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Positive market development in Spain for 2013 – Majorca’s sales figures above national average
Impressive property in privileged situation close to Llucmajor
The Spanish statistics office “Instituto Nacional de Estadística”, INE, reports positive growth in the area of real estate transactions for the current year. During the period from January to April 2013, Spanish notaries registered a total of 105,924 sales transactions (excluding social housing construction), representing a year-on-year increase of 10%. The Balearics – where a total of 2,973 properties changed hands during the first four months of the year – showed an increase of 12%, putting the islands slightly above the national average.
Increased demand also visible on Internet
With up to 100,000 visits per month, the website of the real estate provider Porta Mallorquina, www.portamallorquina.com, counts as one of the most popular for Majorca real estate. Since 2011 the island-wide estate agency business has recorded continuously increasing demand.
“On average we have been able to increase online enquiries by around 50% from year to year,”
says Porta Mallorquina CEO, Manfred Biedermann. At peak periods the company’s head office in Son Bugadelles receives up to 60 customer enquiries per day. Demand has been rising continuously over the last two years, particularly from Germany. Porta Mallorquina has also noted increased interest from Switzerland and Austria, while enquiries from the UK have largely remained static. In contrast, enquiries from Spanish customers have declined, most probably owing to the difficult economic situation in that country. Demand from Scandinavia and Eastern European countries is also up although not to the same extent as the rise in recent German demand. Manfred Biedermann says that this high demand is owed to a certain level of accumulated capital in Germany:
“There is greater demand than ever for investments that retain their value. The German real estate market has been ‘completely bought up’ in places, and attractive investment properties are rare. Majorca, on the other hand, has largely proven to be a sound investment, even during the crisis years.”
Majorca: Holding its value with high price levels
Those who wish to acquire a property on the Germans’ most popular island will need deep pockets. At Porta Mallorquina, for example, the average price for high-end real estate in a good location ranges from around € 3,000/m² in the somewhat more affordable south, to over € 5,000/m² in the sought-after southwest. Those who want something even more exclusive – with own beach access and designer fit-out, for example – must reckon with square metre prices of well in excess of € 10,000. Porta Mallorquina cannot corroborate the often-cited fall in prices:
“Naturally, there are always price reductions but overall last year we recorded a drop in prices for fewer than 5% of the properties in our portfolio, although this may also be due to the realistic market evaluation of the properties we list,”
says Manfred Biedermann, explaining the situation.
“We have found that prices in good locations have largely stabilised. The high annual rate at which prices have increased – with double-digit growth in places – has been a thing of the past since 2009,”
the CEO adds.
Buyers pay an average of € 1.6 to € 2 million for a finca or well-appointed villa with a corresponding plot. Classic holiday homes are somewhat more affordable. Based on around 1,600 properties for sale in June 2013, Porta Mallorquina worked out that the average price for this type of property is roughly € 600,000. The real estate experts see the greatest potential for appreciation in the south of the island, where an apartment costs an average of around € 280,000. The leaders for this type of property are Palma de Mallorca and Port de Soller. In the popular island capital, a well-appointed apartment with an appealing view in an attractive location costs around € 600,000.
Despite the high price level, Porta Mallorquina says that the southwest – which takes in the well-known towns of Puerto Andratx, Santa Ponsa and Portals Nous – remains one of the most sought-after locations in Majorca. In 2012, however, Porta Mallorquina noted a sharp rise in demand for the northwest. Manfred Biedermann says that this is because of the high number of fincas in the region around Artà, a type of property that is very popular with Germans. In terms of enquiries made to Porta Mallorquina, third place is taken by Palma and, in particular, the former fishing district of Portixol – now a restored and sophisticated spot – that attracts high-spending clients from all over the world. It is quality rather than quantity that defines the northwest. The island’s most exclusive properties are to be found in the region around Valldemossa, an area with which the denizens of Hollywood are also familiar, thanks to Michael Douglas.
Contact:
Porta Mallorquina Real Estate S.L.
C./ Son Tomás Nº 7B, E-07180 Santa Ponsa, Majorca
Tel. +34 902 111 567 (Customer Service, 7 days a week)
E-mail: info@portamallorquina.com
www.portamallorquina.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/PortaMallorquina
About Porta Mallorquina:
Porta Mallorquina Real Estate S.L., the Master franchise partner of the German company Porta Mondial AG, has been specialising since 2005 in the sale and long-term letting of high-end holiday real estate in Majorca.
With seven offices in Majorca (Artà, Llucmajor, Palma de Mallorca, Puerto Andratx, Santanyì, Santa Ponsa, and Son Bugadelles) and a portfolio of over 2,000 properties, Porta Mallorquina is one of the island’s biggest estate agency businesses. The four-language real estate website portamallorquina.com is one of the most popular websites for Majorca real estate with up to 100,000 visits per month.
In Majorca, Porta Mallorquina is awarding franchise licences to self-employed real estate entrepreneurs. While eight of the ten franchise regions have already been granted to franchise partners, the regions of Southwest III/Portals Nous and Island Centre are still available.
Press contact and picture enquiries:
Porta Mondial AG, Ulrike Eschenbecher,
Berliner Allee 26, D-40212 Düsseldorf
Tel: +49 (0)211 / 1 86 81 57 38
Mobile: +49 (0) 171 / 753 26 10
presse@portamondial.com
http://www.portamondial.de
Annex 1:
Average price per SQM (built surface) by region and property type (As at: 12.06.2013)
Source: Porta Mallorquina
Number of evaluated prices per SQM (built surface): 1491
Annex 2:
Average selling price by region and property type (As at:12.06.2013)
Number of evaluated selling prices: 1,596 (excl. rental properties, plots and commercial real estate)