Barcelona is one of the world's most vibrant metropolitan areas and its combination of vibrant city life, beaches, history and futuristic spirit makes it a very fascinating place. However, for these reasons, housing prices here are generally very high. Guide to Barcelona.
Despite this, the city is in the top 10 for searches from Sweden in the category Abroad/Spain on Blocket. Interest in buying a home in Barcelona is high.
However, despite the eternal interest in buying a home in the city, there are few Swedish real estate agents who focus on Barcelona. This is simply because the prices there are significantly higher compared to the rest of Spain (although prices here have also dropped significantly during the crisis). The average Swede also wants to have 2 bedrooms with sea view in central location . Unfortunately, this segment is something only the really wealthy can afford in Barcelona.
But there are alternativesOur close partner, the major bank La Caixa (now Holabank), has a strong focus on Barcelona as it has its origins and headquarters in the Catalan capital. They also lend between 70-90%, and you can apply online.
They have hundreds of bank repossession , houses and apartments (as well as commercial properties) in their database. New ones are added all the time. They also have Swedish-speaking broker on site who collaborate directly with us.
We also collaborate with one of the larger resale players in the area (they also have investment properties with licenses for rental).
Note, an excellent exclusive area for an investment is Sitges, “Spain's St. Tropez”.
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About prices and rental restrictions
The market in Barcelona peaked in 2007 with an average price per square metre of 4732 euros and was at its lowest in 2013 with an average price of 2957 euros. A decrease of approximately 40%. Since 2013 until the end of 2016, the market in Barcelona has risen by approximately 6-7%.
Now the prices differ quite a bit between the different city districts and different sources have slightly varying information on the average the price per square meter, but the percentage is the same, i.e. approx. 40% between peak and bottom.
Because they stopped giving new licenses for tourist apartments, they have given tax breaks to investors who buy apartments and rent them out for long-term living instead. They realized that the interest of foreign investors dropped quickly and are trying to compensate for this. net return is often not as high, but the investment is at the same time much lower.
Most Scandinavians do not buy in Barcelona with the intention of renting out the apartment anyway. There are better markets for this specific purpose. However, if you have a larger budget to work with, there is big money to be made in this hugely popular market (the reason the restrictions were introduced was, after all, to curb the ever-growing tourism).
As for "cheap" bank repossession It cannot be emphasized enough that this is exclusively a more or less renovation project on the outskirts of Barcelona. It is simply not possible to get a “fresh one-room apartment” with a terrace in a central location for around one million SEK.
Read about which areas in Spain give the highest net return when investing.
Write to info@spanskafastigheter.se If you are looking for something in a specific area, we will let the Swedish broker scan the market for just that. Whether we recommend bank repossession instead depends on what and where you are looking.
Invest in a house or apartment on the outskirts if you are moving to Barcelona
Eixample is a good neighborhood as it is very central, but still outside the "worst" town center parts that are teeming with tourists. The houses are also more modern but still in a classic nice style if you compare it to, for example, Borne which is located in the middle of the city and consists of very old houses. Poble Neu is also becoming more and more popular. Poble Neu is relatively close to the city and it is close to the beach. The difference here is that there is more new construction so the standard is higher.
A cheap alternative is to invest in an apartment or house in one of the towns outside the city.
A good example is Roda del Ter, located an hour's drive, about 80 kilometers from central Barcelona. The town is located in the municipality of Comarca de Osona, near the Ter River.
At the time of writing, there are for example newly built apartments for sale in Roda from 45000 Euro up to 95000, (1-3 bedrooms). All apartments have aluminum windows, fully equipped kitchens, heating , etc. Some also have a terrace or garden. There are 6 left for sale, but this is, as I said, just an example.
There are still lots of bank repossession in and around Barcelona. In Barcelona itself there are apartments from 43800-241000 Euros.
Zones that the bank has in its portfolio: Alt Penedes, Anoia, Bages, Baix Llorbregat, Bergueda, Barcelonés, Garraf, La Selva, Mareseme, Osona, Valles Occidental and Valles Oriental.
The most common approach is that you enter your criteria: approximate location, type of accommodation, number of bedrooms, etc. and then click on viewing . Read more about how to do this buy bank repossession in Spain.
Write to info@spanskafastigheter.se for more information.
