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

Urban Land Shortage Shatters Property Developers’ Dreams

15 January 2018 – Eje Prime

There is not enough land in the city for so many opportunities. That is the complaint that is increasingly being heard amongst experts in the real estate sector and above all, amongst residential property developers in the country, who warn that this problem is starting to take on a more serious tone. Not in vain, in the midst of the economic recovery, in one of the most critical moments of the upwards cycle (that has given confidence back to the house-building sector), available buildable land is scarce.

Real estate specialists like Anna Gener, Director General in Barcelona of the consultancy Savills Aguirre Newman, warns that “the sector is heating up a lot”, due to the shortage of land, given that property developers “by definition, can only purchase buildable land”, according to comments made in a recent interview with Eje Prime. In the opinion of the Catalan executive, “it is starting to become a matter of urgency for the public administration to take sides and streamline the procedures because, in certain areas of Spain, there is a genuine need for new homes…(…)”.

Whilst making her comments, Gener may have had in mind regions such as Madrid, Barcelona and Málaga. All three provinces are experiencing high demand for housing and they accounted for more than 50% of the total investment in land in Spain in 2017, with €3.5 billion spent there on urban land purchases. That figure represents an increase of 19% in recent quarters in relation to the number of property developer operations formalised, according to the Solvia Market View report compiled by the Spanish servicer, which analyses the real estate brokerage situation in the country.

Over the last twelve months, property developers have strengthened their presence in the Spanish residential market, starring in 74% of transactions, supported in many cases by investment funds that hold stakes in them. That fact, together with the aforementioned lack of land supply, has resulted in a 6.2% YoY increase in land prices.

Newly created companies such as Neinor Homes, Aedas Homes, Vía Célere and Aelca have led the current boom in domestic housing with ambitious land purchase plans. Their residential projects have breathed life and confidence into an activity that had been in decline following the real estate bubble of not so long ago, but they have caused the market to become more expensive again due to the increased competition to acquire the limited supply of buildable land available in the most sought-after areas.

In terms of amounts, operations of this kind were closed with prices ranging between €500,000 and €10 million in 60% of cases, whilst 15% of transactions exceeded the €10 million threshold (…).

Generating buildable land: a new line of business for 2018

In the Community of Marid, for example, the most sought-after buildable urban land is that allocated for residential use, above even that allocated for logistics use. As the main market in Spain for the buying and selling of land, the Madrilenian case exemplifies the constraints that the residential sector will have to battle against in 2018.

Firstly, the report from Solvia indicates that property developers will have to leave the city in search of buildable land on the outskirts. Areas such as El Cañaveral and the Corredor de Henares were the most sought-after places last year by companies in the sector (…). There is hardly any land left inside the M-30 (…).

The same applies in Barcelona. Buildable land is scarce both in the Catalan capital, and in its surrounding metropolitan area, which is leading some property developers to return to investing in towns in the second ring of the city’s outskirts, such as Sabadell, Terrassa and Granollers, amongst others, according to the report from the servicer owned by Banco Sabadell (…).

For this reason, one of the challenges for property developers this year is going to be to attract demand to new provincial capitals and markets. On the national map, the Solvia Market View report highlights cities such as Jaén, Pamplona, Oviedo and Valladolid. Regardless of where, what is in no doubt, is that the search for and acquisition of land for house building will continue for the next few months.

Original story: Eje Prime (by Jabier Izquierdo)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Irea: What Led to Last Year’s Record Inv’t in Spain’s Hotel Sector?

12 January 2018 – Hosteltur

Last year saw investment in the Spanish hotel sector break all records, with investors spending €3.907 billion on transactions involving existing hotels, properties for conversion into hotels and land for the construction of hotels. That figure represents an increase of almost 80% with respect to 2016, according to Miguel Vázquez, Managing Partner of the Hotels Division at Irea; and was the result of the sale of 182 establishments comprising 28,813 rooms, with an average price per room of €119,000, compared with an average price per room of €92,000 in 2016 and of €85,000 in 2015, which represents an increase of 40% in just two years (…).

According to the Irea Director, this investment boom was driven “not only by the greater number of operations but also by the fact that the prices of the assets sold were higher as they were coming onto the market after being repositioned in recent years. The types of investors have also changed, as have their demands in terms of returns: around 5-6% in the urban segment and around 6-7% in the holiday segment, given that we are no longer seeing as many opportunistic funds entering the market (…)”.

In fact, he has quantified that “more than 2,000 holiday hotels still need to be renovated and repositioned. There is a wide range of opportunities that the funds are focusing on, in search of agreements with small chains at times of generational changes and when they are interested in selling…or not, because the strong buyer pressure is continuing to motivate owners who are not typically sellers to put their assets on the market, especially independent operators. And that is leading to the entry into the market of large holiday hotel portfolios, which is what investors are backing Spain for, as well as independent hotels”.

Forecasts for 2018

And after “the stratospheric data of 2017”, in the words of Vázquez, “the inertia with respect to 2018 is very positive, the year is starting off very well”, although he thinks that hotel investment will moderate and “the effect of the uncertainty in Cataluña will make it very difficult for us to see a repeat of last year’s figures”.

Nevertheless, he cites three operations that should be resolved during the first few months of this year: the completion of the purchase of the Alua portfolio by Hispania (…); the sale of a portion of the Ayre hotel portfolio, which is currently on the market; and the launch of a hotel Socimi by a financial entity with 15 establishments, which could take place soon.

Vázquez estimates that the investments already committed for the first few months of the year identified by Irea amount to €4 billion, comprising mainly new build projects, taking advantage of the increase recorded in the purchase of land for the construction of hotels, with operations in Bilbao, San Sebastián, the south of Tenerife, Barcelona and Sevilla.

In terms of the strengths in the market, besides the repositioning of hotels that is leading to an improvement in competitiveness and the appeal of Spain as a destination, the Director highlighted “the magnet effect of qualified investors such as Blackstone, which are reinforcing Spain as a destination for hotel investment” (…).

Weaknesses: overheating

Vázquez highlighted the overheating of prices that is happening in destinations such as the Canary Islands, where the average (sales) price per room has increased to €152,000, compared to the national average of €119,000, although, it should also be taken into account that “the operation that carried the most weight in terms of those figures was Sabadell’s sale of HI Partners to Blackstone (…), involving high quality, repositioned hotels, which increased prices”.

In fact, the most expensive prices were recorded in Barcelona and Madrid, which holds the record for the sale of the most expensive room with Operación Canalejas, for approximately €1.4 million, whereby exceeding the figure of €1.2 million recorded during the sale of Hotel Villa Magna (…).

In the Balearic Islands, as the director acknowledges, “there is still more margin because there are a lot of hotels there that still need repositioning and, although there is price inflation, it is not as marked as in the Canary Islands, which benefit from having year-round demand and five years of high occupancy rates, which drives up prices”.

Original story: Hosteltur

Translation: Carmel Drake

Deloitte: Tertiary Real Estate Inv’t Amounts to €9.7bn in 2017

27 December 2017 – Expansión

An increase in property prices has led to a 22% reduction in the purchase of non-residential assets in 2017 with respect to 2016.

The boom that has marked the real estate investment sector in Spain since 2014 is starting to show signs of slowing. That is according to the most recent non-residential investment figures, which, with just a few days to go before year-end, are reflecting a decrease of 22% with respect to 2016.

According to a market study performed by Deloitte Real Estate, investors spent €9.7 billion this year on tertiary properties (offices, hotels, commercial and logistics assets) compared with €12.4 billion in 2016 and €11.8 billion in 2015.

“With just a few operations still left to close before 31 December, which will amount to between €0.5 billion and €0.6 billion, tertiary investment has fallen by 22%. This decrease in activity is a sign that we have crossed the equator of the bullish cycle and that we are possibly starting a period of greater stability”, explained Javier García-Mateo, Partner in Financial Advisory at Deloitte.

The 22% decrease is due to a weaker second half of the year in terms of the rate of investment (…). During the third quarter, investment fell from €6.6 billion in 2016 to €1.6 billion this year, says Deloitte in its report. During the fourth quarter, the difference was a decrease of 42% (€2.8 billion compared with €1.8 billion). The decrease is more pronounced in the property segments that tend to lead absolute investment, namely, offices and retail assets. In the case of the former, investors have spent €2.3 billion in 2017, less than half the amount recorded in 2016 (€4.9 billion) and 2015 (€5.3 billion) (…). “Offices tends to be the segment that traditionally leads investment, but this year it has decreased by 55%. This is not due to a lack of supply, but rather the gap between the expectations of sellers and the offers from buyers. Moreover, some operations have been abandoned, such as the sale of Hispania’s portfolio”, said García-Mateo.

In this way, unlike in previous years, where large operations were closed during the final quarter of the year, such as Torre Foster – sold for €490 million at the end of 2016-, Torre Espacio – sold in November 2015 for €550 million – and Torre Picasso – sold for €400 million in December 2011 – this year, the most significant operation has been the sale of 50% of Torre Caleido on Paseo de la Castellana, for around €150 million, closed during the first quarter of the year.

In the case of retail assets, investment in shopping centres fell by 29% to €2.7 billion, despite record operations such as the one involving Xanadú, whilst the purchase of shops fell by 36% to €421 million.

“After 4 years of increases in valuations and the consequent decrease in yields, investment in offices and retail property is significantly less attractive than in the hotel and logistics segments, where there are up to 3 points of differential per year”, say the sources at Deloitte. The large hotel operations this year have included the purchase of Edificio España by the Riu Group and the sale of HI Partners, along with its 14 establishments, by Banco Sabadell to Blackstone for €630.73 million.

Cataluña

The 22% decrease comes at a time that is being characterised by the independentist challenge in Cataluña, although the uncertainty being generated in that region does not seem to have had an impact on real estate investment, at least not yet, according to García-Mateo. “In Cataluña, the absorption of office space has fallen and sales in shopping centres have also decreased, by around 10% with respect to Q4 2016, but investment has not been hit, as evidenced by Meridia Capital’s recent purchase of the Barnasud shopping centre and Invesco’s acquisition of the Mango facilities in Palau de Plegamans (Barcelona)”, he added.

In this way, the experts justify that the decrease in investment is due to a change in the cycle, following four years of rapid growth (…).

Nevertheless, the €9.7 billion spent during 2017 represents the fourth-highest figure in the historical series (dating back 13 years).

It was only in the last two years, as well as in the record year for the sector (2007), when investment amounted to €12.6 billion, that investment in non-residential assets exceeded the €10 billion threshold, according to Deloitte.

Original story: Expansión (by Rocío Ruiz)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Argia’s Bankruptcy Leads to Oviedo’s Largest Ever Land Auction

10 December 2017 – El Comercio

The bankruptcy of the property developer owned by the businessman Blas Herrero, Argia Inversiones Inmobiliarias, and the lack of interest in most of its assets from its banker, Liberbank, have made way for the city’s largest-ever auction of private land. In total, 159 lots worth more than €30 million will go under the hammer, ranging from buildable estates in Cerdeño, to buildable land in Prados de la Fuente, to around fifty finished homes also in Prados de la Fuente.

In reality, the investments are very recent. Herrero did not seek to obtain any returns from the land and housing sectors in Spain until 2005 when he took control of Inverural Capital and turned it into Argia Inversiones Inmobiliarias. After a few years of activity, the company stopped filing its annual accounts – in 2009 – and went off the radar.

In Oviedo, the firm had promoted one of the largest plots of land in Prados de la Fuente, under the commercial name Galana Residencial. The work on that group of buildings…did not go well…The first buyers reported problems with the finishes, as well as humidity in the garages and the poor quality of the padel court.

Eight years after the homes were handed over, 51 apartments in different parts of the development are now going on the market, with appraisal values ranging from €155,484 for a first floor 3-bedroom property to €250,000 for homes that are bigger and higher up (…).

House prices in the city of Oviedo in Q3 2017 amounted to €1,264/m2, according to the appraisal company Tinsa. In YoY terms, they rose by 1.5%, but the number of transactions was still very low and, in 2016, prices fell by 0.8% in YoY terms. Since the middle of 2008, each homeowner in Oviedo has lost 37% of his/her property value, on average (…).

Volatility and low returns are two of the factors that have ended up causing the Asturian businessman Blas Herrero to surrender his real estate ambitions just ten years after launching them and after more than five years of unremarkable activity. In 2015, Argia Inversiones Inmobiliarias filed for voluntary creditors’ bankruptcy. The liquidation plan…was approved in January.

A peaceful end is anticipated with the voluntary auction that is due to be held on 20 December. The 159 lots, which will be bid for independently, include some mortgage charges in favour of Liberbank, who has most at stake in terms of the success of these disposals (…).

Prices and lots

The data is not encouraging. In the last year – between July 2016 and June this year – 633 homes were sold across the whole of Asturias (…). The figures indicate that the crisis is still on-going. A decade ago, the General Council of Notaries recorded three times as many real estate transactions per year. Moreover, some of the lots are far from the reach of most (…). Specifically, three plots from the special plan are together worth €10.5 million (…).

Original story: El Comercio (by Gonzalo Díaz-Rubín)

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

Demand for Luxury Homes Plummets in Barcelona & Soars in Madrid

23 November 2017 – Expansión

Since 1 October, demand for luxury homes has plummeted by 50% in Barcelona, with a 20% decrease in prices; meanwhile, demand has risen by 40% in the Spanish capital where prices have gone up by 10%.

Secessionism is sinking the Catalan real estate market due to the threat of uncertainty. “Demand for luxury housing has plummeted by 50% in Barcelona between 1 October and 15 November”, explains Emmanuel Virgoulay, Founding Partner at Barnes International in Spain. Whilst Barcelona falls, interest from buyers in these kinds of assets in Madrid is soaring by 40%, according to the real estate company that specialises in the premium segment.

“For every home for sale in Madrid, there are four buyers”. In Barcelona, by contrast, “the damage has already been done”, explained Virgoulay, referring to the unilateral referendum. That process has marked a before and after in the Catalan economy. The uncertainty has caused panic to spread throughout the markets, leading to the flight of more than 2,600 companies, causing the confidence of businessmen and consumers to collapse and paralysing investments. Housing, along with tourism, has been the most affected sector.

Before 1-O, Barcelona was enjoying its best moment since the crisis. The prices of high-standing properties were growing at a rate of 15%. However, since 1 October, the decrease in prices amounts to 20%. During the same month, the cost of these types of assets in Madrid has also moved by double digits, but in the opposite direction, with growth of 10%, like in the Balearic Islands. In Andalucía, the variation has been somewhat lower, between 5% and 10%, according to market sources.

In Barcelona, the rise in prices had generated a bubble. “Some owners were aligning the price of their properties with those in the most exclusive parts of other cities in Europe”, explained Virgoulay. However, investors “put the handbrake on” several months ago now. In October, there was a 50% decrease in the number of deeds signed for the sale and purchase of homes and mortgages, with buyers pulling out and preferring to lose their deposits, which can represent up to 10% of the purchase price, than going ahead with their purchases.

“Investors are going to come to Madrid because the market is safer”, explains Virgoulay. Currently, 57% of the luxury real estate acquisitions that are made in Spain take place in Madrid. The Spanish capital is the most attractive city for domestic and international investors alike. “The weight of the investor market is comparable with the market for primary residences”, he explains.

Looking ahead to year end, Virgoulay considers that, since the Government took action, with the application of Article 155, “the outlook is stable and demand has been starting to recover since 15 November”. But, 21 December is emerging as a new door to uncertainty “anything can happen once again”. Nevertheless, “Prices are going to rise, in general, but in Barcelona, it is clear that they are not going to evolve, they are going to fall”.

In Madrid, like in Barcelona, the average price of luxury housing amounts to €8,000/m2. In the Balearic Islands, where the main demand is from European buyers for second homes, the price per square metre amounts to €7,500/m2.

Barnes plans to open new offices in 2018 in locations such as the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands. Cataluña was another one of its objectives, but, for the time being, no date has been set for that opening.

Original story: Expansión (by Inma Benedito)

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

Meridia Capital To Launch A Fund Specialising In Rental Housing

9 November 2017 – Eje Prime

Meridia Capital is taking another step forward in its real estate adventure. The company, founded and chaired by Javier Faus (pictured below, far right), is considering entering the residential rental business. To this end, the group has already negotiated the cost of capital and returns required to raise a new fund, as the director explained on Tuesday at the Economy Circle in Barcelona.

The fund will be aimed at institutional investors who work regularly with the investment fund, according to Crónica Global. The businessman acknowledges that it will be a tough market to enter, but he considers that it is “basic” for the future of this type of real estate vehicle.

At the same meeting, Pere Viñolas (pictured above, second from left), CEO at Colonial, said that the entry of listed real estate companies into the rental housing market in countries such as Germany has boosted the sector and helped to adjust prices.

Original story: Eje Prime

Translation: Carmel Drake

Fitch Warns Of RE Bubble In The Centres Of Spain’s Large Cities

25 October 2017 – El Mundo

The ratings agency Fitch is warning that a real estate bubble is now visible in the centre of Spain’s large cities, although it does not anticipate a widespread bubble in house prices across the country as a whole in the short term, due to the high volume of stock that still needs to be absorbed and the restrictions facing people wanting to access a home.

Those were the findings of analysis performed for the Housing Sector in Spain report published by the entity, which explains that bubbles involving these types of localised assets are now very evident: the strong demand and limited supply of housing in the country’s main cities are leading to extreme price increases that are becoming increasingly “unsustainable”.

According to the agency, in the central neighbourhoods of Madrid and Barcelona alone, prices have recorded an annual increase of between 15% and 35%.

For Fitch, this demand is being influenced by quantitative easing, purchases by foreigners and investment decisions, given that investors are looking to benefit from the appreciation in asset prices and rental yields. Nevertheless, the agency forecasts that these “ingredients” will not influence the overall real estate market in the short term.

Similarly, the ratings agency asserts that it is “highly unlikely” that the problems in the real estate market are correlated with the economic recovery in general and it forecasts that the average discounts being applied to sell foreclosed homes are going to continue to be very high and stable over the next few years.

This situation will continue for as long as the banking sector continues to have an excess stock of housing and for as long as buyers insist on significant discounts to acquire foreclosed homes, said the ratings agency.

According to data from the company, the discount on the sale of foreclosed homes is still “high”, up to 60% on average, compared to the initial valuation, whilst discounts can range from between 50% to 75%.

In this sense, the dispersion of the discounts on the sale of foreclosed properties is decreasing. In fact, the gap between the range of discounts decreased to 25 percentage points at the end of 2016 from 35 percentage points during the period comprising 2010 and 2011. Nevertheless, it says that this reduction is not widespread.

Problems accessing housing

On the other hand, Fitch explains that access to housing will continue to be complicated because the velocity of the house price index is exceeding wage variations.

In this way, the families’ capacity to save is increasingly reduced, also due to the labour market that favours temporary contracts over permanent ones, which makes it hard for would-be buyers to save enough to make the initial down payment of 20% necessary to buy a home.

The report also underlines that access to housing over the long-term may be limited by the gradual elimination of monetary stimuli in the market and the likely scenario of higher interest rates.

Original story: El Mundo

Translation: Carmel Drake