Tag: profile

Savills & HomeAway: Spain is the Most Attractive Market for Buying a Second Home

29 September 2018 – Finanzas.com

According to an international study compiled by the real estate consultancy Savills and HomeAwayTM, a global expert platform for holiday rentals, Spain is the most attractive destination for investing in a second home, according to 19.3% of those surveyed, followed by Portugal (13.2%) and France (13.1) in third place.

Spain is attractive for overseas investors

According to the survey, 44% of owners of second residences in Spain are foreigners. The main countries of origin of those owners are the United Kingdom (19%), Germany (12%), The Netherlands (4%), France (3%) and Belgium (2%). The remaining 56% of owners are Spanish.

The main areas where second homes are located in Spain include the Canary Islands (12%), the Costa del Sol (9%) and the Balearic Islands (9%).

Where are they buying homes?

People’s behaviour when it comes to acquiring a second home is different depending on where the buyers come from. The study reveals that British and Dutch owners are those who buy the most second homes outside of their own countries, nevertheless, Spaniards, Italians and Portuguese citizens tend to choose their own countries as the destination for acquiring second homes (around 95%).

Second homes: for personal use and to rent

According to the study, 28% of Spanish owners cover some of their expenses with revenues generated from the rental of their properties and 38% obtain a profit.

Summary of second homes in Spain

The average price of the second homes acquired last year by the Spanish owners surveyed amounted to €245,000, 22% lower than the average acquisition price ten years ago. Moreover, 28% of those surveyed confirmed that they personally financed the acquisition of their second home, 52% acquired it using a mortgage and 8% inherited or were gifted the property.

In the same vein, Spanish owners of second homes obtain an annual income of €12,000 (from their properties) and they rent them out for 19 weeks a year, on average. 43% of owners had the same number of reservations in recent months as they did during the same period a year ago, 41% had more reservations and 16% had fewer.

Second homes, with some specific characteristics

Two-bedroom apartments are the most popular types of second home for the Spanish owners surveyed.

Features that owners are looking for when it comes to buying a second home include: proximity to restaurants and bars (88%), a balcony or terrace (88%) and proximity to the supermarket and shops.

According to Juan Carlos Fernández, Director General for Southern Europe at HomeAway: “The fact that Spain is the most attractive destination for foreigners looking to buy a second home indicates that Spain is a robust market that is very attractive to investors and that is something that we must take care of and promote”.

Owner profile

  • Average age when they acquired the property, in 2017: 51 years old
  • Average number of weeks leased during the year: 19 weeks
  • Typical property type: 2-bedroom apartment
  • Average acquisition price in 2017: €245,000.

Original story: Finanzas.com

Translation: Carmel Drake

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