Investments in barcelona

How can Casamona help you invest in Barcelona?

Casamona has been operating in Barcelona since 2004, building strong relationships with local contacts and investors. We can help you find buildings and development properties for sale in Barcelona. To invest in Barcelona, please email Tine@casamona.com for more information

This is what the founder of Casamona, Tine Mathiassen, suggests for 2023:

"Rental prices are rising and will continue to do so until the 2024 America's Cup. So the best investment advice of 2023 is to buy, renovate, and let you property for monthly, short term rentals."

Investment Options:

Casamona is opening new ways to help our clients get the best business opportunities. We have a variety of investment opportunities in the centre and in the outskirts of Barcelona, here are more details:

1. Buildings in the Center of Barcelona and the Surrounding Area:

We are working with owners of various buildings in the city that can become a great investment for renting. We also have an extensive network of partners offering various services, ultimately allowing us to continually add new properties to our portfolio. We help investors through the process of buying the property as a buyer agent. Our commission is between 3% and 5%, and includes exlusive work with Casamona.

2. Running businesses with 4-8% in ROI:

We offer you a chance to invest in different commercial properties in and around Barcelona, from which you will receive the rent from the business that is currently working there. The revenue is between 4-8%. It is important to note that you will not be purchasing the business in any form, only the property or land, as well as the rent that the business currently pays in order to reside there with a contract of 10 compulsory years. There are variations of local opportunities such as gas stations, hairdressers, laundromats, and much more ranging from €175.000 to €1.7 Million.

3. Renovation and Project Management:

If you are renovating a property and are in the need of a project manager, Casamona can help you!

We provide services such as:

Interior design
Guidance and control of a renovation project
Acting as an intermediary between clients and distributors
Electricity and water facilities installation
Painting
General advice
Have a look at where to invest in our Blog post here

Why Invest in Barcelona?

There are several reasons why Barcelona is an ideal city to invest in, such as:

1. The popularity of the city as a tourist destination

2. The popularity of the city as a foreign investment hub amongst international buyers

3. The amount you can get for your money in comparison to other metropolitan cities

4. The weather

5. The quality of life

6. And the location

BARCELONA AS A TOURIST DESTINATION

Barcelona is the sixth most visited city in Europe, and is very popular amongst travellers. Barcelona has a lot to offer, such as historical monuments, the beach, and the lively atmosphere. As the popularity of the city continues to increase, investing in Barcelona becomes more and more enticing. Additionally, Barcelona is still Europe’s most popular port for cruise ships, hosting over 1.63 million passengers between January and July of 2019, according to the Ministry of Public Works (from Catalan News, September 2019). Spain’s tourism industry contributes a significant percentage to Spain’s GDP (about 10-11%), with millions of tourists visiting the beautiful city each year.

FOREIGN BUSINESS INVESTMENT

The popularity of the city also suggests that it has great potential to increase the quantity of international buyers. The city is the headquarter for many of the 5,000 foreign companies operating in Barcelona at the moment, which suggests that foreign investment has been a great success for them. Besides, there are many different sectors in Barcelona that have a lot of potential. There is a great possibility for international project investments and developments. Also, indicators in the Spanish economy reveal that the country has been improving constantly as its indexes have been growing. Especially in the last few years Barcelona and Madrid have, due to various factors, particularly qualified for an investment by foreign companies and private individuals. The diversified economy in Barcelona welcomes big international companies, which attracts an increasing number of foreign companies to set up in Barcelona.

THE AMOUNT YOU CAN GET FOR YOUR MONEY

In comparison to many other Metropolitan cities such as London and Paris, the price of purchasing a property in Barcelona is generally a lot more affordable. The cost of living in Barcelona is approximately 33% cheaper than London according to Expatistan.com. In a time of great uncertainty, lower costs in comparison to other European cities are definitely a beneficial factor when looking for an investment.

WEATHER and QUALITY OF LIFE

With around 2,524 hours of sunshine each year, it isn’t surprising that Barcelona is such a popular city. It is easy to see why many people love to visit this city. Due to the amount of sunshine, beautiful beaches, mediterranean cuisine and stunning architecture, Barcelona is a happy city. It hosts a number of incredible attractions and museums, including the Arc de Triomf, a Picasso museum, Gaudi’s Park Guell, La Sagrada Familia, Camp Nou and La Rambla. There is always something to do in Barcelona, which makes life fulfilling. There is also a range of different cuisines from all over the world, which can be enjoyed throughout the city.

LOCATION

Barcelona is a sought-after location in Europe. You can get to Barcelona within 1 to 3 hours from any European country. Not many European cities can combine a beautiful and historic aspect with the added element of the beach. One minute, you will be strolling through the charismatic and gothic streets of el Born, to then find yourself by the beautiful Mediterranean sea. Not many cities have a beach less than 10 minutes away from the centre! Another enticing factor of Barcelona is that it is within close proximity to the ski slopes. The Spanish Pyrenees are often a quieter and great alternative to the Alps, and a few of the ski resorts that are located near to Barcelona include la Molina, la Masella, and Port del Comte which are all just 2 hours away from Barcelona city. In addition to this, wineries, natural parks, and historical sites surround the city!

Tine Mathiassen, the owner of Casamona Real Estate and a leading real estate broker recently sat down for a Q&A session to provide a better understanding of the market.

How is the general economic climate in Spain these days? Can the young generation buy a home?

Tine Mathiassen: “Our market is mostly driven by foreigners, which is almost 25% of all buyers in Barcelona. Tax regulations support the younger generation because if you are under 32 years old you pay 5% instead of 10%.. We see many young people buying homes in Barcelona right now. . The last 4-6 sales have been bought by young professionals “ working from home” from France, USA, Italy and Denmark. They are buying because the rental prices have been rising and the interest has been low so it makes more sense to own the apartment and pay off the loan instead of paying rent to a stranger."

What are the hottest neighbourhoods right now?

Tine Mathiassen: “Barcelona is changing a lot and has been for the last decade. The harbour now has huge yachts, where before it was a harbour for regular people who had sailing boats. The members-only OneOcean Club recently opened and it's a great spot to hang out. This change has caused some tension from the local people. The area is changing and foreigners are buying apartments in Barcelona and they will pay 20% to 30% more than a Catalan will pay. Especially Scandinavians tend to pay a higher price as they love the sea and the beach. The luxury yacht owners are also interested in buying here in Barceloneta. They want views and they are buying the larger, more expensive apartments. The younger buyers are looking to buy in El Born and Gotico. Here they can get smaller cosy apartments with Catalan features. They like the bohemian area with small stores and local cool bars and cafes. Other interesting areas are Eixample, which was an area where mostly local Catalan was buying, but now we see buyers, Italians and other rich foreigners buying large apartments here, too. Here, you get the beautiful Catalan style apartments with mosaic floors and height ceilings.”

How is the demand these days, especially compared with 1-2 years ago?

Tine Mathiassen: ”We have fewer buyers from the UK. The pound is weak and the British people are afraid of the effect of Brexit. A new market as I said before is younger professionals from all over the world who are seeing prices fall and now get a chance to get into the real estate market. We also see "Rich Refugees" coming to Spain. They come from Syria, Egypt, Turkey who buy properties for 500.000€+ so they can get a visa in Spain (or elsewhere in Europe). They buy either one large or 2 smaller flats and then they can rent one out and keep the other one. We are also seeing US buyers again. We can see a “Trump” effect - Some people would like to get out of the USA. They are often buying summer homes by the beach, which they will use as primary residence later in life. We have a lot fewer investors. The Israeli investors, ever so popular a few years back, are thinning out. The new law about Social housing and a more unstable market has scared them away. Now we see Catalan investors buying up - Maybe because they are better at navigating through all the new Catalan and Spanish real estate laws."

Was 2019 a good year for real estate in Barcelona?

Tine Mathiassen: "2019 was a bad year for Real estate in Barcelona. Many reasons- The political situation, new strict real estate law, rental control etc- The prices are very low again- We see 2007 prices, so now it will be a good time to invest in Barcelona."

What will be the trends for the upcoming years?

Tine Mathiassen: ”For apartments we see people going for the old style again, where a couple of years ago most buyers wanted modern apartments. It’s nice to see builders who are buying buildings and renovating them with love and care for the old Catalan style. In the past investors were doing cheap renovations and it’s great to notice that this trend is passing by. We see younger professionals coming into the market and they also appreciate cosy, contemporary and “old-style” apartments."