There are a lot of comments on the market about how much it is improving. If we take a look to the information provided by the Ministry of Housing, the number of sales registered on the third quarter, not only on Benahavis but also in Marbella, has been the best of the last six years. That means something by itself.
If we look at the data of Benahavis, the year up to now is not as good as 2012 but it is already much better than 2011 so I think it is going to be a good year.
On the other hand, the number of sales in Marbella has been, on this time of the year, the best since 2008. The increase in sales has been a 24% when compared to those of 2012. However, it is still a 35 % lower than the average of the “good years”.
Can we say that the market has recovered?
My opinion is that we should not say it yet. It is true that the market is doing better but when you are working on the field, you can feel that things are slightly better but seems that there is still a way to go. It is still complicated to close operations and there is not any sense on the buyers that they can lose a property if they wait some time to decide. When talking to one of the big notary offices of Marbella three weeks ago, they stated that they have registered an increase of 10 to 15% in the number of sales when compared to the same period of 2012. That confirms the better sensations that all we are in this field are noticing. A friend told me recently: we have started the engine and we have started to move but still some time to reach the pace.
