Spanish Property Prices up 5% on Foreign Buying
Since Spain’s real estate bubble burst in 2008 and brought its economy crashing down with it, foreign money has been driving recovery in the nation’s property market.
According to Spain’s Property Registrars , annual price growth in June 2015 showed an annual increase of 5.12%, driving by strong sales to foreign nationals in the country’s prime property markets.
Transaction volumes have also increased, according to the latest ” Spain Real Estate Flash ” published by BBVA Research which notes that 188,432 home purchases were completed in the first six months of the year in Spain, representing an increase of 7.9% over the same period. The Spanish bank reports that increased access to credit together with low interest rates, growth in employment and the improvement of consumer confidence are key factors behind Spain’s property market recovery.
BBVA state in its report that ‘construction activity has shown significant growth, albeit from relatively low levels,’ and the ‘macroeconomic prospects for the second half of the year will continue to contribute to the sector’s recovery’.
The report also highlights the fact that 17% of housing transactions carried out in the first three months of the year in Spain were made by foreigners, saying that ‘the sound health of some of the key economies that generate demand for housing in Spain, such as Germany and the United Kingdom, combined with the depreciation of the euro, continue to be major assets for the Spanish real estate market’.
Increased foreign buyer interest in Spain
Spain’s property registrars report that foreign nationals purchased 12.2% of residential properties in the first quarter of 2015, up from 9% in 2006. The impact of foreign investment in property is most prominent in Spain’s luxury market. Home prices fell more than 35% between 2007 and 2013, according to the country’s statistics bureau, presenting foreign investors with a wealth of opportunities for considerable value growth.
Indeed, areas popular with foreign investors – such as Pedralbes and the Passeig de Grácia in Barcelona and Salamanca and Chamberí in Madrid – have already recovered 20% of value lost since the property market crash in 2008.
Increased foreign buyer interest in Spain is reflected in price growth and now house prices have increased at their fastest rate since the downturn.
The latest rise in price growth means that property prices are now down 29% nationally since the peak of the market, with significant regional variations according to buyer activity. The recovery in the Spanish property market is limited to the most popular areas where houses are in demand such as Madrid, the Balearics, the Canaries, Catalonia and the Valencian Community and is reflected in buoyant local property prices.
The statistics from the Spanish property registrars show that the country’s real estate sector closed the first half of the year with a positive balance and the fundamentals of the economy indicate that this trend will continue in the second half in a context of price stability, according to the BBVA’s report.
Alex Vaughan, co-founder of Lucas Fox, the Barcelona-based luxury estate agent said: ” At the high end – €500k and up – it’s primarily being driven by international demand “. The estate agent sold two-thirds of the units in the luxurious Bonavista development in Barcelona, with 91% of its 126 sales going to foreign buyers.
Over the last two years, the demographic of foreign buyers in Spain has shifted from Europe to the Middle East, Asia and the US. While the depreciation of the euro has attracted non-Europeans, the collapse of the rouble and tighter rules on currency transfers have kept out some Russians and other investors.
American buyers are on the rise, with purchasing power boosted significantly by the dollar’s dominance over other currencies this year, and French buyers, reluctant to expose capital to restrictive taxation policies at home, have been house-hunting in Spain’s property markets more enthusiastically in 2015.
The modest but sustainable recovery of Spain’s economy has resulted in GDP growth of 2.7% over the past year and the nation’s banks have begun to lend again. During the first quarter of 2015, Spanish banks signed nearly a third more mortgages for 27% more capital than during the same period last year, signalling a return of domestic buyers that will underpin price growth nationally in coming years.
Article by +Roxanne James on behalf of Propertyshowrooms.com
Spanish Property Prices up 5% on Foreign Buying
Since Spain’s real estate bubble burst in 2008 and brought its economy crashing down with it, foreign money has been driving recovery in the nation’s property market.
According to Spain’s Property Registrars , annual price growth in June 2015 showed an annual increase of 5.12%, driving by strong sales to foreign nationals in the country’s prime property markets.
Transaction volumes have also increased, according to the latest ” Spain Real Estate Flash ” published by BBVA Research which notes that 188,432 home purchases were completed in the first six months of the year in Spain, representing an increase of 7.9% over the same period. The Spanish bank reports that increased access to credit together with low interest rates, growth in employment and the improvement of consumer confidence are key factors behind Spain’s property market recovery.
BBVA state in its report that ‘construction activity has shown significant growth, albeit from relatively low levels,’ and the ‘macroeconomic prospects for the second half of the year will continue to contribute to the sector’s recovery’.
The report also highlights the fact that 17% of housing transactions carried out in the first three months of the year in Spain were made by foreigners, saying that ‘the sound health of some of the key economies that generate demand for housing in Spain, such as Germany and the United Kingdom, combined with the depreciation of the euro, continue to be major assets for the Spanish real estate market’.
Increased foreign buyer interest in Spain
Spain’s property registrars report that foreign nationals purchased 12.2% of residential properties in the first quarter of 2015, up from 9% in 2006. The impact of foreign investment in property is most prominent in Spain’s luxury market. Home prices fell more than 35% between 2007 and 2013, according to the country’s statistics bureau, presenting foreign investors with a wealth of opportunities for considerable value growth.
Indeed, areas popular with foreign investors – such as Pedralbes and the Passeig de Grácia in Barcelona and Salamanca and Chamberí in Madrid – have already recovered 20% of value lost since the property market crash in 2008.
Increased foreign buyer interest in Spain is reflected in price growth and now house prices have increased at their fastest rate since the downturn.
The latest rise in price growth means that property prices are now down 29% nationally since the peak of the market, with significant regional variations according to buyer activity. The recovery in the Spanish property market is limited to the most popular areas where houses are in demand such as Madrid, the Balearics, the Canaries, Catalonia and the Valencian Community and is reflected in buoyant local property prices.
The statistics from the Spanish property registrars show that the country’s real estate sector closed the first half of the year with a positive balance and the fundamentals of the economy indicate that this trend will continue in the second half in a context of price stability, according to the BBVA’s report.
Alex Vaughan, co-founder of Lucas Fox, the Barcelona-based luxury estate agent said: ” At the high end – €500k and up – it’s primarily being driven by international demand “. The estate agent sold two-thirds of the units in the luxurious Bonavista development in Barcelona, with 91% of its 126 sales going to foreign buyers.
Over the last two years, the demographic of foreign buyers in Spain has shifted from Europe to the Middle East, Asia and the US. While the depreciation of the euro has attracted non-Europeans, the collapse of the rouble and tighter rules on currency transfers have kept out some Russians and other investors.
American buyers are on the rise, with purchasing power boosted significantly by the dollar’s dominance over other currencies this year, and French buyers, reluctant to expose capital to restrictive taxation policies at home, have been house-hunting in Spain’s property markets more enthusiastically in 2015.
The modest but sustainable recovery of Spain’s economy has resulted in GDP growth of 2.7% over the past year and the nation’s banks have begun to lend again. During the first quarter of 2015, Spanish banks signed nearly a third more mortgages for 27% more capital than during the same period last year, signalling a return of domestic buyers that will underpin price growth nationally in coming years.
Article by +Roxanne James on behalf of Propertyshowrooms.com
Scotland’s Rent Controls Could Hinder Buy-to-Let Investment
The Scottish Government is planning to introduce rent controls in ‘pressure areas’ as part of a package of measures announced by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon last week.
The Private Tenancies Bill will offer tenants ” protection against excessive rent rises, while also giving clear rights and safeguards to landlords, ” Sturgeon said, amid concerns the measures are counter-productive to the government’s hopes of attracting institutional investment to deliver large-scale, purpose-build development.
Gerry More, who was appointed last October by construction trade body Homes for Scotland, to help drive investment into the private rented sector (PRS) said: ” Whilst a simpler, streamlined and fairer tenancy system is welcome, this should not be to the detriment of building the high quality and professionally-managed homes in the private rented sector that are required to help meet demand. “
” I am therefore concerned that this move could prove counter-productive since these pressurised areas are exactly where investment to increase the supply and quality of PRS properties is needed most. “
Gerry More’s comments were echoed by Pete Chambers, property partner at law firm Burness Paull, who said over-regulation of the sector could have a negative effect by scaring away the long-term investors that the government hopes to attract.
Chambers said: ” We are seeing a lot of UK funds and property companies looking at PRS in Scotland . Anything that makes investment less attractive in Scotland versus the rest of the UK could negatively impact upon the likelihood of these parties investing. This could result in reduced provision of rental property, which in turn could exasperate the housing shortage and push up rents – the very thing the legislation is designed to protect against. “
There are around 330,000 properties in Scotland’s private rented sector, of which an estimated 80,000 are occupied by families, according to campaign group PRS 4 Scotland. Another 14,000 are ‘houses in multiple occupation’ providing accommodation for around 60,000 people, while 130,000 are rented by couples or individuals.
An estimated 465,000 new homes are required by 2035 to meet demand but the Scottish Property Federation warned that rent controls could ‘sound the death knell’ for investment in the build-to-rent market.
David Melhuish, the trade association’s director said: ” If the Scottish Government wants to increase housing supply, then the introduction of rent controls is not the way to do it. We should be doing everything we can to encourage investment rather than regulate this sector before it has had a chance to take root. “
According to a government spokesman, investors have nothing to fear from the proposed legislation. A spokesman commented: ” Our aim is to provide good quality homes and protection for hundreds of thousands of families, modernising the private rented sector to make it more professionally managed and better regulated for those who want to live, work and invest in it. “
” We want to see supply grow to meet demand – this is the sustainable, long-term solution to addressing housing affordability. That’s why we are investing £1.7bn in affordable housing and will now exceed our target of delivering 30,000 homes by 2016, including 18,600 homes for social rent. “
The proportion of people living in the PRS in Scotland has doubled over the past 10 years, according to official statistics. Figures from the Scottish Household Survey , published in August show that 14% of Scotland’s 2.2 million households were renting privately in 2014, compared with 7% in 2004.
The percentage of people living in social housing declined from 32% in 1999 to 23% in 2007. The social sector has remained at around 23% of all Scotland’s households since then, and was 24% in 2014, according to the statistics. The percentage of people who own their own homes also declined from 66% in 2005 to 60% in 2014, although the proportion of households owning outright increased from 22% in 1999 to 30% in 2007, and has remained the same since.
Article by +Roxanne James on behalf of Propertyshowrooms.com
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