Insight into the Spanish property market, guides to help you make informed decisions, and a directory of real estate professionals and home service providers from a source you can trust.
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.
When you buy or sell property in Spain the sums of money are large, perhaps one of the biggest financial decisions of your life. The high transaction costs you will face like taxes and commissions only make the decision more important to get right. And when you own property in Spain you face a host of extra challenges to manage, and costs to control. Unfortunately, the Spanish property market is opaque and full of pitfalls, and notoriously unprofessional. Buying and selling property in Spain is not a decision to be taken lightly, and you may find it much easier to buy than sell if you don’t take care. In this market it is crucial to do your own research, and don’t rely exclusively on people who are trying to sell you something – let’s just say they might not have your best interests at heart. Spanish Property Insight is the only independent source of information and analysis of the Spanish property market. Don’t even think about buying or selling property in Spain without subscribing to Spanish Property Insight.
Resale asking prices are down 2% in the course of this year, according to the Spanish property portal Idealista.com.
The Idealista resale asking price index finished the year at 1,563 €/m2, down 2% compared to the same time last year, but significantly better than the more than 5% rate at which resale asking prices were falling a year ago.
Resale asking prices fell 0.7% between September and December of this year.
The Idealista asking price index is the most bearish of the seven most watched house price indices tracked by Spanish Property Insight (see chart above). According to most other sources, the average price of property in Spain is now rising.
“If 2014 was the start of normalisation in a large part of the country, this year just closing has confirmed that the crisis has ended in some Spanish cities,” says Fernando Encinar, head of research at Idealista. However, he also warns that the crisis is not over in “many provinces where prices will continue falling in the coming years.”
Diving into more detail, Encinar explains that “whilst the adjustment has not gone far enough in some segments and buyers are still waiting for bigger reductions, in others the crisis is behind us and prices are starting to rise very gradually.” Despite some positive signs he does not see another bubble forming, just a return to normal after eight years of crisis.
REGIONS
Asking prices rose in five autonomous regions in 2015, led by the Balearics, up 3.3%, followed by the Canaries (+1.9%), Madrid (+1.6%), Andalusia (+0.4%), and Catalonia (+0.2%). Vendor expectations fell in all other regions, most of all in Extremadura (-7.4%), Castile La Mancha (-6.6%) and Asturias (-6%).
By city, asking prices rose the most in Barcelona (+8.9%), followed by the capital of the Costa del Sol Málaga (+4.6%), Madrid (+4.4%), and Palma de Mallorca (+3.3%). They fell the most in Segovia, down 10%.
MORTGAGE LENDING
A big increase in new Spanish mortgage lending is one of the main drivers of improvement in segments that are recovering, but Encinar points out that new mortgage lending is still running below the level at which mortgages are being retired, so the net effect is still constrictive. It also explains why banks are “offering loans with conditions unimaginable just a few months ago.”
+ You can read the full Idealista 2015 asking price report (with regional tables) here (pdf in Spanish).
Everything you need to know about property in Spain
Login or Register to read articles without any adverts in the text.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. If you continue to use the website you agree to our use of cookies. You can find out more here. Accept
Cookies
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Michael says:
It’s always interesting to read your articles, Mark.