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Return of foreign buyers to Italian property market set to continue in 2015
The last year has been a good one for the Italian real estate market and going into 2015 there are still good buys to be found in many areas, it is claimed. ‘If the first quarter of 2015 is as busy as the first quarter of 2014 then this will be a very positive sign indeed and I can see no reason why not. The Euro is weaker against the Pound which is a great advantage and of course encourages clients to purchase more readily,’ said Linda Travella, who has been working in the country’s real estate industry for over 20 years. She has picked Puglia, Lake Como and Tuscany as the most popular areas for overseas buyers in 2014 and is certain this will continue into 2015 and pricing at the right level will still be the key to getting a sale. ‘The Tuscan market was hit the worst in the 2008 crash and that means that the possibility of finding a good buy in Tuscany is still excellent. If clients put their property on the market at an inflated value it will not sell as there are too many sellers prepared to negotiate to obtain a sale from a buyer who has the cash,’ she explained. She points out that it is possible, for example, to buy a fully renovated two bedroom apartment close to Volterra furnished or unfurnished with shared pool, starting from as little as €260,000. She predicts that British buyers will return to Lake Como in 2015 while Russian buyers have decreased. But Swiss and German buyers are still strong. Overall she expects the €500,000 plus market to be more buoyant in 2015. Sales at the lower end of the market are expected to be strong. ‘The market at €150,000 and under returned in 2014 and I see this trend continuing. Why leave your money in the bank or building society and receive hardly any interest, shares also lost value between April and October 2014 so an investment in property seems a much better option,’ said Travella. ‘I think the first quarter of 2015 will show a great deal of interest with clients viewing in February, March and April. We are seeing more interest from the UK market than in the past five years with the Europeans still also very interested buyers,’ she explained. ‘The US market seems to be also showing some interest compared to the past years with some clients already talking of viewing in the first and second quarters,’ she added. Her firm Casa Travella has also seen a huge surge of interest in 2014 in property in Puglia but many buyers were ‘just looking’. However, she expects these buyers returning to purchase in 2015. She also believes that The Dolomites could be an up and coming area in 2015 as property is hard to find but a great investment and not just for skiing. Her other top tip is Southern Le Marche where property by the… Continue reading
UK buy to let sector confident going into 2015, new research suggests
Confidence in the buy to let market will encourage significant investment in the sector by UK property investors in 2015, according to new research. This is despite the fact that 52% of buy to let property investors believe interest rates will rise next year, the report from specialist buy to let business Platinum Property Partners also shows. While the majority expect an increase, overall 42% believe interest rates will rise by less than 2% and only 10% expect to see interest rates rise by 2% or more. However, 29% cited a rise in interest rates as their biggest concern for 2015. An interest rate rise of any size would make buy to let borrowing more expensive, this hasn’t slowed down landlords’ ambitions as 43% of existing landlords intend to grow their portfolio of rental properties next year. Some 23% intend to expand their portfolio by one and 14% say they will purchase two more rental properties in the next 12 months. Landlords owning Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) for young professionals and key workers have some of the biggest ambitions for 2015 with 52% planning to add to their portfolio during 2015, 29% planning to add two properties and 14% will add three. The survey also found that landlords still feel confident about capital growth despite recent reports that the housing market is slowing. While the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) point to a dip in mortgage lending as evidence that there has been a ‘plateau’ in housing market activity, landlords are confident that house price growth will continue during the course of the next five years. Just under half, 49%, expect UK property values to climb by up to 10% over this period, while a further 28% of investors predict an increase of 10% or more. HMO landlords have an even more positive outlook for capital growth with 43% saying property prices will increase by 10% or more, some 15% more than the overall average. None of the HMO landlords surveyed expect house prices to decrease in the next five years. However, UK buy to let investors have some concerns about what 2015 may bring. When asked for their number one concern, an increase in interest rates topped the poll at 29%, closely followed by future changes in laws and legislations for landlords at 26%. A further 9% are most concerned about the impact of a change of government ahead of the general election and 20% have absolutely no current concerns. ‘A rise in interest rates is one of landlords’ main concerns for 2015, yet the majority don’t anticipate that these rises will be dramatic or unaffordable. As a result, our research reveals that the sector will continue to grow next year, with two in five planning to add to their portfolio despite a likely interest rate rise,’ said Steve Bolton, PPP chairman. ‘Investors in HMOs show the greatest intention to increase their portfolios, which reflects the fact that HMOs… Continue reading
Residential property cash sales in the US falling, latest data shows
Cash sales in the United States made up 34.8% of total home transactions in September 2014, down from 37.2% a year ago, according to the latest data to be published. The year on year share has fallen each month since January 2013, making September the 21st consecutive month of declines, the data from real estate firm Core Logic. Month on month, the cash sales share ticked up by 1%, however, the firm points out that cash sales share comparisons should be made on a year on year basis due to the seasonal nature of the housing market. Prior to the housing crisis, the cash sales share of total home sales averaged approximately 25% with a peak in January 2011 when cash transactions made up 46.4% of total home sales. Real estate owned (REO) sales had the largest cash sales share in September 2014 at 58.1%, followed by re-sales at 34.4%, short sales at 32.4% and newly constructed homes at 16.8%. While the percentage of REO sales that were cash transactions remained high, REO transactions made up only 7.8% of total sales in September and, therefore, did not have a large influence on the overall cash sales share. In January 2011, when the cash sales share was at its peak, REO sales made up 23.9% of total sales. A breakdown of the figures shows that Delaware had the largest share of any state at 57.4%, followed by Florida at 50.8%, Alabama at 49.6%, New York at 44.4% and Idaho at 43.3%. Of the nation's largest 100 Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs) measured by population, Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, Florida, had the highest share of cash sales at 56.2%, followed closely by West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Delray Beach, also in Florida at 55.9%. Then came Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach, in Florida at 54.8%, Cape Coral-Fort Myers, also in Florida, at 54.7% and Detroit-Dearborn-Livonia, in Michigan at 53.1%. The data also shows that Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C. had the lowest cash sales share at 16.2%. Continue reading
