Tag: VBARE

Malaga, or How the Sun is Shining Again on the Costa del Sol

14 August 2018

With sales and prices in rapid ascent, the real estate sector is firmly committed to continuing the recovery of the property market in the Andalusian city.

The sixth largest city in Spain, with 569,002 inhabitants in 2017, Malaga is the Andalusian city where housing prices have increased the most in the first quarter of this year, according to data from Urban Data Analytics, with a year-on-year increase of 19.4%. According to data from the Ministry of Development, valuation prices rose by 10.8% to 1,506.8 euros per square meter. The increase was also substantial compared to the fourth quarter of 2017 when the square meter in Malaga was priced at 1,440.40 euros per square meter.

The recovery of the residential property market in the city on Spain’s Costa del Sol can be largely explained by the rapid pace of acquisitions, which are being carried out by domestic and international buyers, and which have steadily increased in recent years. While there were around 3,150 transactions in 2013, there were close to 5,000 in 2015 and over 7,000 in 2017.

Also, compared to the token level of new construction in other Spanish cities, new developments in Malaga have been substantial. Just in the first quarter of 2018, 242 purchases of new homes were finalised in the city, equivalent to 12.3% of the total.

In its report, Vision 2018: the Real Estate Market in Malaga, the consultancy Savills Aguirre Newman notes that the market’s strength in the city will cause the Costa del Sol to reach record sales for the year, adding that Malaga has positioned itself as the main power in Andalusia, even ahead of the capital, Sevilla.

Thus, the consultancy stresses that construction began on 5,236 homes in the Andalusian city, compared to the 2,980 in the capital. As for deliveries, Malaga finished a thousand more homes than Sevilla: 2,580 finished units compared to Sevilla’s 1,511.

Projects underway in Málaga

Faced with this data, operators such as VBare, Inbisa and Quabit have already finalised operations in the city, which also stands out for the demand for land for logistics platforms, large commercial projects and student residences.

In April, Quabit stated that it owns 200,000 square meters of land in the province of Malaga for the construction of 1,700 homes, equivalent to 20% of the developer’s portfolio of land. For its part, VBare completed the acquisition of 14 homes in the city in June for 1.35 million euros for placement on the rental market, for which it expects a profitability of approximately 5.1%. Gilmar, a real estate agency, also chose Malaga’s city centre as the site of its 32nd office.

With the presence of 40,087 companies, of which 87.1% are in the service sector, Malaga’s office market has also once again taken off. Another report by Savills Aguirre Newman places the occupancy rate of offices in the city’s prime area at 90%. Rents are also increasing, reaching 18 euros per square meter in the central street Larios. According to the consultancy, the trend will continue in 2018, which will cause buildings that have been unoccupied for nearly a decade to be taken up. The demand for land for logistics platforms is also increasing in the city, particularly for areas exceeding 5,000 square meters, which are rare.

On the commercial side, one of the larger projects underway is the Designer Outlet Centre, which Sonae Sierra and McArthurGlen have added to the Plaza Mayor shopping centre, with an additional 85,198 square meters (added to the rest of the existing complex), housing a total of 107 stores.

Also, the new wave of student residences has also reached the Andalusian city. Syllabus, a subsidiary of Urbania, will build a new student residence in the historic centre of Malaga in a ten million euro investment. The new development will have 143 rooms and an area of 4,600 square meters and will be ready by 2020.

Lastly, in June, the Malaga City Council approved a project for a luxury macro hotel in the city’s port. The hotel will be a 150-meter-high, 45,000-square-meter building that will be developed by the Qatari investor Abdullah Al Darwish. The building, which will involve an investment of 116 million euros and will be located in the Dique de Levante, will begin construction in 2020 and will be inaugurated three years later.

Original Story: EjePrime – C. De Angelis

Translation: Richard Turner

 

Just Four Socimis Own Almost 20,000 Rental Homes in Spain

22 July 2018 – El Diario

The debates over rental housing, rising prices and the risk of a new real estate bubble are all continuing to rage. Whilst Pedro Sánchez’s government has started to outline its new policy to avoid a hike in prices, investors are not letting up in their frenzy to take positions in the sector. Proof of that is the continuous trickle of new listed Socimis specialising in the residential rental sector.

One of the latest entities to hit the headlines in this regard is Testa Residencial, whose General Shareholders’ Meeting approved its debut on the Alternative Investment Market (MAB) this week. That secondary market, specialising in Socimis and companies with smaller market capitalisations, will have 19 companies that either specialise in housing or own a significant portfolio of rental homes. Together they own a volume of assets that now comprise almost 24,000 homes, with a combined value of just over €4.1 billion.

Specifically, Testa is going to make its debut on the MAB as the largest rental home real estate company on the secondary market. Following its most recent operations, the Socimi now has 10,573 homes. The entity is owned by BBVA, Santander and Merlin, amongst other shareholders. It is followed, in terms of the number of assets owned, by Albirana, Fidere and Torbel, the three residential Socimis owned by the vulture fund Blackstone, which together own more than 9,300 homes.

Those four companies alone own almost 20,000 rental homes, according to data registered by the companies themselves in their issue brochures or annual accounts. That figure coincides with the plan outlined by the Minister for Development, José Luis Ábalos, which includes the creation by the Government of a stock of public housing for rent over the next four to six years.

Another of the most important Socimis in this field is Témpore, a subsidiary of the bad bank, Sareb, in which the company that owns the toxic assets of the rescued savings banks has placed some of its best homes and which made its stock market debut in March. It owns almost 1,400 homes and announced recently that it will be increasing its portfolio with new assets from Sareb.

Madrid is the province that is home to the most homes owned by the almost twenty Socimis that are listed on the MAB, accounting for 47% of the total (…). It is followed by the province of Barcelona, with 22%, and to a lesser extent, Valencia, with just over 4%. Together, those three provinces account for almost three-quarters of the assets owned by those entities.

Rising yields

The real estate consultancy firm JLL justifies this interest from the Socimis in rental housing by the significant returns that they generate. According to that firm, over the last year, rental homes generated a yield of 11.4%, compared with 10-year public bonds, for example, which generated a return of 1.6%. “Our forecasts indicate that yields will grow by 6.1% over the next three years”, they add, although they highlight that there are differences by region.

JLL specifies that the market is “highly fragmented” despite the “profound transformation” that is happening in the rental housing sector due to the development of Socimis and the arrival of institutional investors. The consultancy firm points out that these types of real estate investors are faced with the limitation of a shortage of entire buildings available for rent, a model that they prefer because it allows for a more efficient management. For that reason, they say that investors such as Testa and Azora are looking to grow their portfolios by building new rental homes in collaboration with property developers and construction companies.

Another noteworthy point about this growth in the number of Socimis dedicated to rental housing is the ownership of the companies. Almost half of the real estate companies that are listed on the MAB, eight to be precise, are controlled by companies that have their headquarters in Luxembourg. Such is the case of Albirana, Elaia, Elix Vintage, Fidere, Hadley, and Torbel, a company that is also indirectly controlled from the Cayman Islands. Another of the companies is located in The Netherlands (Barcino) and two others, Galil and VBare, are linked to Israeli investors (…).

Original story: El Diario (by Diego Larrouy)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Vbare Acquires 14 Homes in Málaga for €1.35M

28 June 2018 – Eje Prime

Vbare is branching out of the Spanish capital. The Socimi has made the leap to Málaga with the acquisition of a block of residential assets for €1.35 million. This operation forms part of the company’s growth plans after it carried out a €3.2 million capital increase in June.

According to a statement filed by Vbare with the Alternative Investment Market (MAB), this week, the company has signed the acquisition of a batch of fourteen homes on Calle Eugenio Gross in Málaga. The operation, which has been financed using the company’s available cash, was initiated in May when the company signed the deposit agreement.

Twelve of the homes acquired are leased and the remainder are vacant, “but in optimal conditions for their immediate rental”, according to the company. Vbare estimates a return of approximately 5.1% once the building has been fully let at market rents.

So far this year, Vbare has carried out five operations in the residential and commercial sectors. The Socimi ended the first quarter of the year with 210 assets under management and has set itself the objective of expanding its portfolio to include up to 261 residential units under management.

VBare is a real estate investment vehicle specialising in the acquisition and management of residential assets for their rental. The company was constituted in March 2015, is chaired by Fernando Acuña and led by Fabrizio Agrimi (pictured above) as the Director General.

Original story: Eje Prime

Translation: Carmel Drake

Socimi VBare Enters Málaga, Expands in Madrid & Increases its Share Capital by €3.2M

13 June 2018 – Eje Prime

VBare is embarking on a new phase and is branching out beyond Madrid. The Socimi is finalising the purchase of its first assets outside of the Spanish capital, in Málaga, and is continuing to expand its portfolio in Madrid, according to explanations provided by Fabrizio Agrimi, Director General of VBare, speaking to Eje Prime. Moreover, last week, the group closed a capital increase through which it raised €3.2 million to finance new purchases.

The Socimi, which ended the first quarter of the year with 210 assets under management, has set itself the objective of expanding its portfolio to include 261 residential units under management. To this end, the company is on the verge of signing the purchase of two assets, one in Málaga, which will be VBare’s first venture outside of Madrid, and the other in the Spanish capital.

“We hope that the asset in Málaga will be incorporated into our portfolio before the end of June”, says Agrimi. The asset is situated “in a central location” and comprises fourteen residential units. VBare is going to pay around €1.5 million for the asset, including the cost of the renovation that it will undertake before putting it on the market.

The second property is located in the centre of Madrid, and although sources at the Socimi are not able to provide many details about that acquisition, they say that it will comprise around 35 units located “in the city centre”. Currently, 91% of VBare’s portfolio is occupied and “if it weren’t for the renovation projects underway, the occupancy rate would be 95%”, according to the director.

In order to undertake all of these purchases, VBare recently completed a capital increase that could have amounted to €14 million, as disclosed by Eje Prime, but which ended up raising €3.2 million, with the sale of 240,457 new shares.

“It will not be long before we carry out another capital increase given that, due to the timings, several shareholders, possible investors close to the Socimi and other new players missed out on the opportunity to contribute capital this time around”, explains Agrimi (…).

With that capital increase now completed, VBare is going to study the acquisition of “whole buildings, portfolios of dispersed assets and portfolios of assets in single complexes, with the aim of maintaining a balanced portfolio to avoid concentration risks, and obtaining a competitive advantage over the other players in the market consistent with the identification of opportunities with little competition and at below market prices”.

Moreover, the company’s route map includes acquiring assets with a net direct yield of “no less than 4%, as well as properties for which we can obtain an acquisition price with an average discount on the market value of no less than 10%”.

In March, the company acquired a package of assets comprising twelve homes and a commercial premise at number 5 Calle Concordia in the Madrilenian town of Móstoles, according to a statement filed by with group with the Alternative Investment Market (MAB).

Of the twelve homes that it acquired from the Eureka business group, five have tenants and the others are “in optimal conditions for their immediate rental”. The net yield of these assets is estimated to amount to 5.9% once they reach fully occupancy.

VBare is a real estate investment vehicle specialising in the acquisition and management of residential assets for rent. The company was constituted in March 2015 with the aim of generating high returns for its shareholders through the implementation of a value-added strategy and to take advantage of opportunities in the Spanish residential market, which is showing clear signs of recovery.

Original story: Eje Prime (by C. Pareja)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Socimi Vbare Hires Former PwC Director as its New CFO

7 May 2018 – Eje Prime

Vbare is strengthening its leadership team. The Socimi has recruited Alberto García, former director of the audit firm PwC, as its new CFO, according to a statement issued by the group.

García de Novales has extensive experience in the real estate sector given that, as well as having performed financial audits of companies in the sector for many years, he has also formed part of the finance team at the Socimi Autonomy Spain Real Estate since September 2015.

Prior to his incorporation into that company and since the beginning of his professional career, in 2009, García de Novales was a member of PwC’s audit division in the construction and real estate sector, working in both the Madrid and Luxembourg offices.

In recent months, Vbare has carried out a capital increase amounting to €7 million and in 2017 it recorded profits of €2.2 million. Vbare is currently immersed in a new capital increase process with the aim of expanding its existing portfolio in the future.

Original story: Eje Prime 

Translation: Carmel Drake

Investors Increase their Commitment to Rental Housing

3 May 2018 – Expansión

The boom in the residential market, the changing habits in society, the difficulties involved in accessing housing and the increase in mobility have all led to a rebound in the residential rental market in Spain. According to the latest data from Eurostat, more than 22% of Spanish households live in rented properties, although that figure is still well behind the average for the European Union (34%).

In addition, the State Housing Plan, which seeks to encourage rental amongst the younger generation, and the greater professionalisation of the sector, is going to serve to further boost the rental market in Spain.

The change in trend, as well as the increase in residential rental yields, has compelled investors to analyse this business as an alternative to other real estate assets such as offices, shopping centres and hotels.

To lead this market, certain players have redoubled their commitment to rental housing, such as the case of Testa Residencial – the Socimi in which Santander, BBVA, Acciona and Merlin hold stakes – which owns almost 9,300 residential rental properties, with a gross value of €2.275 billion and annual rental income of €72.2 million.

Stock market debuts

That Socimi is preparing its leap onto the market, which will be carried out through an offer of its existing shares (OPV) and an issue of new shares (OPS) aimed exclusively at qualified investors.

One of the first players to back this business was Blackstone, which purchased 18 residential developments, containing 1,860 homes in total, in the Madrilenian neighbourhoods of Carabanchel, Centro, Villa de Vallecas and Villaverde from the Municipal Housing and Land Company of Madrid (EMVS) in July 2013. In 2015, the fund debuted its Socimi Fidere on the MAB (Alternative Investment Market) with 2,688 social housing properties, including those acquired from the EMVS two years earlier. Currently, Fidere owns around 6,400 homes for rent.

The fund also debuted Albirana on the MAB in March 2017 with a portfolio of 5,000 rental homes proceeding from Catalunya Banc loans. Another star of the real estate sector that has detected an opportunity in the rental sector to offload its assets is the Company for the Management of Assets proceeding from the Restructuring of the Banking System (Sareb) with Témpore Properties. That Socimi debuted on the MAB in April with a portfolio of 1,553 residential units, which have a gross value of €175 million.

Another player is Vivenio Residencial, the investment vehicle created by the Dutch pension fund APG together with Renta Corporación. Vivenio has invested around €200 million in the purchase of properties and now owns more than 1,000 rental homes. The Socimi plans to debut on the stock market in 2019.

According to data from Armabex, in 2017, five new Socimis debuted on the stock market with residential assets in their portfolio. In total, at the end of last year, 16 Socimis held rental homes in their portfolios, including, in addition to Fidere and Albirana, Vitruvio, VBare, Colón Vivienda and Domo.

In addition to the listed Socimis, other players in the sector include the real estate managers. One of the largest by volume of assets under management is Anticipa Real Estate, owned by Blackstone. Anticipa currently manages 12,000 homes proceeding from banks acquired by the fund during the crisis. Anticipa manages Albirana’s homes, amongst others.

Another star in the rental home manager sector in Spain is Azzam Vivienda – a subsidiary of Azora – which has more than 11,000 homes under management distributed across 140 buildings.

Azora, which will make its debut on the Madrid stock market on 11 May, plans to raise up to €500 million from its stock market debut to co-invest with its partners in various assets, including in the residential sector.

New players

The company founded by Concha Osácar and Fernando Gumuzio in 2003, was managing €1.5 billion in residential assets at the end of last year, which represented 33.4% of its total portfolio. It plans to increase its footprint in the sector to have between €1.3 billion and €1.6 billion under management by 2022 in homes, accommodation for the elderly and assets relating to healthcare.

Despite the increasing prominence of the rental sector, the business is still very fragmented and one of the challenges for the sector is to gain scale in order to compete. Juan Manuel Acosta, CEO of Greystar in Spain, said in an interview with Expansión in February that the US real estate investment firm is looking for opportunities to become one of the largest operators in the residential rental market in Spain.

Original story: Expansión (by Rebeca Arroyo)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Residential Rental Specialist VBare Launches €14.1M Capital Increase

4 April 2018 – Eje Prime

VBare is pushing ahead with its business plan and is continuing to put together its perfect portfolio of assets. The company, which specialises in the acquisition of residential buildings, has launched a €14.1 million capital increase through which it is hoping to acquire new properties in the main cities in which it operates, according to sources at the real estate group speaking to Eje Prime.

“On 23 March, the company’s Board of Directors approved an increase in the share capital up to a maximum of €5,310,465.00, with the aim of continuing with its growth and investment acquisition strategy, as set out in its business plan, through the issue of a maximum of 1,062,093 ordinary shares”, explain company sources.

VBare’s new shares will be issued with a nominal value of €5 plus an issue premium of €8.30 per share, resulting in an issue price of €13.30 per share. “The total amount of the capital increase, in the event that it is subscribed in its entirety, will amount to €14,125,836.90, in other words, €5,310,465.00 as share capital and €8,815,371.90 as the issue premium”, they add.

The funds obtained through the capital increase will be used to equip the company with the capital resources necessary to continue with its expansion and growth strategy, “through the acquisition of identified real estate assets that fulfil the criteria established in the strategic guidelines, as well as allowing it access to external sources of financing with the aim of achieving the target returns”, say sources at the Socimi.

The products that the Socimi is going to consider acquiring once it has completed this capital increase include “entire buildings, portfolios of (geographically) scattered assets and portfolios of assets in the same complex, with the aim of maintaining a balanced portfolio to avoid concentration risks, and to obtain a competitive advantage over other players in the market, involving the identification of opportunities with limited competition and the achievement of below market prices”.

Moreover, the company’s roadmap involves acquiring assets with a net direct asset yield of “no less than 4%, as well as properties that it can acquire for an average discount over the market value of no less than 10% overall”.

In March, the company acquired a package of assets comprising 12 homes and a commercial property at number 5, Calle Concordia in the Madrilenian town of Móstoles, according to a report submitted by the group to the Alternative Investment Market (MAB).

Of the twelve homes that it acquired from the Eureka business group, five of them have tenants and the others are “in optimal conditions to be let out immediately”. The net yield on these assets is estimated to amount to 5.9% when they are fully occupied.

“VBare’s objectives for 2018, which it presented together with its results for last year, include, not only to generate returns from its assets when the portfolio is fully operational, but also to make investments in other cities, besides Madrid, wherever the firm expects a potential increase in rents in the short-medium term”, explain sources at the group.

VBare is a real estate investment vehicle specialising in the acquisition and management of residential assets for rent. The company was constituted in March 2015 (…) and currently manages a portfolio of 197 assets. To date, the company has analysed assets worth more than €500 million and it is constantly on the lookout for new business opportunities within the scope of its investment policy.

Original story: Eje Prime (by C. Pareja)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Vbare Doubled its Rental Income & Recorded Profits of €2.2M in 2017

26 February 2018 – Eje Prime

Vbare is making profits from its investment in rental assets. Taking advantage of the boom in that market, the Socimi listed on the Alternative Investment Market (MAB) recorded a profit of €2.2 million in 2017, compared to €4.3 million in 2016. Almost half of the amount the company earned last year came from rental income, which amounted to €1 million, up by 122% with respect to 2016.

Vbare’s portfolio, comprising 197 assets, has an occupancy rate of 88.82% and last year saw an average capital appreciation of 61% and returns of more than 6%. At the end of 2017, the valuation of the management company’s portfolio amounted to €28.5 million.

In 2018, the Socimi plans to start investing the money raised over the last few months. After increasing its capital by €7 million in August, the company has started the year by signing a loan for almost €1 million with Sabadell for new acquisitions, as well as a mortgage amounting to €685,000 secured by fifteen of its real estate assets in Madrid.

In this sense, Vbare is finalising the acquisition of an asset worth between €1 million and €1.5 million, a purchase that will be included in the process to identify opportunities in which the Socimi is immersed. The list of potential investments amounts to more than €75 million.

Moreover, the manager wants to branch out of Madrid, with the purchase of assets in other Spanish cities that have “the potential for rental increases in the short and medium term”, according to a statement issued by the Socimi.

Fabrizio Agrimi is the person who will lead roadmap of Vbare, which made its debut on the MAB in December 2016. The executive has headed up the Socimi since last November, following the departure of David Calzada in June. Formerly at Aguirre Newman and a partner at Altan Capital, Agrimi has extensive experience in the business of real estate investments both in the Spanish market as well as in the United Kingdom and Italy.

Original story: Eje Prime 

Translation: Carmel Drake

VBARE Secures an Additional €1.5M to Finance New Investments

2 February 2018 – Press Release

The Socimi has signed three mortgage loans to finance its on-going investments in Madrid, as well as in Spain’s main capitals. 

VBARE Iberian Properties Socimi (VBARE) has raised financing for its next round of investments after signing three mortgage loans amounting to almost €1.5 million (€1,491,786.69) in total and secured by some of the company’s assets in Madrid.

The first loan, from Banco de Crédito Cooperativo, dated 29 January, is secured by 15 assets located in different parts of Madrid and amounts to €675,786.69. The other two have been signed with Banco Sabadell and are secured by two other buildings, also located in Madrid, for a combined sum of €816,000.

According to VBARE’s Director General, Fabrizio Agrimi (pictured above), the Socimi finds itself in a time of great investor appetite, “we are analysing several investment opportunities, not only in Madrid but also in the main Spanish cities”.

Achieving an initial net return of at least 4% without leverage and a discount on the acquisition price of 4% over the market value are the criteria that the Socimi has established in its investment strategy for new assets.

VBARE is a real estate investment vehicle specialising in the acquisition and management of residential assets for rental. It operates under the special Socimi regime and has been listed on the MAB since 23 December 2016 (…).

VBARE currently has a portfolio comprising 197 assets. To date, the company has analysed assets worth more than €500 million and is constantly on the lookout for new business opportunities that fit with its investment policy.

Original story: Press Release

Translation: Carmel Drake

VBARE Appoints Fabrizio Agrimi As New CEO

20 November 2017 -Revista Centros Comerciales

On Monday, VBARE Iberian Properties Socimi (VBARE) announced the appointment of Fabrizio Agrimi (pictured below) as the new CEO of the Socimi. Agrimi is a grand connoisseur of the real estate sector and has extensive experience in investments, mergers and acquisitions, not only in Spain but also in the United Kingdom and Italy. He has worked for a number of high profile international companies and until May 2017 he was Managing Director and Partner at Altan Capital.

Prior to joining Altan Capital in 2007, Fabrizio Agrimi formed part of the Investments Department at Aguirre Newman (2004-2006), where he participated in the acquisition, management and sale of numerous real estate assets. Prior to that, he worked in Milan and London for the law firm Vita Samory, Fabrini e Associati (now part of Orrick) where he was a member of the M&A, Private Equity and Financial Services teams.

Fabrizio Agrimi holds an MBA from the ESADE business school (Barcelona) and a degree in Law from the University of Trento. Whilst at university, Fabrizio completed two international internships at the law firm Sebastià Roca i Associats (now part of Roca Junyent) in Barcelona and at the European Parliament in Luxembourg.

With this addition, VBARE strengthens its team and consolidates its base for growth. VBARE recently presented its results for the first nine months of the year, during which time it generated a profit of €2,177,000, resulting primarily from the appreciation in value of its real estate portfolio. Revenues from rental income amounted to €781,000, which represented an increase of 188% with respect to the same period last year. The total value of VBARE’s property portfolio amounts to €28.2 million, up by 17% compared to the end of 2016.

Original story: Revista Centros Comerciales

Translation: Carmel Drake