Janusz

experts recommend buying a home if it is for living in
elmundo.es, wednesday 21 nov 07
five well known economists, experts in housing, advocate buying a home rather than waiting, and they coincide in stating that "if you need to, buy". as indicated by gregorio izquierdo, director of the institute of economic studies (initials in spanish, iee), "the best moment for buying is that which coincides with each person's need. as a need, i would buy, as an investment, it depends." pedro morón, economics lecturer at the autonomous university of madrid, indicates that buying or waiting depends on each person's personal situation and on the property in question. "if i wanted to invest, i would look to see if the property were good or bad. at the moment there are attractively priced homes. although it is not to be ruled out that prices will fall, but to wait for a couple of months i would buy now; the future of the real estate sector is highly uncertain at this moment." from international finance analysts (spanish initials, afi), felix lores recommends buying if a person finds a house that matches what he is looking for. according to the experts, there are, at present, affordable dwellings, and a property can be acquired less hurriedly because there is greater supply


barcelona will not promote public housing for purchase
metro, thursday 22 nov 07
barcelona city council will stop building public subsidized flats for the sales market, whereby all the new developments will be to let and under surface rights, a new mode similar to a concession, which will allow the authority to retain ownership of the land. the main benefit this awards is that the city council can retain ownership of the land for life and exercise control over all its transmissions


housing prices will fall 1.9% in 2009 according to the bbva
elpais.com, friday 16 nov 07
banco bilbao vizcaya argentaria (bbva) calculates that the real estate slow-down will have a very limited impact on the spanish economy because employment will continue to be sound, according to a presentation the bank has submitted to the national stock market commission (initials in spanish, cnmv). the entity calculates that housing prices will fall 1.9% in 2009 after falling 1.4% in 2008 and 1.5% this year. the survey forecasts growth in employment of around 1.5% in 2008, 1.4 points down on the figure for this year, but "still far away from a scene of job destruction". the entity advocates endowing the labor market with flexibility in order to minimize these effects on the economy as a whole at the same time as it indicates that other sectors will absorb those jobs not created in construction


work on 135,000 flats in madrid has come to a standstill
metro, thursday 22 nov 07
a sentence against land reclassification has brought construction activity to a halt on 135,000 homes in los pau, to the southeast of the madrid region. the inhabitants are awaiting an explanation from the town planning authorities. "the public authorities have looked the other way while we put up money for the management bodies, explains angel alberto montero, vice-president of the south east residents´ association. some 15,000 co-operative members have put down deposits of between 30,000 and 40,000 euro, but they will not have their property until 2020, according to the term laid down by the madrid city council


the increase in housing costs in the united kingdom will stop dead in 2008
elconfidencial.com, monday 19 nov 07
increases in housing prices in the united kingdom will come to a complete halt next year, according to predictions made public by the nationwide building society, which calculates that real estate inflation will go from its current 9.7% to 0% over 2008. nationwide blames this "strong slow-down" of the real estate market on the slower growth of the economy, on lower consumer purchasing power, on stricter credit conditions and on the fall in demand for housing purchases for investment purposes


buyers are shaking off their lethargy
abc, friday 23 nov 07
customers exist, they are out there, but still a little slack. agencies and developers are stating that in november there are higher number of buyers in their offices and requests for information are more numerous. carlos mateu of preomein confirms that "after the fall in housing prices, estate agents are receiving more requests for information and visits to their properties" the fall in prices is due to customers moving to cheaper areas due to the high interest rates that are forcing many owners to sell their property at prices in line with the market to be able to pay their mortgages, mateu assures


buy in dollars!
le figaro, thursday 22 nov 07
"loft apartment measuring 60 m2 in the heart of miami with private swimming pool for $159,000 ". it is an interesting offer for the french, used to a real estate market that is always under pressure. effectively the downturn in the us economy together with the rise of the euro versus the dollar are offering very attractive investment opportunities in the united states. "with the current interest rates, it is like buying a property with a 40% discount," states vincenzo belfiore of first real estate. "the american property market is in full shut down. in the past, prices were growing at 10% or 12% a year, but that has come to an end," according to the analyst. prices have already fallen 7% in orlando, according to the orlando regional realtor association. but good opportunities will appear within a year or two. the subprime crisis will give rise to "an important increase in the number of seizures," explains a notary public specialized in transactions in florida. prices will then fall hard


fadesa admits that it could lower its housing prices if the crisis persists
el mundo, tuesday 20 nov 07
the large real estate groups are preparing to bear the sales crisis if it is drawn out in time. the martinsa-fadesa group is not ruling out even dropping its development prices "if market conditions so demand," according to what its managing director, carlos vela, has acknowledged. the executive underlined that the company has the capacity to reduce its gross margin, which currently lies at 45%, thanks to the varied land portfolio it manages, and which totals 28 million square meters. a third of these land plots are located abroad, mainly in eastern european countries and morocco. for martinsa-fadesa the impact land has on costs does not exceed 10% of the price of a flat, whereas it may lie at over 50% of the sale value for those companies that purchase land which is ready to be urbanized


Rodin in Malga - your last chance, see TVSpain video
www.tvspain.tv - Rodin in Malaga video - Monday 25 Nov 07
Rodin in Malaga - Auguste Rodin en Málaga - Arte en la calle - you have only short time remaining (until 12th December 2007 to see the he work of the world-famous French sculptor, Auguste Rodin. His sculptures are gracing the most famous street in Málaga, Calle Marqués de Larios, where the seven bronze sculptures remains under 24 hour guard until they move to their next exhibition in Granada. The original sculptures of the six ‘Burghers of Calais’ and Rodin’s ‘The Thinker,’ were unveiled on their pedestals in the old part of the city centre as part of an exhibition organised by La Caixa Foundation, the social and cultural branch of one of Spain’s largest building societies. It’s the first Rodin exhibition of its type in Spain, and also, according to the Málaga newspaper, La Opinión de Málaga, the first time his work has left the Rodin Museum in Paris for an exhibition in the street. It’s in Granada from 19th December until 27 January, and then in Valladolid from 5th February to 30th March. The Thinker, Rodin’s most famous sculpture and one of the world’s most recognised works of art, was commissioned by the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris, to act as a portal to the entrance of the museum based on Dante’s ‘Divine Comedy’ and part of a wider concept of the Gates of Hell. You can see the video at www.tvspain.tv or via direct link: TVSpain - RODIN MALAGA, Sculptures, Thinker, Burghers of Calais, Calle Larios ...