Marbella For Sale Blog

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Rental Costs Down in August

Cost of renting a home in Spain fell in August

Cost of renting a home in Spain fell in August

In Spain, the price of renting a home fell by 2.2% in August, when compared to July. When compared to the same month in the previous year, prices have increased by 4.7%. The current average price of second-hand housing to rent in Spain is €11.34 p/m². This price drop is the fourth consecutive monthly fall.

During the month of August, rental prices nationwide continue to show a slight trend towards moderation in growth after having shown the most significant variations in its history in recent months. However, the different speeds of the market come to light, the average does not show the reality of the most stressed communities, which continue with very large growth despite the summer season. In fact, 16 of the 50 provincial capitals once again reached price records in the eighth month of the year. Demand is slowing down in areas where demand is usually less intense, but it remains dynamic and strong in cities that attract more and more people, which causes double-digit increases in rent,” explains María Matos, Director of Studies for Fotocasa.

If we analyse rental prices compared to a year ago, we see that 16 communities saw prices increase year-on-year in August. In six communities, double-digit increases were seen, the highest being in the Balearic Islands with a massive 22.1% rise in rental costs. Following close behind are the Canary Islands with 18.0%. Other double-digit increases were seen in the Valencian Community (15.0%), Cantabria (12.9%), La Rioja (12.5%), and the Basque Country (10.4%). Also seeing prices go up were Madrid (9.5%), Andalusia (7.8%), Catalonia (6.5%), Galicia (6.4%), Castilla y León (5.4%), Navarra (5.1%), Castilla-La Mancha (5.0%), Asturias (5.0%), Aragon (1.8%) and Region of Murcia (1.2%). On the other hand, the only community that presented a decrease compared to the previous year was Extremadura with -1%.

Prices by Autonomous Community

In August 2023, three communities exceeded national average cost of renting a property in Spain per square meter per month. The areas of Spain with the highest prices in the entire historical series are: Basque Country (€15.06 p/m² per month), Asturias (€9.11 p/m² per month) and La Rioja (€8.90 p/m² per month).

Regarding the ranking of Autonomous Communities with the most expensive housing prices for renting a home in Spain, in first places are the Balearic Islands and Madrid, with prices of €17.01 p/m² per month and €16.90 p/m² per month, respectively. They are followed by six more communities with prices higher than €10.00 p/m² per month and they are: Catalonia (€15.88 p/m² per month), the Basque Country (€15.06 p/m² per month), the Canary Islands (€12.83 p/m² per month), Cantabria (€12.39 p/m² per month), Valencian Community (€11.40 p/m² per month) and Navarra (€10.93 p/m² per month).

Provinces of Spain

In 45 of the provinces, the year-on-year price of rental housing increased in August 2023, except for Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca and Badajoz. Increases of more than 10% occurred in 12 provinces.

The order of the provinces with interannual increases greater than 10% are: the Balearic Islands (22.1%), Zamora (19.1%), Las Palmas (18.6%), Alicante (18.4%), Valencia (17.4%), Santa Cruz de Tenerife (16.9%), Málaga (14.1%), Cantabria (12.9%), La Rioja (12.5%), Granada (11.3%), Barcelona (10.2%) and Almería (10.2%).

Regarding prices, 15 provinces exceed 10.00 euros per square meter per month. The three most expensive provinces for renting are Barcelona with €17.59 p/m² per month, followed by the Balearic Islands with €17.01 p/m² per month and Gipuzkoa with €16.99 p/m² per month.

 

Spanish Home Sales Down 10% in July

Sales of new and used homes fell in July

Sales of new and used homes fell in July

The total number of transferred properties registered in the property registries in July was 170,109 This shows a fall of 4.7%, when compared to the same month of 2022.

In the case of purchases and sales of registered properties, we see 92,262 registered transactions, representing an annual decrease of 8.7%, according to data from the INE.

87.8% of the sales registered in July correspond to urban properties and 12.2% to rural properties. In the case of urban properties, 59.6% were sales of private residences.

The number of purchases and sales of rural properties decreased by 6.0% in July, when compared to July 2022, while the number of sales of urban properties decreased by 9.1%. Within the latter, home sales registered an annual decrease of 10.5%.

Of those home sales, 17.1% were sales of new property, while 82.9% were for second-hand homes.

The number of new home sales showed a fall of 7.4% compared to July 2022, while the sale of second-hand homes slowed by 11.2%.

Results by Autonomous Communities

In the month of July, the total number of transferred properties registered in the property registries per 100,000 inhabitants reached its highest values in Castilla y León (711), Castilla–La Mancha (629) and Aragón (624).

Extremadura (8.1%), Castilla y León and the Basque Country (both 0.2%) register the highest annual variation rates.

The largest fall in the volume of sales was seen in Navarra (–23.7%), La Rioja (–16.0%) and the Balearic Islands (–15.4%).

Looking only at home sales, the communities with the highest number of transmissions per 100,000 inhabitants were Valencia (189), Region of Murcia (149) and Andalusia (144).

The autonomous communities that presented the largest annual increases in the number of Spanish home sales in July are Extremadura (5.2%), Principality of Asturias (3.8%) and Region of Murcia (0.2%).

Galicia (–22.8%), the Canary Islands (–18.2%) and Navarra (–17.2%) showed the greatest falls in home sales in July.

Sale and Rental Prices Fell in August

Sale and rental prices for housing in Spain fell 0.2% in August

Sale and rental prices fell 0.2% in August

In August, the price of second-hand housing in Spain fell by 0.2%. The annual variation was more significant falling 7.9% since August 2022. This brings the average cost per square metre to €2,145. The monthly fall seen in August is the first fall in the last two years.

Historically, the month of August usually shows moderation, due to the summer season in which demand slows down. However, we could be at the beginning of a slowdown trend that becomes more stable throughout the last four months and materializes in communities with less intense demand. At the moment, housing prices continue to show significant increases at the national level and even more worrying in the most stressed autonomies such as the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Navarra or Valencia. It is worth remembering that there continues to be a shortage of housing stock in the market, exacerbated by the stoppage and delay of new construction promotions,” explained María Matos, Director of Studies for Fotocasa.

Autonomous Communities

When looking at the current prices compared to the same time last year, we see 17 communities where prices increased. Six of those communities saw increases above 10%, specifically, the Canary Islands (+23.5%), the Balearic Islands (+18.7%), Navarra (+13.4%), Valencia (+11.2%), La Rioja (+10.7%) and Murcia (+10.5%).

Other communities to see increases include Andalusia (+7.5%), Cantabria (+7.1%), Aragon (+4.7%), Catalonia (+4.6%), Madrid (+4.4%), Galicia (+4.2%), the Basque Country (+3.9%), Extremadura (+3.5%), Castilla-La Mancha (+3.1%), Asturias (+2.8%) and Castilla y León (+1.6%).

We see the most expensive second-hand housing in Spain in the Balearic Islands and Madrid, with average prices of €3,778 p/m² and €3,508 p/m², respectively. They are followed by the Basque Country (€3,013 p/m²), Catalonia (€2,756 p/m²), the Canary Islands (€2,310 p/m²), Navarra (€2,027 p/m²), Andalusia (€1,910 p/m²), Cantabria (€1,876 p/m²), Aragon (€1,705 p/m²), Galicia (€1,697 p/m²), Comunitat Valenciana (€1,695 p/m²), La Rioja (€1,645 p/m²), Asturias (€1,639 p/m²), Castilla y León (€1,464 p/m²), Region of Murcia (€1,281 p/m²) , Extremadura (€1,199 p/m²) and Castilla-La Mancha (€1,172 p/m²).

Prices by Province

In 94% of the 50 provinces, the year-on-year price of housing in Spain increased in the month of August. In 14 provinces the increases exceeded 10%, specifically in Santa Cruz de Tenerife (+32.1%), the Balearic Islands (+18.7%), Alicante (+15.7%), Málaga (+15.5%), Soria (+15.2%), Teruel (+14.3%), Navarra (+13.4%), Las Palmas (+13.0%), Tarragona (+12.0%), Cuenca (+11.2%), Cádiz (+10.8%), La Rioja (+10.7%), Murcia (+10.5%) and Lleida (+10.3%).

Regarding prices, the Balearic Islands is the most expensive province with €3,778 p/m², followed by Madrid (€3,508 p/m²) and Gipuzkoa (€3,396 p/m²), among others. The only province with a price per square meter below 1,000 euros is Ciudad Real with €948 p/m².

Rental Prices

The price of rental housing in Spain also fell by 0.2% in August, when compared to July. When comparing to the same month in 2022, prices increased by 3.4%. This places the average monthly cost of renting to €11.59 p/m².

Although it shows an increase, it is the smallest increase seen in the last 10 months. Rental price increases have slowed for several months and have moved away from double-digit increases.

A slight decrease is detected at the national level in rental prices. However, rental prices continue to skyrocket in the most stressed autonomous communities and have once again reached historic highs in nine of them, with very large increases of over 10 and up to 30%. At this time, the available residential rental supply is so low that the pressure of demand pushes the price up, causing it to set price records once again. A very significant volume of properties has been sold, they have been converted to tourist rentals or remain empty“, Matos explained.

Rental Prices in Autonomous Communities

If we compare the price of renting a house in Spain to those of a year ago, we see that 16 communities saw increased prices in July. In five communities the increases exceeded double digits, specifically in the Balearic Islands with a staggering increase of 30.1%. Following were the Canary Islands (19.1%), Cantabria (16.6%), Comunitat Valenciana (13.7%), Madrid (10.6%), Andalusia (8.7%), Galicia (8.4%), Catalonia (8.1%), Basque Country (7.6%), Navarra (5.3%), Asturias (4.8%), Castilla y León (4.8%), Extremadura (3.5 %), La Rioja (2.7%), Aragón (2.3%) and Region of Murcia (0.7%). The only community that saw a decrease compared to the previous year is Castilla-La Mancha with -2.9%.

In July 2023, nine communities exceed the maximum rental prices per square meter per month. The areas of Spain with the highest monthly prices in the entire historical series are: the Balearic Islands (€17.17 p/m²), Madrid (€17.02 p/m²), Catalonia (€15.99 p/m²), the Canary Islands (€12.90 p/m²), Asturias (€8.92 p/m²), Galicia (€8.56 p/m²), La Rioja (€8.52 p/m²), Castilla y León (€8.38 p/m²) and Extremadura (€6.43 p/m²).

Regarding the ranking of Communities by the monthly cost of rental housing in Spain, the most expensive are the Balearic Islands and Madrid, with prices of €17.17 p/m² and €17.02 p/m², respectively. They are followed by six more communities with prices above €10.00 and they are: Catalonia (€15.99 p/m²), the Basque Country (€14.54 p/m²), Cantabria (13 €.04 p/m²), the Canary Islands (€12.90 p/m²), Valencia (€11.37 p/m²) and Navarra (€10.91 p/m²).

Renting by Province

In 44 of the provinces, the year-on-year price of rental housing increased in July 2023, except for Albacete, Palencia, Araba – Álava, Huelva and Cuenca. Increases of more than 10% occur in 18 provinces, according to data from Fotocasa.

The order of the provinces with interannual increases greater than 10% are: the Balearic Islands (30.1%), Santa Cruz de Tenerife (19.5%), Las Palmas (19.4%), Tarragona (18.1%), Alicante (17.9%), Zamora (17.3%), Cantabria (16.6%), Segovia (15.6%), Valencia (15.2%) and Guadalajara (13.5%).

18 provinces exceed a cost of 10.00 euros per square meter per month. The three most expensive provinces are Barcelona with €17.45 p/m², followed by the Balearic Islands with €17.17 p/m² and Madrid with €17.02 p/m².

 

New-Build Property Sales on the Increase

New construction is booming on the Costa del Sol

Construction is booming on the Costa del Sol

The total number of properties transferred in June reached 191,749, a 2.5% fall when compared to the same month in the previous year.

In terms of property sales, the total number of transactions was 106,051, an annual fall of 1.6%, according to data from the INE.

Of the total sales seen in June, 87.9% were transactions involving urban properties, while 12.1% were for rural properties. In the case of urban sales, 57.9% were sales of homes.

The number of sales of rural properties fell by 6%, when compared to the previous June. Sales of urban properties slowed by 0.9%. Sales of private homes registered a fall of 6.4%.

Of the homes sold in June, 19.4% were new-build Spanish properties, and 80.6% were second-hand properties. The number of new home sales increased by 10.7%, while the number of used home sales fell by 9.7%.

Results by Autonomous Communities

In June, the total number of transferred properties per 100,00 inhabitants reached the highest level in Castilla y León (802), Aragón (790) and La Rioja (688).

The Principality of Asturias (3.0%), Aragón (1.8%) and Andalucía (1.7%) registered the highest annual variation rates.

Meanwhile, the Balearic Islands (–21.9%), Extremadura (–17.3%) and La Rioja (–11.5%) presented the lowest annual rates.

Looking only at home sales, the communities with the highest number of transfers per 100,000 inhabitants were the Valencian Community (225), Murcia (170) and Andalucía (159).

The autonomous communities that presented the highest annual increases in the number of home sales in June were Navarra (5.1%), Principality of Asturias (1.9%) and the Valencian Community (1.1%).

In turn, La Rioja (–20.5%), Cantabria (–18.8%) and Extremadura (–15.8%) registered the greatest decreases.

The Spanish property market remains buoyant. Prices are still rising, and sales figures are high, despite a slight slowdown in used-property sales in June. Booming construction boosting new stock is clear to see in the number of new home sales.

 

Price of Housing Up 9.7% in July

The average cost of housing reached €2,150 p/m²

Average cost of housing now €2,150 p/m²

The price of second-hand housing in Spain increased by 0.2% in July, when compared to the previous month. When compared to the same month in 2022, the increase is 9.7%. This brings the average cost per square metre to €2,150 p/m². Notably, this increase is the seventh consecutive increase of more than 9% so far in 2023.

The cost of housing continues in very bulky variations of almost double digits. The excessive price increases continue to be the trend after more than a half a year with such significant increases. The impact of the rise in interest rates has failed to cool demand enough to balance the market and, in fact, the available housing stock continues to be low, causing prices to increase. The most stressed provincial capitals continue to present very significant increases of up to 20%, this situation is unprecedented, it represents the highest price increase in such a short period of time in recent history“, explained María Matos, Director of Studies at Fotocasa.

Autonomous Communities

Look at the price of homes for sale across the autonomous communities, we see that 17 communities saw an increase in the year-on-year price in July. In six communities, the increase exceeds 10%, specifically, in the Balearic Islands (20.3%), the Canary Islands (20.1%), Navarra (18.0%), the Valencian Community (14.1%), La Rioja (11.4%) and Region of Murcia (11.0%). They are followed by the communities of Andalusia (9.3%), Cantabria (6.7%), Extremadura (6.5%), Castilla-La Mancha (6.0%), Galicia (5.5%), Madrid (5.3%), Catalonia (5.2%), Aragon (4.5%), the Basque Country (3.9%), Asturias (3.6%) and Castilla y León (3.2%).

Ordering the communities by average price, we find the most expensive second-hand homes for sale in Spain are in the Balearic Islands and Madrid, with prices of 3,721 euros/m² and 3,494 euros/m², respectively. They are followed by the Basque Country (3,011 euros/m²), Catalonia (2,754 euros/m²), the Canary Islands (2,220 euros/m²), Navarra (2,020 euros/m²), Andalusia (1,912 euros/m²), Cantabria (1,873 euros/m²), the Valencian Community (1,710 euros/m²), Aragon (1,703 euros/m²), Galicia (1,695 euros/m²), La Rioja (1,629 euros/m²), Asturias (1,628 euros/m²), Castilla y León (1,459 euros/m²), Region of Murcia (1,278 euros/m²), Extremadura (1,205 euros/m²) and Castilla-La Mancha (1,185 euros/m²).

Prices by Province

In 98% of the 50 provinces saw the price of housing increase in the month of July. In 16 provinces the increase exceeded 10%, specifically in Santa Cruz de Tenerife (25.3%), the Balearic Islands (20.3%), Alicante (18.9%), Navarra (18.0%), Malaga (16.3%), Cuenca (14.1%), Teruel (13.9%), Las Palmas (13.8%), Soria (12.1%), Guadalajara (11.6%), Cádiz (11.5%), La Rioja (11.4%), Lleida (11.3%), Murcia (11.0%), Tarragona (10.2%) and Girona (10.0%).

Regarding price ranking by province, the Balearic Islands is the most expensive province with 3,721 euros/m², followed by Madrid (3,494 euros/m²) and Gipuzkoa (3,386 euros/m²), among others. On the other hand, the only province with the price per square meter below 1,000 euros is Ciudad Real with 966 euros/m².