This is a website for buyers, owners, and sellers of property in Spain, offering reliable information and resources to help you get things done with confidence. It is run by Mark Stücklin, author of the Spanish Property Doctor Column in The Sunday Times (2005-2008), and the book ‘Need to Know: Buying Property in Spain’ published by Collins.
In the queue of people lining up to take advantage of the Spanish property crash, Spaniards themselves are somewhere near the back. Foreign investors are taking much more advantage than local families, claims a local estate agency franchise network called Alfa Inmobiliaria, with 110 offices around Spain.
Just one quarter of the homes sold in Spain today are purchased by Spanish families, say Alfa. The remaining 75% are bought by investment funds, in particular foreign investors, they claim.
The market may be showing signs of recovery, but Spanish house prices are still at the bottom of the curve, claim Alfa. That would imply this is the best time in the cycle to be a buyer with access to capital.
Big funds with foreign capital buying large portfolios of repossessed homes are taking biggest advantage of the moment, say Alfa. However, foreign individuals, including pensioners looking for retirement homes, are also bottom-fishing in Spain. Foreigners are taking much better advantage of this market than local buyers, according to the picture that Alfa paint.
What’s holding Spanish buyers back?“Many of the people coming into our offices are opting to rent over buying, because of job insecurity,” explains Jesús Duque, VP of Alfa, referring to Spanish clients in comments to the local press. “We’re not talking about the unemployed, we’re talking about people with stable jobs.”
70% of Alfa’s clients choose renting over buying, even though the vast majority have jobs, and could get financing. Faced with an uncertain future, many Spaniards still lack the confidence to go ahead and buy.
Alfa also blame foreign funds for driving down property prices whilst bleeding Spain dry of capital. Neither argument is correct, but it suits Alfa to blame foreign investors whilst trying to drum up protectionist advantages for its own investment fund.
Valerie Fahey says:
Dear Mark,
I will be moving to Spain within the next 2 years and wonder what books you would recommend that I buy in regard to buying property in Spain in the present market scenario. I may just end up renting in a few areas to test them out and then buy. I am uncertain right now as to how I will go about this.
Sincerely,
Valerie Fahey
Mark Stücklin says:
Valerie,
I haven’t looked into this for a while but I always used to think that Blevins Franks published the best book on living in Spain: http://www.blevinsfranks.com/Spain
But for up-to-date information I would suggest you’ve come to the right place here 😉
Renting first is always a good idea.
Mark
Stephen says:
I wouldn’t waste money buying books, they are usually out of date after a short time. Everything is out there on the internet. Some of the Spanish Lawyers now have good information sites.