Tag: pensioners

Tecnocasa: Rental Prices Rose By 4.72% In 2016

21 February 2017 – El Mundo

The rental market is booming, in particular, rental prices. They are accelerating significantly in the cities of Madrid and Barcelona, above all, in the latter.

In 2016, the average price of second-hand rental homes in the Catalan capital soared by 11.84% in YoY terms, whilst in the Spanish capital, prices rose by the not insignificant amount of 6.26%. In this way, the average increase in rental prices across the country with respect to 2015 amounted to 4.72%, according to the III Report about the rental market 2016 prepared by Tecnocasa and the University Pompeu Fabra (UPF) in Barcelona.

Converting these percentages into absolute terms, the average monthly price per m2 rose to €12.09/m2 in Barcelona, to €11.20/m2 in Madrid and to €8.87/m2 across Spain as a whole. “The difference (between the two largest cities in the country) is growing”, say sources at Tecnocasa.

According to the real estate network, other indicators that provide further evidence of the boom in the rental market include: the average period of time required to market a home; the final price with respect to the asking price; and the number of visits needed for a property to be leased. In terms of the first of these factors, it currently takes only 30 days to lease a home, which is 11 days less than in 2013 and another indication of the high demand that exists nowadays.

In the same vein, the number of visits needed to lease a home decreased to 7.22 on average in 2016, a figure that is well below the number registered in 2012 (8.44). Finally, in light of these parameters, it is hardly surprising that the final agreed price is increasingly closer to the asking price. “Tenants’ bargaining power has decreased. The final rental price paid is just 3% below the asking price”, according to Tecnocasa. In 2012, that discount averaged 6%.

Finally, sources at the real estate firm and the university responsible for the study describe the profiles of typical landlords and tenants. On the supply side, there are increasingly more pensioners (32%). Moreover, 95% of landlords are Spanish and 65% are married.

In terms of the typical tenant, they are usually single (58%), with a permanent employment contract (68%) and aged between 25 and 44 years (73%). Like in the case of landlords, the majority are Spanish (73%).

Original story: El Mundo (by Jorge Salido Cobo)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Marina d’Or Launches Aggressive Marketing Campaign

4 October 2016 – Cinco Días

The former hotel and real estate empire Marina d’Or has launched an aggressive marketing campaign to raise revenues. It has put apartments up for sale from as little as €130,000 and retail premises from €200,000, with a “guaranteed” return of 7%.

The empire created by Jesús Ger began to crumble at the same time as the real estate bubble burst in Spain. The Holiday City, which was advertised in the City of London as the best place to spend the summer and as a golden retirement destination for British pensioners, is resorting to aggressive marketing techniques once again to increase its sales in the short term.

The key to the campaign, which is featuring in most national newspapers, is the slogan… “Guaranteed returns of 7%”. The small print explains that these investment opportunities relate to fully operational retail premises, with an established client base, as well as beach-front apartments. It specifies that the return of 7% with guaranteed rent will be over “1, 2 3 or more years, depending on the agreement”.

The reality is that the entity selling these assets is the hotel subsidiary of the group, which has not filed for bankruptcy, unlike its property developer associate.

Hoteles Marina d’Or has been selling homes and retail premises from €130,000 and €200,000, respectively, since the summer. In theory, the guaranteed return used to be 4%, but in September, that figure was increased to 7%.

How does it work?

The mechanism is simple. The company undertakes to pay that percentage over the purchase price on the basis of a signed contract, if the owner grants it the right to rent out its property in return. “In reality, they are apartments that the hotels already manage and given their locations, it is almost certain that they will be occupied; and as such, we are able to promise such returns”, said a sales agent from Marina d’Or. A spokesperson for the firm added that the sale of these apartments represents a direct cash injection and allows them to consider using this formula with more homes in the future. (…).

The hotel and real estate complex, which has half a dozen hotels, ranging from three- to five-star categories, is also home to several leisure facilities and a large spa. (…) The company, which guarantees annual interest of more than €9,000 per year for a flat costing €130,000, held own funds amounting to €86.2 million at the end of 2014, the last period for which accounts have been deposited in the commercial registry.

The company generated revenues of €38.6 million in 2014, in line with the preceding year. Its profit amounted to €627,000, compared with a loss of more than €1 million in 2013. The debt repayment calendar of Hoteles Marina d’Or, a limited company that is fully owned by Jesús Ger, was clear at the end of 2014. Last year, it had to repay €1.2 million; this year €1.4 million; and in 2017, €2.8 million. In 2018, the amount will increase to €4.6 million and from 2019, to €87.5 million. In total, the company’s debt amounts to almost €100 million. (…)

The return means multiplying the average interest rate on one- and two-year deposits by 30, given that on average such deposits paid out 0.23% in July. Nevertheless, the return is not quite so far-fetched in the real estate world. Sources in the sector acknowledge that it is high, given that holiday apartments offer around 4% in their contracts, and that it depends on the tourist occupancy rates in the area. In any case, there is a risk, given that the hotel company is responsible for paying that interest rate.

Original story: Cinco Días (by Pablo M. Simón y Laura Salces)

Translation: Carmel Drake