Tag: overseas buyers

High Land Costs Drive up House Prices in the Balearic Islands

27 February 2019 – Diario de Mallorca

The property market in the Balearic Islands is experiencing the perfect storm. Very high land prices are driving up the cost of the few new homes that are being built. As such, local residents are facing serious difficulties when it comes to affording a home.

Not only are land prices high; in many cases, the plots are owned by large business groups, which are opting to hold onto them to benefit from further capital appreciation rather than develop or sell them immediately. What’s more, the few new homes that are being developed are very expensive, beyond the reach of most local families.

These factors are compounded by the complete failure on the part of the public authorities to construct any social housing in recent years, which only serves to aggravate the housing shortage in the market.

There is a great deal of demand, not only from local families, but also from foreigners, who want homes of their own on the island, and from seasonal workers moving from other parts of the country. Moreover, supply is limited and as such, prices are soaring. This situation is made worse by the fact that many overseas buyers and renters can afford to pay more than most islanders, which is driving out the locals.

All in all, it’s a gloomy picture for island residents.

Original story: Diario de Mallorca (by F. Guijarro)

Summary/Translation: Carmel Drake

Taylor Wimpey Earned 9% More in 2018 up to €34M

27 February 2019 – Eje Prime

Taylor Wimpey improved its financial results in Spain. The company earned 9% more in 2018, up to GBP 29.2 million (€33.8 million). In parallel, the company raised its turnover to €104.2 million (€120.9 million), which represented growth of 10.6% with respect to the figure recorded a year earlier (GBP 94.2 million or €109.3 million).

The British property developer expects to see higher growth in 2019, according to the annual report published by the group. In 2018, Taylor Wimpey launched 342 new homes onto the Spanish market at an average sales price of €344,000. At the end of the year, the company had 284 homes reserved.

Taylor Wimpey España is working to start six new developments soon in the areas where it carries out its activity: three in the Balearic Islands, two on the Costa del Sol and one on the Costa Blanca (…).

Original story: Eje Prime 

Translation: Carmel Drake

Taylor Wimpey Invests €95M in Costa del Sol to Meet Demand from Brits

14 June 2018 – Eje Prime

Taylor Wimpey España is going to invest €95 million in seven of the developments that it has up for sale on the Costa del Sol. The property developer is strengthening its commitment to the Malagan coast after verifying that Brits, one of its main client cohorts, have doubled their investment in housing in Spain.

“Demand is increasing in general”, explained the Director of Sales and Marketing at  Taylor Wimpey España, Marc Pritchard. The executive also added that “although the Brexit effect caused Brits to buy less in 2017, the fear is disappearing”.

Another important factor in the evolution of house purchases by Brits is the devaluation of the pound, which last year made investment in Spanish housing more expensive for buyers from the islands.

Nevertheless, Spain is still the preferred destination for Brits looking to buy a home, something that is reiterated by the British Embassy in the country. Across the whole of Spain, there are around 300,000 British citizens and “they are still the main overseas buyers of homes, accounting for 15% of the total”, says Pritchard.

In the ranking of foreign nationalities who buy homes in Spain, the Brits exceed the French, who account for 8.64% of the total; the Germans, with 7.77%; the Belgians, with 6.39%; and the Swedes, who continue as a historical investor, accounting for 6.38% of the total.

Original story: Eje Prime

Translation: Carmel Drake

Taylor Wimpey Enters Sotogrande & Strengthens its Presence in Ibiza

28 May 2018 – Eje Prime

Taylor Wimpey España is entering one of the most luxurious urbanisations in Spain. The Spanish subsidiary of the British real estate group is backing Sotogrande, synonymous with luxury housing, in its business plan for 2018, which also includes the launch of around twenty developments in the Balearic Islands, Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca, the three markets where it already has a presence and “in which we will continue working”, says Reyes Coll, Marketing Director at Taylor Wimpey in Spain, speaking to Eje Prime.

So far this year, the real estate company has launched eight new projects. Four of them are located on the Costa del Sol, three in Mallorca and the eighth is in Alicante. The aim of the company is to “launch between five and ten more promotions before the end of the year”, says Coll.

Taylor Wimpey’s main business in Spain is second homes for foreigners, which account for more than 90% of the company’s housing reservations.

In the Balearic Islands, where land is scarce and prices are growing rapidly, the company is finalising the requirements necessary to bring three new projects onto the market: Cala Lliteras, Cala Vinyes and Cala Gració. The latter is located in Ibiza, an island on which the real estate only has 22 homes to date, in Can Misses. The other developments in the Balearic region are located in Mallorca (…).

Almost twenty developments on the market

Without taking into account the aforementioned projects and those in the pipeline, the real estate company already has 19 developments up for sale in the country. Mallorca and the Costa del Sol are the two regions where most of its developments are located, with seven residential projects up for sale, whilst the company has five urbanisations on the market on the Costa Blanca.

Taylor Wimpey España’s business depends on foreigners interested in buying a second home in the country. This profile of buyer is growing again in line with the recovery of the economy. Indeed, the company recorded a 10% increase in its portfolio of international clients. “German, Scandinavian, British, Russian and Belgian buyers all stood out”, explains Coll. The General Council of Notaries explained recently in a report that those nationalities account for the fact that 20% of the homes purchased in Spain are acquired by foreigners. In 2017 alone, the company completed operations involving new homes with buyers from 32 different countries.

In the case of buyers from the United Kingdom, players in the Spanish residential market were fearful of the consequences that Brexit might have on sales. Nevertheless, sources at Taylor Wimpey explain that reservations from Brits have increased over the last nine months.

40% growth in post-crisis reserves

The end of the real estate crisis has also arrived for Taylor Wimpey España, whose reservations grew by 40% in 2015 and have continued to increase ever since (…).

According to its roadmap, the company is not planning any changes to the line of business that it has operated for sixty years. The property developer will continue to specialise in the construction of apartments and terraced homes in the most touristy areas of the country and will finance them solely using own funds.

Original story: Eje Prime (by J. Izquierdo)

Translation: Carmel Drake

CBRE: House Prices Will Rise by 6% in 2018

25 May 2018 – Expansión

Good omens for the Spanish residential market. After experiencing a serious setback five years ago, with a significant decline in demand and, as a consequence, a decrease in prices, the housing market is now well on the road to recovery, with a positive outlook for the year ahead. In this sense, for 2018, the predictions are optimistic, with an estimated increase of 6% in average house prices at the national level, according to data compiled by the real estate consultancy firm CBRE.

“We expect strong growth over the next six to twelve months, which will reach 6% compared to the current YoY rise of 5% and, then growth at a lower intensity from then on of between 3% and 5% for 2019”, says Álvaro Martín, Head of Research at CBRE.

This growth rate of 6% will be more acute in the large cities such as Madrid and Valencia, as well as in tourist towns such as Málaga and the Balearic Islands, where the YoY increases will reach up to 10%, according to the consultancy firm.

“In large cities such as Madrid and Barcelona, we have seen price tension but prices are still 50% lower than the average prices over the last ten years”, explains Samuel Población, National Director of Residential and Land at CBRE España. According to estimates from the consultancy firm, house prices in Madrid will increase by between 8% and 10% this year with respect to 2017.

Despite these price increases, the absolute values are still well below those seen during the real estate boom. In this way, although house prices have been rising at the national level since 2014, the intensity of that growth has been moderate, with YoY increases of around 5%. “In recent years, price rises of between 5% and 6% have been recorded, but during the boom, those figures reached 12%”, recalls Población.

Nevertheless, there are exceptions to that moderate rise: such as the case of towns like Madrid, Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca, where new build house prices have risen by 23%, 34% and 13%, respectively with respect to the historical minimums recorded at the beginning of 2014. Meanwhile, in the second-hand segment, the increases registered amount to 28% in Barcelona, 27% in Palma and 21% in Madrid (…).

Transactions

The price rises are being accompanied by an increase in demand, which, currently, is focused on those buyers who are looking for homes to reposition themselves or as investments.

“House sales have grown at a constant rate since 2015, but they have been very oriented towards the second-hand market, which accounted for 90% of transactions in 2017, due to the lack of supply in the new build segment and the absorption of much of the unsold stock”, says Población (…).

The consultancy firm predicts that demand for housing will continue to grow, with more than 575,000 transactions being closed in 2018, up by 8% compared to the previous year.

Of those operations, foreign buyers will retain an important role, above all, in the market for second homes. “The bulk of that demand is concentrated around five provinces, with established tourist infrastructure: Alicante, Málaga, Barcelona, the Balearic Islands and Tenerife, which accounted for more than half of the average annual volume of transactions by overseas citizens between 2006 and 2017”.

Another buyer cohort will be investors who buy properties to let them out, taking advantage of the growth in the rental market, which currently accounts for around 22.5% of the total stock of Spanish households. “The expansion of the rental market is attracting lots of investors, something that wasn’t happening ten years ago, given that they can now achieve returns of between 4% and 6% on average”, says Martín. By city, in Madrid, the average gross return amounts to 4.7% p.a., compared with 5.4% in Barcelona and 5.8% in Sevilla.

“If we also consider gains from the appreciation in property values, we see yields of up to 9% in the large cities”.

Original story: Expansión (by Rocío Ruiz)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Luxury Home Sales Soared in Marbella, Ibiza & Valencia in 2017

8 March 2018 – Eje Prime

Although the focus in the residential market tends to be on Madrid and Barcelona for almost all indicators, Marbella, Ibiza and Valencia are emerging as the leaders of the luxury home segment in Spain. The offer of sun and beaches along the Mediterranean Coast, accompanied by the economic recovery across the country, attracted lots of big shot investors in 2017, who purchased more homes at higher prices.

Along the Coast del Sol, where the exclusive Marbella resort stands out, the luxury residential market grew by 28% during the first half of last year. In total, 160 luxury home sales were recorded during the first two quarters of the year, up from the 125 transactions signed during the same period in 2016.

Moreover, the value of those homes in the area multiplied by almost five times during the year. The percentage of international investors in prime residential properties along the Málaga coast reached 31% during the fourth quarter of 2017, according to data collected by Lucas Fox for its report about luxury housing.

Estepona and the coast of Mijas are tipped as the two areas to watch this year since they will see the most new build projects (…).

Meanwhile, in Ibiza, the lack of residential stock and the high permanent demand that has existed on the island for several years, caused prime house prices to rise to €5,165/m2 on average in 2017, up by 51% compared to 2016.

Similarly, the volume of sales in the Balearic Islands rose by 10% last year, with a total of 215 transactions. Of its many highlights, “the interior of the island is a ‘love at first sight’ place for many overseas buyers”, says Rod Jamieson, Commercial Director at the real estate agency. Areas such as the town of Santa Gertrudis “are a magnet for artists and writers”, states the executive.

Making a beeline from the Balearic Islands to the peninsula, Valencia is also taking advantage of the recovery in the luxury residential market in Spain. Sales of high-end properties grew by 85% according to data from Lucas Fox, with an increase in the sales value of 72% (…).

A hopeful outlook for 2018 

For 2018, forecasts in the sector indicate that more luxury homes are going to continue to be sold with a value that will also record increases. Juan Luis Herrero, Partner at Lucas Fox in Valencia, highlights that in the city “confidence in the real estate market is going to continue to grow”. In his region, “there is going to be more movement in the market for new build developments, both in Valencia as well as on the outskirts, and international buyers are going to continue to play a very important role in the market, especially in areas such as Eixample, Ciutat Vella, Alameda, Ciencias and Patacona” (…).

Meanwhile, Jamieson points out that “the official data indicates that the market has recovered from the crash of 2008, and in some areas, the number of transactions is reaching similar levels to those seen before the crisis” (…).

Along with Valencia, another province that is aspiring to grow significantly over the next few months and years is Girona. “We believe that 2018 is going to be a decisive year for new build developments along the Costa Brava”, says Tom Maidment, Partner at Lucas Fox. “In 2017, the province of Girona saw a YoY increase of 25% in the sale of new building developments, and we expect that this figure will increase considerably over the next two years (…)”.

Original story: Eje Prime (by Jabier Izquierdo)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Servihabitat: Rental Yields Now Exceed 10% in Madrid, Cataluña, Balearic & Canary Islands

18 December 2017 – Expansión

“The Spanish residential market has been showing clear signs of recovery in 2017 and all indications are that the rate of growth will be even higher in 2018. The number of house sales will rise by 16.9% this year, to exceed 472,000 operations, and by another 18.3% next year, which means that we will see the sale of almost 560,000 units”. In this way, Servihabitat summarises the trend in the residential sector, which is enjoying a sweet moment.

The key factors contributing to the boost in demand include: the growth of the number of solvent buyers; policies by financial institutions to grant more loans; the progress in terms of the construction of new homes; and the increase in investor interest – in the case of holiday homes, investors now account for 19% of all operations.

This last aspect is fundamental for understanding the boom in the most consolidated areas of Spain. According to data from Servihabitat, the average annual yield from buying a home to let is 10%: 5.5% from the gross rental yield and 4.5% from the appreciation in the property value over 12 months, which the real estate servicer calculates in its forecasts at the end of 2017.

This data tallies with the 9.8% calculated by the Bank of Spain. The difference is that Servihabitat breaks down the yield by region and province. The regions in which it is more profitable to acquire a home to let are: the Community of Madrid, (13.3% gross p.a.), Cataluña (13.1%), the Balearic Islands (11.4%) and the Canary Islands (10.8%).

They are the only four regions where yields exceed the national average, which gives us an idea of the importance that the two largest cities and residential investment along the coast play in the overall calculation for the Spanish market. It comes as no surprise that the most profitable provinces are: Barcelona (13.7%), Madrid (13.3%), Las Palmas (12.4%), the Balearic Islands (11.4%), Málaga (10.1%) and Santa Cruz de Tenerife (9.5%). In other words, the six largest real estate markets in Spain (together with Alicante), where demand from overseas buyers is boosting the sector and the cranes are back on the horizon. Overseas buyers now account for 17.4% of all purchases or one in six. That percentage rises to 47.6% in the case of Alicante, 40.8% in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 33.7% in the Balearic Islands, 32.8% in Girona, 31.4% in Málaga and 22.6% in Las Palmas.

They are clearly the “hot” areas of the real estate sector, but they are not the only ones to be offering high returns. Other examples include: Salamanca (8.4%), Guadalajara (7.8%), Murcia (7.7%), Cantabria (7.6%), Valladolid (7.5%) and Lleida (7.5%), amongst others. This positive trend will become even more marked in 2018 (…).

In the Catalan capital, yields in the district of Sants-Montjuic are off the scale, with an average gross annual return of no less than 32.9% (5.3% from the rental yield and 27.6% from an appreciation in property prices). It is followed by Eixample (26.8%), Gràcia (25.9%), Sant Martí (25.6%), Horta-Guinardó (24.9%) and Nou Barris (21%). The centre (Ciutat Vella) yields 19%, and the exclusive district of Sarrià-Sant Gervasi 13.2%

In Madrid, yields in the Centre amount to almost 20% (19.7%), followed by Salamanca (19.2%) and Chamberí (18.8%) (…).

Despite this inflation in prices and yields, “there is no risk of a bubble in either city”, according to Cabanillas. “The problem is not speculative; the price rises are resulting from the pressure in terms of demand for the use of second homes and tourist accommodation. The risk is that gentrification will force young people out of city centres, but there is no risk of over-financing”, says the CEO of Servihabitat.

Original story: Expansión (by Juanma Lamet)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Notaries: Foreigners Bought 13.4% More Homes During H1 2017

27 November 2017 – Eje Prime

International players are setting their sights on Spain for investment. The purchase of private homes by foreigners amounted to 50,087 operations during the first half of 2017, which represents an increase of 13.4% compared to the same period last year, according to data from the General Council of Notaries.

Operations completed by overseas purchasers accounted for 19.4% of the total number of sale-and-purchase operations signed during the period, compared with 20.3% during the first half of 2016, although that figure has been increasing since 2007, in line with the start of the economic crisis.

If we differentiate between resident and non-resident foreigners, 46.6% of the purchases were made by non-resident foreigners, up by 5.1% YoY, which means that operations by resident foreigners accounted for 53.4%, the highest proportion since 2011. They grew by 21.8% YoY.

All of the autonomous regions reported progress in terms of the number of homes purchased by foreigners and only five of them recorded increases below the national average, which stood at 13.4%, specifically: the Balearic Islands, with just 5.3%; Andalucía, with 5.4%; Murcia, with 5.7%; the Canary Islands, with 10.1%; and the Community of Valencia, with 12%.

Finally, the average price per square metre of the operations undertaken by overseas buyers amounted to €1,667/m2, which represents an increase of 2.9% in YoY terms. Specifically, the price paid by non-resident foreigners rose by 4.5% to €1,941/m2, whilst the price of homes purchased by residential foreigners increased by 2.8% to €1,405/m2.

Original story: Eje Prime

Translation: Carmel Drake

BNP Paribas: Land Sales Will Soar To €4,076M In 2017

9 November 2017 – Expansión

The blast of property developer activity and the entry of funds into the residential business have caused land purchases to soar in recent months. According to forecasts from BNP Paribas Real Estate, 2017 is set to close with approximately 22,700 land purchase transactions in total, with a combined value of €4,076 million, which represents an increase of 37% compared to 2016.

The consultancy firm explains in a report about the residential market that interest is focused on the more stable markets, such as Madrid and Barcelona. Nevertheless, the scarcity of available buildable land has led to searches for plots in other markets too, such as Sevilla, Málaga and Valencia.

“After overcoming some very tough years for the real estate market, and in particular the land market, with the paralysis of property developer activity, the segment started to recover over the last two years, in line with the improvement in the fundamentals of the market and the good performance of the economy”, explain sources at the consultancy firm.

The report points out that, although there is a lot of available land in Spain, the average time it takes to create buildable land is eight years, due to the administrative processes that are required. “Over the last 10 years, no land has been generated; no one was interested in investing in the market”.

In certain areas of the more established markets, that lack of buildable land is leading to an increase in prices, with rises of up to 30% and even 40% over the last two years. In this way, in markets such as Valdebebas, Montecarmelo and El Cañaveral (in Madrid) have seen significant land price increases, as a result of the fact that the supply of buildable land is very limited.

BNP Paribas Real Estate highlights the change brought about in the sector due to the increased demand and the entry of investment funds eager to back the market.

New players

Property developers such as Neinor, Aedas – both of which are listed – , Vía Célere, Metrovacesa and Aelca are taking advantage of the good times that the sector is enjoying and the upwards cycle, in general, to strengthen their presence and launch new developments.

The report points out that, during the eight months to August, 315,795 house purchase operations were closed. It forecasts that the total number of transactions could reach 530,000 homes in 2017, which would represent a return to the pre-crisis levels. The main international market is the United Kingdom, whose citizens account for 14.9% of transactions by overseas players, despite Brexit. In addition to the Brits, the French, Germans, Belgians, Italians and Nordics are the other main buyers of homes in Spain.

Original story: Expansión (by Rebeca Arroyo)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Solvia: House Sales Will Reach 564,000 by 2020

31 October 2017 – Solvia

According to data from the latest trend report issued by Solvia about the real estate market, we can expect to see a moderate increase in the volume of house sales in Spain over the next few years. The increase will also be accompanied by a moderate increase in prices. These forecasts establish a context of real estate recovery in the country.

Towards 560,000 transactions by 2020

Since the number of houses sold in Spain hit rock bottom back in 2013 – when around 300,000 transactions were recorded – the figures have risen by 50%, in just three years. In this way, around 450,000 house sales were recorded in 2016 and Solvia forecasts that this figure will increase by between 7% and 8% per annum over the next three years, to reach 564,000 house sales by 2020.

A key factor in this new real estate cycle is the significant weight of buyers looking to reposition themselves on the housing ladder – whose purchase decisions had been postponed during the years of economic recession – and also small-time investors, who are buying homes to rent them out, given the higher returns offered by the real estate sector compared to other investments. Demand from non-resident foreigners is also expected to continue to grow, driven by the record visitor figures that are being recorded in the tourist sector.

From 2020 onwards, Solvia forecasts that the volume of house sales will start to decrease, for three reasons: the natural demand from the population aged between 25 and 44 years will decline, as will the pent-up demand to buy a home; moreover, the rental culture will continue to grow in popularity amongst the new generations.

Regional focus

By autonomous region, in terms of the volume of transactions for every 1,000 inhabitants, the most dynamic regions will be the Balearic Islands and the Community of Valencia, primarily due to the foreign buyer effect. By contrast, if we look at absolute sales volumes, the most operations will be undertaken in Andalucía, Cataluña, the Community of Madrid and the Community of Valencia.

Original story: Solvia

Translation: Carmel Drake