Saturday 23 April 2016

Spanish Properties Selling At Fastest Rate For Five Years


Spanish Properties Selling At Fastest Rate For Five Years


Spain’s property market seems to be recovering, as evidenced by the 401,000 homes sold last year. These sales provided Spain with the most houses sold in a single year since 2010 and saw a growth in sales of just under 10% over last year.

Spain is back and properties are moving again
The Ministry of Development released figures last week showing that 401,281 transactions occurred last year. A huge 114,000 of those happened in the fourth and final quarter. This great performance at the end of the year suggests that the Spanish property sales should continue in to 2016 and lead to higher sales figures this year.

While this 400,000 figure isn’t as high as the peak that happened in 2006 when one million homes were sold, it’s still a good, strong step in the right direction. These figures are also more sustainable than the 2006 figures and represent the market returning to a good place.

Outside of the political uncertainty that Spain is going through there are still plenty of signs that this growth in the property market will continue in to 2016. Half of all the homes sold in 2006 were second-hand. During the last quarter of 2015 almost 88% of homes sold in Spain were resale property, showing that the property market is moving rather than being pushed by the construction boom.

There is still too much supply in Spain for property right now even after the period of 2007-2010 when most of the construction sites in Spain remained inactive. While this does suggest that there might be some unsellable new properties in the market, the demand for second hand home is as stable as the supply.

This does show that the property market is becoming healthier. Current signs show that the prices are set to steadily rise with interest growing at a sustained rate.

So the future for the Costa del Sol and why to buy property in Spain looks bright. Contact us today for all our latest offeres!



Friday 22 April 2016

Marbella Gets a New App to Connect Tourists


Marbella Gets a New App to Connect Tourists

Marbella took their first steps to become a more connected and “smart” city back in 2013. The people behind the plan wished to keep Marbella in the “now”. It can be thought of as a new type of destination for tourists in Marbella and southern Spain in general.

Spain is currently the third largest tourist destination, placing behind France and the US. They have seen record numbers of foreign visitors for the past three years now and it looks like 2016 will see another record broken.

Marbella is still one of the most popular tourist destinations for people looking to go to the Costa del Sol for some fun in the sun. It’s also popular with people who want to take in Spanish life. Marbella hasn’t gotten lazy though. The tourist board there take every step they can to keep up with technology and the demands of tourists. When you visit Marbella you’re going to find yourself in a “smart city”. Business owners and residents alike should expect things to run a little smoother thanks to improvements on the infrastructure, as well as more transparent improvements to public services.

Businesses are definitely feeling more confident about the future. The Marbella property market was one of the few markets around the world that managed to stay consistent even during the recent economic problems Spain felt. Andalucía property for sale is now recovering and becoming a hub for tourism once more. This increase in tourism is expected to lead to an increase of foreign investors looking to purchase property along the Costa del Sol. Many tourists find it very difficult to resist purchasing a beachfront villa of their own when they see the lower real estate prices. They also find it hard to resist the lovely golf apartments for sale in the Costa del Sol.

Marbella is a definitely embracing the digital era in 2016. This should lead to more wealth and employment opportunities. One aspect of this digital plan is to build up confidence with the public. Part of this is to help businesses with the digital aspects of being a company of today.

The Marbella Smart City scheme as it’s being called is designed to help Marbella, and Spain in general, stay ahead of the trends in technology. This means improving the technology of the city and staying connected. Another piece of the plan is an initiative to create “smart tourist destinations”. In fact it was announced just last week that SEGITTUR and the Spanish Chamber of Commerce created and launched a tourist guide app.

Marbella is looking to introduce a tourist app this year. It will act as a tour guide for the city and features 224 user-friendly applications for a smartwatch. The Ministry of Industry and Energy and Tourism came together to create this initiative. The app will show recommendations for tourists including different cultural buildings and the hotspots of the city.

When people are making their way through Marbella they may come across QR codes. Scanning one of these codes will give them information no matter the time of day. The aim of the Smart City initiative is to create a safer environment and to make visiting the city a more fun experience for all involved.

A spokesman from Segittur described their tourist app as a cutting edge idea that could really help develop tourism. Everyone has the chance to access it and because it helps visitors interact with the environment around them, it makes their stay more enjoyable.

The Marbella property market is also on the rise as more foreign investors are becoming interested in the Costa del Sol. The potential of the southern Spain property market really speaks for itself. The economy is already recovering in southern Spain as more jobs are opened up. Costa del Sol can only improve thanks to the rise in tourism.


Thursday 21 April 2016

Spanish Property Prices Set to Rise By 6.3% in 2016


Spanish Property Prices Set to Rise By 6.3% in 2016


Do you like the idea of living and buying a luxury home in the Costa del Sol and having the right to reside in Spain? The Golden Visa definitely appeals to many.

Whether you’re buying as an investment or to live there yourself, the Spanish property market is becoming more appealing these days.

There has been new analysis done by Spain’s Caixa bank’s property division. They found that some areas of Spain could see a property price spike of up to 6.3%.

Now is the time to buy property in Spain
In the beginning of 2015 the trend of falling house prices finally stopped. As a result house prices are set to begin rising this year. Caixa believes that house prices will increase most in the popular areas of the country such as Costa del Sol, Barcelona, Madrid and the Balearics are also set to see big house price rises.

Prices will still go up a fair bit in other inland areas of the Costa del Sol and Andalucía, where it will rise by around 3.3%. Affordability is still the key part of the Spanish property market though. Since 2007 the average house price is still roughly 40% below record levels.

House prices hit a real peak in April 2007 when house prices rose to €2,952 per square metre. Nowadays a home in Costa del Sol sells for an average of €1,619 per square metre. Overall a three bedroom apartment in Costa del Sol will cost around €161,900.

It’s difficult to come up with an average price in Costa del Sol. There are just too many variations in house prices. The data does still show how trends may change however. The data suggest that in 2016 house prices should rise in even the lowest ends of the market.

House prices in better areas such as Marbella will continue to rise. They have been on the increase since 2014.

Of course this means that more people are going to become interested in purchasing property on the Costa del Sol. The amount of houses being bought in general should increase by as much as 13%.
The conclusion is that now is the right time to buy a bargain property for sale in the Costa del Sol so contact us today for your personal service.




Wednesday 20 April 2016

Spain is the Most Libertarian Country in Europe and The Best Place to Get a Drink


Spain is the Most Libertarian Country in Europe and The Best Place to Get a Drink



People often use the term “nanny state” to mock laws and policies that are designed to nanny the population of a country and stop them from being able to do and think what they want. Many British people feel that the UK is quickly becoming a Nanny State. Most of Scandinavia is also stuck with that label. Even though Scandinavia and the UK do have strong economies and are seen as nice places to live, they are also thought of as being too controlling.

It’s become such a problem that the European Policy Information Center (EPICENTER) has developed their own Nanny State Index to show how much government control each European state exercises.

Come to Spain its the best country in Europe !
The results of the latest index will be interesting to many. They prove that some of these stereotypes do hold true. Finland, Sweden and the UK and Ireland do indeed exercise the most control over their citizens. Unsurprisingly perhaps most former Soviet nations have the most lax policies.

The index would rate nations based on their free-market and libertarian ideals across numerous factors. This included their stance on alcohol, healthcare, food and smoking. The ranking showed that Spain was the most carefree when it comes to alcohol. They have duty-free wine and low taxes on spirits and beer and great Spanish restaurants. They also have no statutory closing time on bars, pubs and clubs. This makes Spain the best destination in Europe to enjoy a great drink.

Spain also ranked best for food. The Spanish have a similarly lax attitude to dining late. They also eat anything they want when they want and don’t care so much about health and safety, making Spain the freest country for people looking to eat a hearty meal with one of the lowest cost of living.

Overall though Spain was let down in other areas and still ranked in the lower half. It was actually the Czech Republic that was ranked the freest nation in Europe. In a surprising turn Germany was ranked second.

The report says that most of the laws and taxes in Spain that make up the Nanny State Index were introduced with the idea that they would improve public health. This is surprising considering that Spain is the country with the second highest life expectancy after Japan. As a result the index went on to conclude that there is no direct correlation between these nanny state regulations and a higher life expectancy.

So there you have definitive proof that the government doesn’t know what it’s talking about after all. None of these rules improve your life expectancy. So go to Spain and eat, drink and be merry.
Spain-is-best-Place-to-get-a-drink

Tuesday 19 April 2016

Survey Finds the Expat Life is Great for Wealth, Health, and Happiness


Survey Finds the Expat Life in Spain is Great for Wealth, Health, and Happiness



Living in the Costa del Sol is great for your Health.
A new survey by international real estate company MoveHub has discovered that moving to another country such as Spain due to the climate can really benefit your wallet, your body and your mind. They polled 1,000 people from across the UK, half of whom were expats and half that had never lived abroad. Their polling found that 69% of the people that had lived abroad would describe their health as being good or better. On the other hand only 58% of the people who never lived abroad could say the same.

Around 40%, compared to the 28% of people who were, or had been, expats said that they felt they earned a good salary. All of these benefits spread to happiness too. 63% of expats felt that they were happy or very happy. This was higher than the 53% of non-expats.

The study by MoveHub is just the latest sign that living in another country can lead to a lot of benefits. Other surveys have suggested this too. In fact there are barely any drawbacks at all. Expats are better educated, are more open-minded and willing to embrace another culture, and find themselves part of wide and varied social circles. As long as they do a little research before they move anyway.

Moving to Spain is a great way to experience these benefits and more. Spain has a great climate and a friendly culture, as well as the fantastic Mediterranean diet. Spain has quickly become the ideal choice for British and Irish people who want to try living in another country.

Spain is also currently in the middle of recovering their economy and property market. This means that it’s a great choice for people as they are more likely to find themselves living the good life experienced by expats in Spain.

Monday 18 April 2016

House Prices in Spain Are Recovering

House Prices in Spain Are Recovering

 
Its a great time to buy property in the Costa del Sol as prices are rising

There is great news for Spanish property prices. They officially rose by just under 2% on average in 2015.


It’s taken nearly a decade to reach this point but Spanish house prices have officially turned an important corner.
This is actually the first time Spanish property prices have risen since 2007.
This news is important for both buyers and sellers of property or resale property in the Costa del Sol and the whole of Spain. Buyers benefit because they feel confident that even houses bought at bottom end prices are still part of this house price increase.

If you’re interested in selling your house then property prices rising makes it easier to sell your home, especially for the asking price you have in mind.

While the property prices in Spain have increased on an average there is a lot of variation between the house prices in the different regions of Spain.

The Costa del Sol for example has seen some of the best rises and also in the Balearics Islands, Mallorca, Ibiza and Malaga. Though there are also regions that are still experiencing price drops such as Almeria and Murcia.

Buyers are now in a can’t lose position in many areas. These house prices will never be as low as they are right now. This is the rock bottom price and fell from its highs in many areas from somewhere between 33-48% below the prices seen in 2007.

When you buy a house the value should rise quickly. House prices are expected to rise an average of 6% in 2016.

When you compare this to the interest gained by leaving your money in the bank instead and you can see that buyers and property investors are better off buying a property in areas like southern Spain.

Property investors are now flocking back to Spain to take advantage of these prices. International investment is a huge market at the minute with some funds getting involved in multi-million euro property investments.

But what about the average home owner in Spain who is interested in selling their house? The confidence that buyers are returning to the Spanish property are at the highest it’s been for a while. Foreign buyers in particular are investing in most of the properties that are being sold on the Costa del Sol and Balearics.

So it doesn’t matter where you live. All that matters is that your home is in a good condition. It should be at least as good as the other properties around you if you want to sell it.

You should get started with a good old fashioned spring clean. Pay attention for other tips to enable you to increase your property price and get the best deal in this more positive market environment. Please feel free to contact us for advice on selling or buying property in the Costa del Sol.