Menorca Real Estate Prices Set For A Price Crash

A sunshine Spanish Mediterranean holiday home for many Europeans, but especially the British, has been an aspiration achieved by many since the early 1980’s, when the UK allowed the free flow of capital, and property price gains allowed many to sell up in Britain and move to Spain and her islands – Menorca for example.

A slow down of Brits buying abroad happened in the early 90’s when recession hit the country, but overall the pace of number of people buying a home and often buying a business too has been relentless.

And with a growing number of British moving abroad, the UK’s financial infrastructure followed them, with British banks setting up branches in Spain and the Spanish islands like Menorca (ironically some of the British banks have now been taken over by Spanish ones), mortgage companies tailoring products for overseas home purchase,low cost airlines providing flights to Menorca and insurance companies offering building and contents cover.

For many of the British buying in Spain, it was like Britain with sunshine.

But times have changed, Spain is flooded with unsold brand new and re-sale properties, and property prices have crashed. In Britian property prices have dropped and are expected to fall further for the next year or more.

Confidence is low – unemployment in the UK is expected to hit 3 million before it peaks, and people with some money who might ordinarily have considered buying a property abroad are often keeping it in assets where the money is easily accessible – something it’s not when tied up in a property during a recession.

And of course the financial infrastructure that supported the British buying homes and businesses in Spain and her islands is in full retreat. The banks who were lending money readily to Brits moving abroad aren’t lending much, and many of them have been bailed out with taxpayers’ money – overall a dismal picture of a once flourishing overseas property market.

So, is now a good time to buy in Spain and her islands? If you’ve always fancied an apartment or villa in glorious Menorca – is this the time to take the plunge?

Part of that answer depends upon your individual financial circumstances, but if you need to borrow to buy a second home, and if you need income from holiday rentals to sustain your new Menorca property…halve the figure you think you might achieve and re-calculate to get closer to what you might realistically get from renting out to those taking Menorca holidays in today’s market.

But if you have a surplus of cash and are ready to buy a property in Menorca – is now a good time to buy?

There’s a property glut in Spain. If property was water, Spain and her islands would be renamed Atlantis. Developers and private owners alike are more than keen to sell, and anyone who is a cash buyer won’t have to wait long before they see a bargain. But don’t necessarily buy the first property you like that seems good value.

Draw up a list of say three or four apartments or villas you have viewed and liked and put in an offer of around sixty per cent of the already discounted price, starting with your favourite one, telling the owners that the offer remains good for two weeks, and at that time you will look elsewhere. Within a couple of months you, perhaps even weeks, you could have the property you want at an amazing price, even if the owners come back with a counter offer.

One bit of advice from UK based Tribune Properties is to avoid buying a brand new property.

‘Only buy a new property in Menorca if you’re absolutely certain that the developer has the funds to finish off a development and the promised infrastructure that goes with the new development…and even then only spend what you can afford to lose. Guarantees are often useless if a developer goes bust. And just don’t buy a property under construction – the development could be mothballed for years to come – along with any deposits and staged payments already paid by a buyer.’

Their final bit of advice is not good news for Menorca property developers either, or for private re-sales.

‘If you can hold on a few months, you might find even better bargains than there are now in the autumn when the same owners who are selling now have failed to find a buyer, and at the end of the holidays season owners might be prepared to listen to offers in the hope of finally selling their Menorca property.’

Why Move to Spain

For a long time now, Spain has been the destination for thousands of emigrants who leave their home in search of the Good Life. From fresh-faced students to retired statesmen, people have flocked here in their droves, in order to set up a home and learn Spanish.

But why is Spain such a popular place to live?

Weather

The sunny Spanish weather is a famed draw for tourists and emigrants alike. While there are places here that experience quite rainy conditions for much of the year (the northern areas, for example), most of Spain basks in wonderful sunshine, especially during summer when it comes a beach-lovers delight.

Variety

Spain is primarily known for its major cities and its magnificent beaches. Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Valencia and Bilbao are all great urban destinations (especially for those who like to indulge in the cultural bustle of big cities), while much of the east and south coast is taken up by mile upon mile of simply idyllic coastline.

In a few select places (Barcelona and Cadiz, say), the urban fun and seaside relaxation meet with aplomb. As a result, these are extremely popular places to set up home in, especially if you can secure living quarters in enigmatic parts of the city. Barcelona apartments in the Barri Gotic, for example, may come at a premium, but theyre well worth the cost, given their surroundings and the proximity of the Barceloneta beach.

Cost of Living

For a European country, Spain is famously easy on the wallet. Day to day life here comes at a pittance when compared to other similar sized countries in the continent: food is cheap, alcohol is cheaper, and even housing is happily affordable (in terms of apartments Valencia, Seville, Madrid and Barcelona all offer a slew of well-priced and available places).

Attitude to Life

Probably the major reason behind Spains appeal to foreigners looking to move overseas is its fun-loving attitude to life. Theres a shared reluctance to do anything too exertive here; life should be spent in cafes on plazas, sipping coffee or drinking beer (preferably with the beach in sight).

Spain is also a country thats known for its love of the fiesta (party). Fiestas tend to start close to midnight, and carry on well into the sunlit hours of the next day. All in all, their friendly indulgence comes to symbolize all that is so good about this exciting and beautiful South European country.