Tag: Spanish investors

Lar & Pimco Sell A Luxury Home In Lagasca 99 For €16,000/m2

15 December 2016 – El Confidencial

They have exceeded all expectations and broken a new record in the luxury residential market in Madrid. The Socimi Lar España and the US fund manager Pimco, which jointly own (50% each) the most exclusive housing project in the capital, Lagasca 99 (previously known as Juan Bravo 3), have already sold half of the 42 super-luxury homes that make up the development, where the average sales price stands at around €10,000/m2.

But that is not the most interesting part of the story. One of the homes, measuring 800 m2 (one of the largest in the development) has been sold for around €16,000/m2, bringing its final sales price to around €13 million, including the price of the parking spaces (four or five), according to sources close to the project.

Moreover, these same sources also confirm that the project has just received the green light from the Town Hall of Madrid for the last urban planning licence necessary, not only for the definitive launch of the project, but also so that the sales of the homes can be formalised. Until now, only reservations have been accepted.

The price of €16,000/m2 undoubtedly breaks all records in the high standing market in the capital, where, until a few weeks ago, a 600 m2 penthouse on Calle Serrano 7 boasted the honour of being the most expensive multi-family home ever sold in the heart of Madrid. It was sold for €9 million, equivalent to €15,000/m2.

The transaction signed now at Lagasca 99 has even exceeded Pimco and Lar’s initial expectations, given that they had fixed a price range of between €10,000/m2 and €14,000/m2 for the properties. (…).

The identify of the purchaser has not been revealed and the utmost secrecy is being maintained. Nevertheless, several sources indicate that the buyers of Lagasca 99 include some very wealthy Latin American and Spanish investors, primarily from outside of Madrid.

The homes will be ready in 2018

The plot of land on which this exclusive development, designed by the architect Rafael de la Hoz, is going to be constructed, was sold to Lar España and Pimco at the beginning of 2015, when the two companies joined forces to purchase Eurosazor. The property developer was previously owned by Rafael Ortiz and the businessman Fernando Fernández Tapias, and owned a 26,023m2 plot of land on Juan Bravo 3 and a 5,328 m2 plot of land on Claudio Coello 108. Lar and Pimco paid €120 million for the business and since then, this asset has appreciated in value by more than 10% – the building on Claudio Coello was sold to the German firm Patrizia Inmobilien for €22 million. (…).

The homes are expected to be finished during the first quarter of 2018.

Luxury homes gain momentum

The luxury residential market in Madrid is enjoying a real boom. At the beginning of October, the homes on José Abascal 48 went on sale, with the first luxury properties now ready for their owners to move in. The building contains 17 homes measuring between 100 m2 and 400 m2, whose prices range between €6,000/2 and just over €10,000/m2. But there are also several important renovation projects being carried out right in the heart of the capital, such as on Príncipe de Vergara 11, Recoletos 13 and 8, Salustiano Olózaga 12 and Lagasca 19. (…).

Original story: El Confidencial (by E. Sanz)

Translation: Carmel Drake

JLL: Hotel Investment Exceeded €2,650M In 2015

12 January 2016 – Expansión

2015 was a record year for investment in the hotel sector, driven primarily by Spanish buyers. The Canary Islands and Madrid were the stars in terms of location. Last year, 143 hotels were sold in Spain worth €2,650 million, which represents an increase of 65.6% compared with 2006, the previous record-breaking year; and more than double the investment volume recorded in 2014 – €1,180 million.

Spain was the third most popular European country for investors, behind the UK and Germany, according to a report by the consultancy firm JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group. And Spanish investors returned to the spotlight, thanks to the improvement in the domestic economy. In 2015, 74% of total investment was made by domestic buyers, compared with 58% a year earlier.

In this regard, the Socimis were the great discovery of the year. Merlin and Hispania, the two largest Socimis by market capitalisation, spent €965 million on hotels, whereby accounting for 36.4% of the total volume invested in Spain.

In terms of Spanish investors, the Socimis and investment funds were followed by Spain’s hotel chains, which accounted for 13.5% of total investment. The Catalan hotel chains H10 and Hotusa were the most active in 2015. They were followed by private investors, such as family offices, which accounted for 8.9%.

In the meantime, overseas investors accounted for 26% of total investment in Spain, with buyers from France being the most active – Accor’s acquisition of four Novotel hotels was a key deal – behind those from Germany – IFA paid €48 million for two properties in the Canary Islands – and Hong Kong – Mandarin purchased the Ritz in Madrid, together with the Saudi group Olayan-.

By type of investor, the funds increased their weight significantly during the year, specifically, up from 30.4% to 53.6% of the total. Hotel groups and private investors lost steam, in contrast to the real estate companies, which recorded a slight rise.

The Canary Islands accounted for 29.6% of total investment, benefiting from the upturn that Spain’s tourism industry is experiencing at the moment due to (political) instability in other competing countries in the Mediterranean. 31 hotels were sold there in total, primarily as a result of the partnership between Meliá and Starwood Capital, as well as due to the creation of Bay, the first pure hotel Socimi, by Barceló and Hispania.

Recovery

Madrid was the second most popular destination, accounting for 23.5% of total investment. The price paid for the Ritz hotel – €778,000 per room – was the highest recorded in Spain. Half of the operations involved five-star hotels and 43% involved four-star hotels.

Occupancy rates have improved in the Spanish capital, but the average price there continues to fall below its pre-crisis levels.

In the Balearic Islands, hotels worth more than €445 million were sold – 16.8% of the total – , above Barcelona, where 14 transactions worth €340 million were signed – accounting for 14% – above all, involving four-star properties. Despite the moratorium imposed by the mayoress Ada Colau, the Catalan city is the country’s leader in terms of profitability and the outlook there is positive.

Another trend in 2015 was the sale of hotel portfolios. 78 of the 143 hotels that changed hands belonged to a larger batch. This year, more operations of this type are expected, albeit smaller in value; and overseas Socimis and investors are expected to play a more active role. According to JLL, investment in 2016 could reach similar levels to those seen last year.

Original story: Expansión (by Yovanna Blanco)

Translation: Carmel Drake