Tag: players

Who are the Key Players in the Spanish Real Estate Market?

4 May 2018 – El Mundo

House sales are on the rise, as are house prices and rentals. Mortgages are also continuing their upward trend. Moreover, the resurgence of real estate activity is now a reality that can be seen in the increase in the number of new construction and real estate companies.

A recent report published by Gedesco, a firm specialising in financing for companies, says that one in four of the businesses created in Spain during the first quarter of 2018 belonged to the construction or property development sectors.

That represented a volume of almost 6,000 companies, 1.75% more than during the same quarter in 2017. With respect to the last three months of last year, the increase amounts to 21.9%.

Some good news to help us try to forget the fact that 142,576 construction companies disappeared between 2008 and January 2017 – both building firms and property developers -, according to the latest data from Spain’s National Institute of Statistics (INE).

In eight years, the sector went from having almost 360,000 companies to having just 216,987, a reduction of 39%. If we take the look at real estate companies, there were 106,375 in 2008, whereas there were just 67,812 by 2017, almost half.

The data compiled by INE reveals another interesting fact: the construction companies that had more than 5,000 employees in 2008 have disappeared. Although there were actually only three (including building firms and property developers), by 2017, there were just nine companies with 500 or more workers.

Names such as Martinsa Fadesa – created by the businessman Fernando Martín-, Astroc (chaired by Enrique Bañuelos) and Nozar went into the history books of the Spanish real estate sector, after failing to survive the impact of the recession.

Good health

Now, the outlook for the sector is looking healthy, in line with the increase in construction activity, which last year recorded a 28.9% increase in new build permits, to 80,786. According to the latest data from the Ministry of Development, corresponding to the first two months of this year, new home permits rose by 17.4% to 8,035 in February. Estimates in the sector indicate an output of 150,000 homes p.a. for the next few years.

For Elisa Valero, Marketing Director at Gedesco, “the construction sector is back in business”. Nevertheless, the director adds that “the creation of businesses has never gone away, if we look back a few years, the property developers were still there, but the volume of business creation was much lower”.

Whereas 5,000 companies are now being created, in 2011 – at the height of the crisis – just 2,000 were being constituted (…).

Success stories

Another report published in recent weeks by the College of Registrars in Spain also shows that real estate activity in the country is gaining momentum. In 2017, the weight of construction companies and property developers over the total number of businesses constituted rose to 20%, and the rate of growth in relation to 2016 was 14%.

But, looking beyond the figures and back to specific cases (…) we see, for example, that two of the largest property developers of the current cycle were created less than three years ago. The firms in question: Neinor Homes and Aedas, which were created in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

The origins of Vía Célere, another of the important property developers these days, dates back to 2007, at the height of the crisis. The firm emerged after Juan Antonio Gómez-Pintado sold the company that he had chaired, Agofer, and created Vía Célere.

In all three cases, the presence of funds in the shareholding of the companies has stimulated their rates of investment to purchase land on which to build new homes.

Second chances

On the list of property developers that have been created recently, highlights include Kronos Homes, Stoneweg and Q21 Real Estate.

There is another noteworthy name on the current panorama, which, although it cannot be considered a new company, is a clear example of the resurgence of a business after the crisis. The company in question is Metrovacesa. Following a facelift by its creditor banks, it returned to the stock market at the beginning of this year, after abandoning it in 2013.

The firm, controlled by BBVA and Santander, stands out since it is the largest landowner in Spain, amongst the listed property developers, with 6.1 million m2 of land spread over the whole country, with the capacity to build 37,500 homes.

Business transformations such as the one involving Metrovacesa were commonplace during the crisis and resulted in the appearance of new players on the real estate stage.

Another illustrative example has been the birth of the so-called servicers. These companies have emerged in recent years from the former real estate subsidiaries of the banks.

Altamira (whose origins are found in Banco Santander), Servihabitat (La Caixa), and Solvia (Banco Sabadell), amongst others, are fulfilling the mission entrusted to them: to take on the bank’s property, enabling them to complete their clean-ups and to divest the assets by taking advantage of the current boom in activity.

The servicers, whose main activity is located in the Community of Madrid, are also responsible for selling the properties of another one of the stars created in recent years: Sareb, commonly known as the bad bank.

In 2018, that company celebrates its 5th birthday, and during its short life, it has taken over the properties of the entities that have been intervened as a result of the bank restructuring (…).

In recent months, Sareb has also started to market its first new build developments constructed on own land that it holds in its portfolio. In addition, last week, it launched a campaign to sell 3,314 homes along the coast, 95% of which will be lived in for the first time by their new owners.

The Socimis

If there is one group of players that stands out above all of the other newly created real estate companies it is the Socimis.

The real estate investment companies started to trade on the Spanish stock exchange in 2012 as a result of a regulatory change introduced by the Government that gave them free reign to do so.

The Socimis Entrecampos and Promorent were the first to make their debuts. Six years on, there are 51 such companies and, according to some estimates, that number may reach 100 in the future. Merlin, Axiare, Hispania, Lar España, Testa and Colonial – the largest by volume – have all been created in the last four years and are now competing with property developers, such as Neinor and Aedas, on the real estate stage and on the stock market.

In April, one of the newest faces, Sareb’s Socimi Témpore, made its debut. In its first month on the Alternative Investment Market (MAB), it has seen its share price appreciate by 3.85%. When it made its stock market debut, the company’s valuation amounted to €152 million (…).

Original story: El Mundo (by María José Gómez-Serranillos)

Translation: Carmel Drake

How Cerberus Became Spain’s Largest RE Company

3 December 2017 – Voz Pópuli

If you are thinking about buying a home over the next few months, statistically, it is likely that Cerberus will be the vendor. The US fund is one of the players that arrived in Spain at the height of the financial crisis (between 2010 and 2012), with the objective of acquiring banks and real estate companies, just like it had done in other countries. The former did not happen, despite several attempts to take over some of the former savings banks. But the conquest of the property sector went a lot better: so much so that the fund now controls more than €50 billion in assets and has just starred in the second largest operation in the Spanish real estate sector in recent years.

Those close to Cerberus define it as a fund that is meticulous, aggressive in its negotiating style and persistent. It has proven that last quality with the patience it has shown searching for major operations in Spain over many years. Last week, it finally was in a position to purchase BBVA’s property. It is the fund’s largest acquisition to date in Spain and it is going to cost €4 billion, most of which will be financed by Morgan Stanley.

Five key people inside the fund have been instrumental to the success of this operation, namely: Frank W. Bruno, one of the main directors of the fund at the global level; Lee S. Millstein, another key director of Cerberus, who has been overseeing the business in Spain for years; Manuel González-Cid, Senior Advisor to the fund and former Finance Director at BBVA, and his team; David Teitlebaum, head of the fund in Europe; and Daniel Dejanovic, head of the real estate business in Europe.

The Aznar junior factor

Several other people have also participated, although to a lesser extent: Carlos Abad, CEO at Haya Real Estate, the real estate servicer of Cerberus in Spain; Juan Hoyos, former President at McKinsey in Spain and President of Haya; John Snow, President of Cerberus, who met with the President of BBVA, Francisco González, to propose the deal in the first place; and José Maria Aznar Botella, son of the former Spanish President. The story of this fund in Spain has been inextricably linked to the incorporation of Aznar junior in recent years, at least from the point of view of the media. The bankers who have worked with him describe him as a “strong professional” who has been key to the fund’s success in Spain.

Both Hoyos and Aznar were most certainly instrumental during Cerberus’s first operation in Spain, in 2013, when it purchased Bankia Habitat, in the so-called Project Platform. It was a purchase that revolutionised the sector and paved the way for other similar deals, such as the sale of Altamira, Servihabitat and Anticipa.

Unlike what has happened with BBVA, Cerberus’s operation with Bankia did not involve an asset purchase, but rather the management of that entity’s assets. Like in other similar operations, the fund takes control of the workforce and the administration and sale of debt and foreclosed assets, in exchange for management commissions. Bankia Habitat became Haya Real Estate and subsequently expanded its perimeter after teaming up with Sareb, Cajamar and, this year, Liberbank. Those deals involved the disbursement of around €0.5 billion by Cerberus. Added to the €4 billion paid to BBVA and the fund’s other portfolio purchases, the total figure exceeds €5 billion.

The result of this strategy is that Haya Real Estate has reached a management volume of more than €40 billion, has almost 700 employees and recorded a profit of €31 million (in 2016).

Cerberus’s networks in Spain do not end there: it owns a doubtful debt management firm, Gescobro; a securitisation firm, Haya Tutulización; a stake in another manager of bank debt, Hipoges, whose sale it is currently negotiating with KKR; and dozens of companies where it keeps its real estate assets. As if they were not enough, it will soon be able to add the property developer Inmoglacier to this list.

And that is only one of the strings to Cerberus’s bow in Spain, it also engages in large business ventures such as Renovalia, which is currently up for sale. Operations such as the one involving BBVA reflect the fact that funds like this are still very interested in Spain, despite the uncertainties being generated by Cataluña. And beyond the foreign money that they bring, they should be seen as the new influential players, capable of moving markets such as the real estate sector. And they are here to stay. For the time being at least.

Original story: Voz Pópuli (by Jorge Zuloaga)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Which Players Will Shape The RE Sector In 2017?

5 December 2016 – Expansión

The end of 2016 will mark not only a new record in terms of real estate investment in Spain, but also the start of a new phase in the sector, after three years of recovery.

“In mid-2013, funds like Blackstone started to close operations, at a time when the market was completely paralysed. That prompted a magnet effect, which, together with the creation of Socimis and the reorganisation of the banking sector, launched the recovery of the sector”, said Adolfo Ramírez-Escudero, President of CBRE.

Thus, after closing last year with an investment volume of €12,884 million, the expectation is that the figure will reach €13,900 million by year end 2016. “We may reach record investment figures by year end, as new property owners, with a more institutional profile, enter the market, such as German investment funds, insurance companies, etc.”, he said.

The investment figure may be maintained next year if corporate operations continue, say sources at the consultancy firm. “We are living in a different Spain, with GDP growth of 3.2% this year and forecast GDP growth of 2.5% next year. That has a direct correlation with employment and, therefore, with real estate”, said Ramírez-Escudero.

For this new phase, one of the most important players will be the large Socimis, which have continued to close operations this year, but in a more measured way as they have been more focused on managing their properties; as well as German funds, such as Invesco Real Estate and the real estate division of Deutsche Bank.

Nevertheless, these more risk-averse investors will share the stage with another kind of player in the Spanish real estate sector in 2017. “We are pretty convinced that there is going to be a new property developer cycle, given that the real estate companies have now been established, with new capital. Next year, the property developers will be building new products”, said the Head of CBRE.

Residential segment

These new players will include Neinor Homes. The real estate company, created by the fund LoneStar with the former subsidiary of Kutxabank, has become a key player in the property development sector, with projects underway across Spain. In 2017, the company led by Juan Velayos will debut on the stock market, whereby restoring the profile of property developers, such as Martinsa Fadesa and Reyal Urbis, which fell from grace following the burst of the bubble.

Another player in the residential sector will be Avantespacia. The new real estate company, in which Inveravante (Manuel Jove’s company) owns a 70% stake and Anida (BBVA’s real estate arm) owns a 30% stake, will promote almost one thousand homes during its first phase of development. Its first project in Málaga, with 135 properties, is already being sold, whilst in Madrid, the new company is preparing a development in the Francisco Silvela area.

But development will not only be happening in the residential segment, major projects are also planned for the office and shopping centre segments. In the former, Merlin Properties is expected to play an important role. Spain’s largest Socimi is currently working on the development of an office building in the Isla Chamartín area, in the north east of Madrid.

In addition, it has just completed the purchase of the Adequa business park, a complex that comprises four office buildings and a shopping area, with space for the construction of a 24-storey skyscraper, with a total surface area of 29,000 m2.

Original story: Expansión (by Rocío Ruiz)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Solvia: Land Sales Rose By 37% & Prices By 11% In 2015

20 April 2016 – El Confidencial

Land is no longer the ugly duckling of the sector. Regarded as the most toxic real estate asset until just a few years ago, it has now become one of the most desired and sought-after products for investors, and that has started to lead to overheating in terms of prices in specific areas, in particular, in Madrid.

This renewed appetite is now reflected in the official statistics and in the reports prepared by some of the most active players in the sector. Such is the case of Solvia, the real estate servicer arm of Banco Sabadell, which has found that land sales increased by 37% and land prices rose by 11% in 2015, excluding the effect of transactions carried out by financial institutions and including official data, such as that published by the Ministry of Development.

According to Solvia Market View, there were 15,718 transactions involving land in 2015, compared with 14,067 in 2014, which represents an increase of 37%, and not a decrease of 1.1% as reflected in the statistics published by the Ministry of Development, which do include transactions carried out by financial institutions. Those operations were worth €1,789 million – compared with €2,585 million according to the Ministry of Development – which represents a rise of 61% – compared with 4% according to the MoD -. In terms of prices, Solvia’s data indicates an increase of 11% over the last year, taking the average price to €166/m2, still below its peak of €285/m2 in 2007.

The appetite to buy land has resulted in intense competition between the main players in the sector – property developers, cooperatives, investment funds and servicers -. Against the race to acquire land in prime locations in Madrid and Barcelona, many players – especially investment funds, have started to look further afield, where they can often generate higher returns on their investments, such as in certain provincial capitals, including Sevilla, Alicante, Málaga and the Balearic Islands. (…).

The study also reveals the prices that the different players in the sector are willing to pay for this asset. Thus, for example, property developers move in the range of €700/m2 to €1,000/m2 in Madrid and Barcelona…Meanwhile, cooperatives move in the range of €900/m2 to €1,000/m2…and investment funds, with their high yield targets, are not willing to pay more than €800/m2.

According to Solvia’s data, the most active markets, in descending order, are: Madrid and Barcelona and their immediate metropolitan areas. Then Alicante and the Costa del Sol, primarily for the development of properties for non-residents. And finally, other major cities where demand for new builds is high, such as Sevilla, Córdoba, Zaragoza and País Vasco. (…).

Original story: El Confidencial (by E. Sanz)

Translation: Carmel Drake