and Cádiz. (…).

Original story: El Mundo

Translation: Carmel Drake

Average Land Prices Rose By 9.7% To €156.4/m2 In Q3

16 December 2015 – Expansión

The average price of urban land is starting its recovery. During the third quarter of 2015, the average price of land sold in Spain amounted to €156.4/m2, up by 9.7% compared with the previous year, according to statistics from the Ministry of Development. This increase is five percentage points higher than the one recorded in the previous quarter.

This price increase, the highest in a decade, is due, above all, to the recovery experienced in municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants, where urban land prices increased by 58.7% YoY, to reach €331.1/m2, the highest figure since Q4 2012.

This sharp increase has two main explanations. Firstly, there are more operations than before, and they are more expensive. 9.2 million m2 of land was sold, with a value of €790.2 million (representing an increase of 72.3% YoY in terms of surface area and 18.4% in terms of value). With such low starting points, the increases are very significant. Secondly, the volume of transactions is not yet sufficient for us to stop talking about volatility.

Cities in Murcia experienced the highest increase in urban land prices in the third quarter (by 189.2% YoY), followed by cities in Castilla y León (74%), Asturias (69%) and the Community of Madrid (63%).

At the opposite end of the scale, municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants in Castilla-La Mancha recorded the highest depreciation in the price of land allocated for the construction of buildings (-27.5%), followed by those in the Canary Islands (-14.7%) and those in the Balearic Islands and PaísVasco, which recorded decreases of 4.1% in both cases, according to the breakdown of the Government’s statistics, which were compiled using data from the Association of Property Registrars (el Colegio de Registradores de la Propiedad).

Historically low prices in Sevilla

The highest average prices in municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants, were recorded in the provinces of Madrid (€660.4/m2, the highest price since Q2 2012), Guipúzcoa (€557.1/m2) and Barcelona (€539.1/m2). The lowest prices were recorded in the provinces of Albacete (€36.7/m2), Sevilla (surprisingly, at €128.1/m2, the lowest average price since the Ministry of Development began to compile records in 2004) and Cádiz (€141.6/m2).

During the third quarter of 2015, 4,192 transactions were closed, up by 9.8% compared with the second quarter 2015 and 2.4% fewer than in Q3 2014, when 4,293 plots were sold.

447 transactions were recorded in municipalities with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants, an increase of 1.1% compared with the same quarter a year earlier; in municipalities with between 1,000 and 5,000 inhabitants, 694 plots were sold, down by 20%. In towns with between 5,000 and 10,000 inhabitants, 554 plots were sold, down by 2.5% YoY. In towns with between 10,000 and 50,000 inhabitants, 1,738 transactions were recorded, up by 22.6%. And in cities, 769 plots were sold, down by 23.7%.

Original story: Expansión (by Juanma Lamet)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Aguirre Newman Profiles Madrid’s Newest Homes

26 October 2015 – El Mundo

After seven years of continuous decreases, the prices of new homes for sale in Madrid (capital) are on the rise once again. Specifically, they have increased by 8.96% with respect to last year. Or at least, that is one of the findings of a report prepared by the consultancy Aguirre Newman, which studied homes for sale in 242 (unsubsidised) new developments (excluding cooperatives and homeowner associations) in the capital (149) and the Community of Madrid’s 23 main municipalities (122), between July and September 2015. According to the study, this increase is due to the price rises recorded in the most exclusive areas of the centre and north of the city, where demand is highest.

The capital

The report describes the profile of the average new home for sale in the municipality of Madrid: it has a surface area of 109 m2 and a final price of €320,405, i.e. costs €2,937/m2.

The most expensive developments are located in the neighbourhoods of Almagro (Chamberí), El Viso (Chamartín), La Piovera (Hortaleza), Goya and Castellana (Salamanca) and Justicia (Centro), where average prices currently range between €6,500/m2 and €7,000/m2. At the other end of the scale, the cheapest homes in Madrid are found in the districts of Villaverde, Villa de Vallecas and Carabanchel, with average prices of between €1,600/m2 and €1,800/m2.

Another important statistic reflected in the study is that the volume of new homes purchased in Madrid increased by 3% during the first half of 2015, in comparison with the same period last year. Specifically, 1,411 new homes were sold between January and June 2015. This rate of sales is associated with a significant decrease in the average sales periods, which, for a 60-home development have decreased to 17.2 months from 33.2 months last year. (…).

Other municipalities

In contrast to the capital, in the metropolitan area, the average price per m2 of high-rise homes (flats) decreased by 3.46% to €2,310/m2, well below the peak of 2009 (€3,367/m2). Sales in this area also decreased during H1 2015, by 13% with respect to those recorded during the same period in 2014.

The profile of the average home being sold in these municipalities has an average surface area of 130 m2 and a final price of €300,000. In the case of detached homes, the average price is €1,895/m2 with an average surface area that increases to 275m2.

The municipalities located along the A-1 and A-6 motorways are the most expensive, both in terms of multi-family homes and single family homes. Pozuelo de Alarcón is the most expensive town of all, where the average price of flats reaches €3,944/m2 and of detached homes reaches €3,123/m2. At the other end of the spectrum, the municipalities with the cheapest new homes for sale are Móstoles and Pinto, where flats cost no more than €1,400/m2 and detached homes cost €1,000/m2, almost three times less than in Pozuelo de Alarcón.

Outlook

Aguirre Newman considers that in the areas with the greatest level of activity in the centre and north of the city, where demand is greatest and continuing to grow, prices of new developments will increase by 5% over the next 12 months; whilst in the least popular areas, prices will continue to decrease, although at a more moderate rate than before (by around -5%).

Aguirre Newman also believes that the rate of sales of the new projects that are coming onto the market will continue to be high, “and that most, if not all, homes will be sold off-plan”. (…).

Original story: El Mundo (by Luis M. De Ciria)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Fotocasa: Second-Hand House Prices Increase In 15 CCAA

6 May 2015 – Expansión

The price of second-hand homes increased by 1.1% in April compared to March, after seven months of continuous inter-monthly decreases. The increases were widespread: they were recorded in no less than 43 provinces and 15 autonomous communities, according to statistics from Fotocasa and the IE Business School.

Moreover, house prices increased in April in 460 of the 733 municipalities analysed in this report – 63% of the total, i.e. two thirds. Meanwhile, prices remained stable in 17 municipalities and decreased in 256.

The average cost per square metre of second-hand homes amounted to €1,636 last month. In terms of the quarterly variation, the price of second-hand homes (those aged more than two years old) increased by 0.4% with respect to January 2015.

Second-hand homes got more expensive last month in 15 autonomous communities, i.e. everywhere except for the País Vasco (-0.2%) and Navarra (-0.6%). The greatest increases were recorded in the Canary Islands (up by 3% in just one month) and the Balearic Islands (+2.3%).

This index shows the stabilisation of house prices in Spain. The fact that prices are continuing to increase month after month is an indicator of a trend towards recovery.

The quarterly variation was 0.4%, something not seen since February 2010, a rate that exceeds the variation recorded 12 months ago by 1.8 percentage points.

In terms of the evolution of house prices by province, of the 43 provinces in which price rises were recorded in monthly terms, the highest growth was seen in Toledo (7.4%). Prices decreased in just three provinces: Vizcaya (-0.1%), Navarra (-0.6%) and Palencia (-0.7%). House prices did not vary in four autonomous communities.

Unsellable stock

Meanwhile, BBVA Real Estate’s Research Department said yesterday that the stock of unsold homes is going to decrease significantly, although around 300,000 homes are practically “unsellable”. Despite that, the sector’s contribution to GDP will amount to around 5% in 2015.

Original story: Expansión (by Juanma Lamet)

Translation: Carmel Drake