Tag: provincial capitals

Corpfin Prepares for Stock Market Debut of its Socimi Inbest

12 February 2019 – Idealista

The Socimis are continuing to make inroads in the real estate market. There are now more than 70 listed vehicles operating under this regime in Spain, and another twenty new vehicles could make their stock market debuts soon, according to the experts.

They include five that the manager Corpfin Capital Real Estate has been promoting through its investment vehicle Inbest Real Estate, including a company called Inbest Prime Inmuebles Socimi. And it is precisely that company that is finalising its stock market debut.

According to explanations provided by the manager to Idealisa News, the purchases that Inbest has completed recently have been materialised through those Socimis and its objective is for them to be listed on the stock market by September this year at the latest, just two years after their constitution and, therefore, by the deadline established by the legislation for continuing to enjoy tax incentives. Nevertheless, the firm chaired by Javier Basagoiti expects that the Socimis will be listed before the summer.

Although the valuation of the assets and the price at which the shares will debut are not yet known, the portfolio will include some very well-known and sought-after assets. They include four commercial premises in Edificio España in Madrid, whose purchase was recently signed between Inbest and the hotel chain RIU, the owner of the skyscraper, for almost €160 million. The investment vehicle’s plans include establishing four flagship stores for first-rate operators from the textile and restaurant sectors.

The assets also include three others that Inbest has acquired in recent months from the Spanish department store giant: El Corte Inglés. One of them is located on Calle Colón in Valencia and spans 7,000 m2, distributed between two adjoining premises, whilst another is located on Calle Princesa in Madrid, and another still on Gran Vía in Bilbao, with a combined surface area of almost 8,800 m2 in the case of the latter two. The investment in those three buildings amounted to around €180 million.

The Socimis have a combined investment objective of €400 million (half from own funds), of which almost 85% has now been consumed, whilst the remaining amount (around €60 million) could be targeted towards a new acquisition, given that that is exactly the ticket size that the manager is interested in.

Inbest’s strategy for this game of poker between the Socimis is based on searching for assets located in prime situations (above all in Madrid, Barcelona and other important provincial capitals), and focusing on unique assets in the commercial sector. Barring any last minute changes, the firm will keep the Socimis active for at least five years after finalising the investment period (…), although that term may be extended for another two years (…).

Original story: Idealista (by Ana P. Alarcos)

Translation: Carmel Drake

House Prices Will Rise by 5%+ in 2019 & Sales Will Grow by 13%

8 January 2019 – Expansión

The normalisation of the market in Madrid and Barcelona will make way for high growth in provincial capitals such as Valencia, Málaga, Palma and Sevilla. Rents will rise by more than 10% in the large capitals and sales could exceed 600,000 units in total.

Housing is going to enter a new phase of the cycle in 2019. After a year of expansion in 2018, with growth brushing the records seen before the crisis, this is going to be the year of consolidation, but also of awakening in the medium-sized capitals.

A panel of experts consulted by Expansión foresees an average price rise of more than 5%, and an increase in the sales volume of between 10% and 13%, which means that house sales may exceed the threshold of 600,000 units. That would make 2019 the seventh consecutive year of improvement in the residential sector after prices decreased by more than 30% during the years of the crisis.

Madrid and Barcelona, which inaugurated the recovery in 2016 and which have been leading the housing charge until now, are going to begin a process of normalisation. The experts agree that moderation will be felt in those two markets in particular. In the case of Barcelona, the political uncertainty, control measures from the Town Hall and price levels reached could lead to corrections in some districts where prices have already peaked.

This year, it will be the new capitals that will lead the growth of the market. The last quarter of 2018 already closed with three revelations: Valencia, Málaga and Tarragona led the increase in sales prices, with rises of more than 15%, according to data from Tinsa. In 2019, the experts are placing their focus on those and other cities, such as Sevilla Alicante, Palma, Bilbao, Murcia and Zaragoza. In the large capitals, price increases will exceed 10%.

The rise in sales prices versus the stagnation of wages will continue to cause demand to increase in the rental market, which will rise by around 7%, and by more than two-digits in the large cities, where price tensions are even greater. The volatility of the financial markets will continue to make rental a very attractive investment option. Nevertheless, the experts warn that the uncertainty regarding the measures approved by the Government in terms of the rental segment could put future investments at risk.

Whether the sector tends towards a plateau or rather moderate growth will depend on factors such as the evolution of the economy, policy changes by the ECB and the measures that the Government decides to introduce.

Original story: Expansión (by Inma Benedito)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Pryconsa Plans to Build 1,500 Rental Homes

28 November 2018 – Eje Prime

Pryconsa is backing the residential rental sector after fifty years in the business. The construction firm is going to enter the market for the first time soon with the development of 1,500 new homes. For the time being, the company is awaiting the outcome of the regulatory changes that the Government is working on relating to the Urban Rental Law.

“It is quite tricky when the rules of the game change halfway through playing”, said Marco Colomer, President of Pryconsa. In this regard, the executive is closely monitoring the possible increase in the duration of rental contracts from three years to five years, as well as the possibility that Town Halls will place limits on house prices in areas that have experienced sharp increases.

Colomer said that the group already has two projects with licences and others with land reserves. Both the company and the pension fund that will become its financial partner are waiting for “the conditions to be ideal to be able to start development”.

Pryconsa’s plan involves constructing 1,500 homes in Madrid, as well as in other provincial capitals with more than 500,000 inhabitants, which is why it may have Barcelona, Valencia, Zaragoza and Sevilla in its sights.

Original story: Eje Prime

Translation: Carmel Drake

Idealista: House Prices Soar by 18%+ in Madrid, Málaga and Las Palmas

3 November 2018 – Expansión

In October, the residential market recorded its largest increase in 2018. House prices rose by 10.5% on average across Spain in year on year terms, after recording an average cumulative increase of 7.7% during the first nine months of the year, according to the latest data published by the real estate portal Idealista.

But although the growth is generalised across Spain, it is the large capitals that are driving the sector. “Prices are continuing to rise in a general way, but they are doing so at two speeds. Whilst in half of the markets, the YoY growth rates are in the single digits, it is the major capitals that are responsible for the YoY growth of more than 10% that is being seen across Spain as a whole”, said Fernando Encinar, Head of Research at Idealista.

House prices are rising at double-digit rates in 15 Spanish capitals. More specifically, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Madrid and Málaga are leading the charge. House prices in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria soared by 21.2%, the largest increase across the whole country, taking the average price there to €1,929/m2.

They were followed by Madrid, where, despite the overheating of the market (the average price of €3,827/m2 is only exceeded by Barcelona and San Sebastián), house prices rose by 19.2%. In third position, Málaga saw an increase of 18.8%, to €2,229/m2.

The residential sector in Málaga, which bottomed out in 2013, has been experiencing an increase in its recovery, boosted by its tourist appeal. “In addition to Barcelona and Madrid, certain other capitals, such as Málaga and Palma de Mallorca, are joining the previous two (…) with more acute increases than the rest, above 5% in all of them”, explain sources at Sociedad de Tasación.

Currently, the Málagan capital is one of those that makes up the second wave of cities that are leading the house price increases. “Despite these increases, none of the capitals has reached the peaks of 2007, with the exception of Palma”, added Encinar.

Finally, at the bottom of the pile are those inland provincial capitals, where depopulation and less economic dynamism are hampering the evolution of the sector.

Specifically, prices in Ávila fell by 2.4%, in Jaén by 1.6%, and in Teruel by 1.2%. Meanwhile, prices recorded moderate decreases in A Coruña, Oviedo and Ourense of 0.6%, 0.5% and 0.2%, respectively.

Nevertheless, the greatest correction in prices was experienced in Tarragona, with a decrease of 2.8%, in line with the deceleration of the market in Barcelona, where house prices rose by only 1.1%.

Original story: Expansión (by Inma Benedito)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Optima Retail Buys Store in Marbella for €3M as part of €60M Investment Plan

12 September 2018 – Eje Prime

The retail sector in Marbella is attracting attention from investors. Optima Retail, one of the funds owned by the Spanish real estate and energy consultancy Optima Global Services, has acquired a retail outlet in Puerto Banús for €3 million. The operation forms part of the fund’s investment plan, through which it intends to disburse €60 million between now and 2019, according to explanations from Javier Alcalde, CEO of the group, speaking to Eje Prime. The objective will involve the firm spending €30 million in 2018 and another €30 million in 2019.

Launched in 2017, Optima Retail has just signed the purchase of the store located at number 17 Muelle de Benabolá in Puerto Banús from a family office. The asset, which has a surface area of 100 m2, is, and will continue to be occupied; it is let to the multi-brand footwear firm RKS. The operation has been advised by the real estate consultancy Catella.

The store displays the characteristics that the fund Optima Retail seeks for its portfolio: located in a prime area or provincial capital, as well as prices that do not exceed €4.5 million. The fund currently owns six units, located in cities such as Segovia, Vigo, Marbella and León.

Founded in 2004, and headquartered in Madrid, Optima Global Services comprises a group of companies dedicated to the real estate and energy sectors. One of the company’s areas of operation is the creation and management of real estate funds, both for external clients and on its own behalf. The company operates in a number of sectors, from retail to residential, to industrial, to hotel and including alternative assets such as hospitals and student halls.

Besides Optima Retail (its youngest vehicle), the company also operates through the fund Vastned, based in Amsterdam. In that case, Vastned focuses on assets located on prime streets of European cities, with Madrid and Barcelona amongst its targets in Spain. For example, Vastned’s assets in the Spanish capital include the properties at number 15 c/Ortega y Gasset and number 37 c/Fuencarral.

Optima Global Services also manages a portfolio of six shopping centres in Spain, located in Madrid (La Dehesa), Valencia (Mercado de Campanar), Zaragoza (Plaza Imperial), Córdoba (Connecta), Ciudad Real (Puerta del Ave) and Vigo (Travesía de Vigo). The company manages assets worth €600 million.

Original story: Eje Prime (by P. Riaño)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Registrars: House Sales Exceeded 134,000 in Q2 2018

4 September 2018 – Expansión

The housing market is performing well, so much so that forecasts indicate that more than half a million house sales will be completed this year (…) whereby returning to pre-crisis levels.

During the second quarter of the year, 134,196 units were sold, up by 12.4% compared to the same quarter in 2017. That is the highest figure recorded in a second quarter since 2008, when 152,630 sales were registered, according to real estate statistics published yesterday by the College of Registrars.

The slight moderation in GDP growth, which is expected to rise by 2.7% in 2018, according to Government forecasts, has not prevented the real estate market from reaching cruising speed. Domestic demand, which is continuing to sustain the Spanish economy, is allowing for a reduction in the unsold stock of homes, thanks to the pull of large Spanish cities. The strong demand that is driving these figures is also having an impact on prices, which rose by 10.7% between April and June.

“The statistics are continuing to reflect the excellent performance of the sector”, said Ferran Font, Head of Research at Pisos.com, given that during the second quarter, the highest volume of transactions for 40 months was recorded.

The drivers of the increase in prices and demand relate to the increase in consumer confidence in the economy, which has boosted private consumption, and the greater weight of housing as an investment alternative, in a volatile environment where interest rates are low. This behaviour is feeding the forecasts of the experts, who expect 2018 to close with house sales of between 500,000 units, according to the ratings agency S&P, and 600,000, as predicted by the consultancy firm Jones Lang La Salle (JLL).

Nevertheless, the market is not evolving in a homogenous way. On the one hand, the sale of second-hand homes is driving the figures, accounting for 83% of total sales, whilst new build homes are more expensive. Thus, second-hand house sales between April and June recorded their highest figure since the middle of 2007, with 111,537 sales, up by 12.2% compared with Q2 2017. Although by volume there were significantly more second-hand house sales in Q2, it is also worth noting the growth rate of the sale of new build homes, which rose by 12.9% to reach 22,659 units sold.

In terms of prices, the situation is different. In general, new build homes are more expensive than second-hand homes. According to a report published by Pisos.com yesterday, the price of second-hand homes amounted to €1,612/sqm in August, up by 5.5% compared to a year ago.

By contrast, the price of new homes in Spain rose by 5.9% in June, according to data from Sociedad de Tasación. Nevertheless, that figure is skewed by the pull of the large capitals. “The average prices of new homes in Spain rose by 5.9%, but that figure decreases to 2.8% if we eliminate the impact of Madrid and Barcelona, which means that prices are in line with other fundamental factors of the Spanish economy”, indicate sources at Sociedad de Tasación.

The average price of a 90 sqm home in a provincial capital is around €205,600, whilst in the other cities, the average price amounts to €1,605/sqm, which represents a rise of 2.9% compared to 2017.

The Spanish market is still growing at several speeds, with the large cities acting as links in a chain pulling up prices and sales. Madrid, Barcelona and Alicante are the provinces where the most homes were sold during the second quarter (…).

Original story: Expansión (by Inma Benedito)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Tinsa: House Prices Rise in Madrid & Palma by 17% & 15%, Respectively, in Q1 2018

5 April 2018 – Expansión

The boom continues with an average price rise of 3.8% during the first quarter of 2018 / Rises in large capital cities and tourist areas boost house prices in a market that is still operating at several speeds. Nevertheless, Cataluña is showing signs of a slow down.

Madrid and Palma de Mallorca led the growth in house prices during the first quarter of the year, according to data published yesterday by the appraisal company Tinsa. Specifically, the city of Madrid saw price increases of 17% with respect to the same period last year, followed by the capital of the Balearic Islands (14.7%), Barcelona (11%), Pamplona (10.4%) and Logroño (10%). All of them contributed to an average increase in house prices across the country of 3.8%.

Despite the great motor that Madrid, many tourist areas and certain non-coastal cities represent, where demographic pressure is starting to push prices up again, the positive trend of the market as a whole is being weakened by the diminishing strength of Cataluña following the independence referendum on 1 October 2017. Whilst house prices in the Cataluñan capital rose by 20.6% during the third quarter of last year, that growth had moderated to 14.8% by the end of 2017 and to 11% by the start of this year.

This weakness corresponds to lower investment activity, due in part to a slowdown in tourism, as well as uncertainty, which has caused a delay in certain purchase decisions, such as the time it takes to sell a home (…).

Moreover, it is worth noting that whilst before house prices in Cataluña as a whole rose by 12.5%, now prices in the other three capitals are stagnating or falling, and prices in the region as a whole have slowed to an increase of 7.3%.

This situation is the opposite of what is happening in the Community of Madrid, where the increase in prices in the capital is driving demand out to towns on the outskirts. In this way, prices for the region as a whole are rising with similar strength to those in the city of Madrid (…).

Heterogeneous situation

The increases in the large capitals are not isolated, given that the rises are taking place in the most touristy areas, as well as in those areas where unemployment has decreased significantly. In this way, prices are rising by between 5% and 8% in capitals along the Mediterranean (only Gerona has seen its prices decrease), as well as in Andalucía and the Canary Islands, and in several cities in the Northern third of the peninsula (such as Vitoria, San Sebastián and Burgos); in the case of Sevilla, prices rose by 8.8% in Q1.

Nevertheless, within the real estate market as a whole, there are still many provincial capitals where house prices are falling, such as the case of Ciudad Real (where prices fell by -11.9% in Q1), followed by Cáceres (-9.2%), Guadalajara (-6.3%) and Lérida (-6.2%). Several factors explain those decreases, which are concentrated in the least populated areas and, which, therefore, have little weight on the overall market. Firstly, many of those cities have high levels of unemployment and the majority are experiencing population loss, which relieves pressure on the real estate market (…).

Original story: Expansión (by Pablo Cerezal & Juanma Lamet)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Telefónica to Close & Sell Off 650 Telephone Exchanges between 2018 & 2020

16 March 2018 – Cinco Días

Telefónica is continuing its intense level of activity in the management and disposal of its assets (…). In this way, the telco has recorded an impact on Operating Income Before Depreciation and Amortisation (OIBDA) of gains from the sale properties in Spain of almost €180 million over the last three years. This maximisation in the value of these assets has generated a positive impact on the profitability of the company during a period marked by strong competitive pressure. In other words, these sales have helped to improve the results on firm’s income statement.

According to the company, in the accounts for the last three years, the impact of gains from the sale of properties in Spain exceeded €35 million in 2017 (…), €71 million in 2016 and €73 million in 2015.

In recent times, Telefónica has focused a large part of its real estate activity on adapting its infrastructure to the real needs of the business. In this sense, the most recent drive has been motivated by the process to shut down copper exchanges, accelerated by the migration of clients from that traditional technology to new fibre optic networks, which the company has rolled out right across Spain. With this change, those facilities are no longer necessary for the operations.

And this process is going to continue to the extent that more copper exchanges are closed, in accordance with the company’s plans. Thus, the operation may accelerate the sale of these facilities, which in many cases are located in important buildings in central areas of provincial capitals and other cities.

Overall, Telefónica plans to close 650 copper exchanges in total right across Spain between 2018 and 2020, as part of its program to modernise its infrastructure and shut down the ageing networks, according to explanations provided by the group at the recent presentation of its results for 2017.

For example, the telco has put up for sale the exchange that it owns in Gijón, in the heart of the shopping district of the Asturian city, for a price that could reach €12 million, according to reports in the local press.

In any case, its sales in recent times have affected different types of buildings. According to sources in the sector, in recent years, Telefónica has sold iconic buildings in cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao, Santander, Tarragona and Zaragoza.

Sources in the sector also indicate that the gains (from future sales) may be high given that in many cases the buildings are old, and were acquired or constructed by the company a long time ago.

Amongst other movements in the real estate segment, in 2016, the operator sold several buildings in Madrid, Barcelona, Santander and Zaragoza to Beach Bienes Inmuebles for almost €50 million.

In turn, at the beginning of 2017, Telefónica sold a building in the Argüelles neighbourhood of Madrid to the British real estate group Princeton Investments for almost €25 million (…).

Original story: Cinco Días (by Santiago Millán Alonso)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Idealista: Rental Prices Rose by 18.4% in 2017

4 January 2018 – Eje Prime

The price of rental homes is continuing to rise. The residential rental sector ended 2017 with an average price increase of 18.4%, to reach €9.7/m2/month, according to the latest report from Idealista. The fourth quarter saw a slow down in the rate of growth, given that prices only rose by 3.3%. Barcelona and Cáceres were the only cities where rental prices fell during Q4, by 2.4% and 1%, respectively.

“2017 was undoubtedly the year of the rental market in Spain. Between January and September, the sector grabbed the headlines and was a popular talking point amongst the general public. Prices rose in general across the whole of Spain, although the upward trend was curbed slightly during the final quarter of the year”, according to the research.

It is worth noting that not rental prices did not increase to the same extent in all markets: the Canary and Balearic Islands, together with the Andalucían capitals of Málaga and Sevilla, and the Catalan city of Girona led the price rises. Madrid, which together with Barcelona has traditionally spearheaded the rental market in Spain, saw its prices rise by half the national average. And Barcelona was the only Spanish capital, alongside Cáceres, to end the year with a decrease in rental prices after four years of YoY increases.

In all of the other provincial capitals, rental prices are more expensive today than they were a year ago. Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the capital where rental prices increased by the most in 2017, with a rise of 22.7% to reach €8/m2/month. The increase recorded in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria was also considerable, where rental prices rose by 22.5%, followed by Girona, with an increase of 20.5%.

Original story: Eje Prime

Translation: Carmel Drake

ST: New House Prices Rose By 3.7% YoY In June

3 July 2017 – Expansión

The average price of new homes in Spain’s provincial capitals amounted to €2,156/m2 in June, up by 3.7% compared to the same month last year, which represents the highest increase since 2007, according to the latest report from Sociedad de Tasación.

During the first six months of this year, the rise amounted to 1.7%.

With this average price, a typical home measuring 90 m2 costs around €194,000.

In the other cities included in the report (those that are not provincial capitals), the average price amounted to €1,560/m2, which represents an increase of 0.3% since the end of 2016.

If we analyse house prices on the basis of the population of each city, new home prices rose by 1.2% YoY in cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants that are not provincial capitals.

The rise amounted to 1% in cities with between 50,000 and 100,000 inhabitants; 1.3% in cities/towns with between 25,000 and 50,000 inhabitants; and 0.3% in cities/towns with fewer than 25,000 inhabitants.

According to Sociedad de Tasación, this data shows that the heterogeneity in the market is continuing, as the sector is still developing “at two speeds”.

Barcelona is the most expensive provincial capital, with an average price of €3,631/m2, followed by San Sebastián (€3,353/m2) and Madrid (€3,306/m2).

In the provincial capitals with the highest tourist influx, rental prices are rising at a double-digit pace.

Sociedad de Tasación reiterated its warning about the possibility of that trend having an impact over the medium and long term and generating an increase in the prices of homes and land, as well as in the number of operations.

Sociedad de Tasación’s Real Estate Confidence Index continued its upwards trend, with a rise of 2.1 points during the first half of the year, to 56.6 points.

The index also continued above its neutral position, which is 50 points.

The Real Estate Effort Index, which measures the number of years of full salary that it takes an average citizen to buy a home, increased slightly with respect to the previous quarter to amount to 7.5 years.

Nevertheless, the figure was one tenth lower than the level recorded in June 2016 (7.6 years).

Original story: Expansión

Translation: Carmel Drake