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Categories: All For Buyers For Sellers Two Minute Tuesday

2018 – What is instore for the Spanish Property market

At the start of 2107 we were not filled with optimism for the year ahead.

There were general elections in Germany, Holland and France. Political uncertainty in these countries was expected to have a detrimental impact on potential buyers and we already had certain clients delaying buying trips until after the outcome of the elections was known.

Then back in the UK a snap election was thrown. The UK market had been very nervous post Brexit and a general election would add to the confusion about the direction the UK was going and again potential buyers were “waiting to see” what was goint to happen.

With a cautious start to the year forecast, it was a surprise to all that January was such a great month

As it transpires all elections went the way they were generally forecast to go and there were no major upsets (USA excluded) and the uncertainty soon dissapeared and the buyers literally flooded back in……. and so it continued with villa sales remaining high throughout the year and even the traditionally quiet times for sales in August (everyone is on holiday) and November-December (thinking about Christmas) were far better than previous years.

2017 was a great year for Hondon Valley Homes and La Montanosa Villas with sales exceeding our record year of 2016 by 10% on gross volume but 15% on total number of purchases. We found that footfall was down by 15% (number of client viewings), however the clients that came obviously purchased.

We said goodbye to some great friends in 2017, but we welcomed many many happy buyers to the area to start their adventure in the sun.

 

So what does 2018 have in store….. 

We have started the year off in fantastic fashion. A sale on the coast originally agreed prior to Christmas has been confirmed with deposits paid and contracts signed. Another sale in Urb. La Montanosa, in Hondon de las Nieves at the very end of the year has had contracts signed and depost paid this first week of the year and yesterday we agreed the sale of a stunning villa in Lel to German clients with one of our network of trusted collaborators. The year has started with a bang….. no slowly easing yourself back to work at HVH and LMV.

January, February and March have been our best on record with an amazing 6 sales in a 72 hour period in March and we are now actively sourcing new properties to replenish the portfolio.

With no political issues (yet) that can effect the buyers confidence either in mainland Europe or the UK we are receiving many enquiries daily for a wide variety of properties.

We project that in 2018 the resale market will continue its long and sometimes slow recovery from the crash 10 years ago. The right properties in the right areas will continue to sell strongly. A well presented property in the right area with the correct documentation and well priced should expect a relatively quick sale in the Hondon Valley and surrounding areas. The exchange rate is showing tentative signs of recovery and 1€ = £1.20 is not as far off as it once looked.

The off plan market will continue to burgeon. We have developed excellent relationships with some of the finest builders, developers and architects in the area and there is a mini boom in off plan – self design properties in both country and Urb. locations. This we fully expect to grown at an exceptional rate in 2018 following huge success in 2017.

We are delighted to have been chosen to be the only agency to market an exciting new development of Hondon villas which we will be releasing very shortly.

As a company HVH has always been at the forefront of pushing the industry in terms of standards expected of us by our clients both vendors and buyers. This we will continue in 2018. We were the first to really raise the game regarding the photographic quality of our listings using professional photography equipment and the first to video properties for our clients. Now that some agents have caught up a little it is time to take the next step. Again we will have some amazing news over the next few months and take some huge steps forward in what we are able to do for our clients. These are changes that we started working on in the summer of 2017 and we will see the fruits of our labour soon.

SAFE BUY SPAIN – THIE INITIATIVE THE INDUSTRY REQUIRED.

 

www.safebuyspain.com

At the end of 2017 a group of like minded agents and ourselves also launched the SAFE BUY SPAIN initiative. Disolutioned by some of the methods used by so called respectable agents and the proliferation of up-start agencies that have appeared, we decided to start the SBS. This will be a non-profit group where like minded agents with similar high professional standards, morals and ethics will be able to guarantee our clients top levels of service whichever SBS member they should choose to work with. To date we have obtained the backing of national banks, lawyers, finance institutions, architects and professional persons. Following a soft launch at Chrstmas 2017 we expect this group to become a powerful ally of purchasers and the agents as it develops.

So 2018….. the early signs look promising. One thing is for certain…… The sun will keep shining on this beautiful part of the world.

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