mercers News

A trio of key progressions in Murcia - the Paramount-branded Theme Park, a new international airport at Corvera and the imminent AVE train network extension – have kept the Region in the headlines and local estate agent Mercers in a selling groove.

Murcia estate agent, Mercers, has just experienced its best summer sales period for five years. Murcia is attracting an international audience lured by four key factors – the Paramount-branded Theme Park, golf, accessibility and, above all, price.

Beachside Spanish property has always commanded a premium, you still can expect to pay in excess of 1mn € for a prime beachfront apartment in Marbella. In Murcia it's different, 99,000 euros for a two bed within five mins walk of Blue Flag bliss.

Thanks to a combination of rock bottom prices and excited anticipation surrounding the Paramount-branded Theme Park, Murcia has been declared ‘top climber’ search term on the UK’s leading overseas property portal, rising 11 places in June 2011.

When the Hamiltons purchased their holiday home in Camposol Golf, Murcia, they had no aspirations for amassing a property portfolio. However news of a Paramount-branded Theme Park encouraged them to purchase an additional home.

According to Murcia’s regional government, construction of the Paramount-branded Theme Park in Murcia could begin as early as February 2012. Promoters pledge that works will be fast and may well complete in 2014 - a year ahead of schedule.

Polaris World's main creditors have supported the golf-driven resorts and are focussing on clearing the inventory of unsold property. Good news for buyers as you can buy a home at Condado de Alhama for cost price of 85,000 euros – a 58% discount.

Taking shape in the small town of Corvera, just 20 mins from the proposed Paramount Pictures site, Murcia's new Airport hopes to ‘steal’ no less than 3mn passengers from El Altet Airport across the border in the neighbouring province of Alicante.

In an official ceremony on Friday 25 March, the masterplan for the first Paramount Pictures-branded Theme Park in Europe was unveiled and 2015 was revealed as the expected opening date for the hugely significant project.

At Camposol Golf, an established 18-hole course in Murcia, completed key-ready two bedroom homes are available for just 50,000 euros, that’s less than 43,000 pounds. Surely this is Europe’s cheapest golf resort?

In recent weeks, two Murcia-based property developers have announced grand plans for new build residential projects in 2011. Local real estate company, Mercers, wonders if this could be premature.

If there’s comfort to be drawn from the collapse of Spain’s property sector, it’s the disappearance of the ‘cowboy’ estate agent, but Mercers fear an influx of shady agents hoping to cash in on Alhama’s new Paramount Pictures theme park.

This month Mercers collected Best Estate Agent (Bronze) in the OPP (Overseas Property Professional) Awards for Excellence 2010. Incredibly Mercers was the only Spanish Estate Agent to pick up an award – an amazing feat.

Paramount Pictures has opted to construct its first Europe-based theme park at Alhama de Murcia in Mazarron. Predicted to attract 3mn tourists a year, the October 13th landmark decision will have a significant impact on the prospects of the region.

With Spain’s PM declaring the Spanish property crash to be over, the window of opportunity with bargain house prices could be about to close. He expects prices to begin to rise which can only mean one thing–buy now or you’ll pay later.

There are certain regions in the Spanish property market vastly outperforming others. Take June in Murcia for example. According to the National Institute of Statistics 1,308 homes changed hands in Murcia compared with a national average of just 99.

After literally months of unsubstantiated gossip, Paramount Pictures made a formal announcement on Friday 10 September to say that it will be opening its first theme park in Europe with Spain, specifically Murcia, as the chosen location.

When Tony Blair took Nº10 in '97 he declared ‘Cool Britannia’ ruling the world in art, pop & fashion. 13yrs on and around 700 people are fleeing Britain every day for a new life overseas – many swap ‘Cool Britannia’ for ‘Viva España’.

Maybe it’s the pound’s 18-month high against the euro or maybe it’s a belief that Spanish house prices cannot fall much lower – whatever the motivation, property sales in Spain are on the up.

The perfect holiday home in Spain would be detached, have a clutch of palm trees and an inviting turquoise swimming pool – all against a blue-sky backdrop. Sounds expensive. Not on Costa Cálida, the reality can be yours for just 95,000 euros.

Spain’s National Statistics Institute reported on 13 April 2010 that house sales have risen at their fastest rate since records began in 2007. Is this the first real sign of recovery? Costa Cálida based estate agents Mercers certainly think so.

Once again crime and weather are to blame for the record number of over 55s wanting to leave the UK. New research from the Foreign Office divulges that more than four in ten Brits nearing retirement age are considering doing it abroad.

According to Facilismo.com, Spain’s no1 property portal, Murcia has posted the highest house price rises of all the nation’s autonomous regions at 0.24%. This makes it one of a select quartet of communities showing positive growth in Jan 2010.

Whilst there’s little doubt that life is returning to the Spanish property market, it still remains utterly price sensitive. For real estate agent Mercers, this means a conscious shift in its Jerez property portfolio to the best value options.

It's tricky to work out how buying a villa in Spain in 2000 for €122,000 euros and selling in 2010 for €85,000 euros is anything but a disaster. But the client’s getting a bargain and the vendor’s making a profit. How? The vendor’s British.

Whilst indeed the press reports are correct, the Spanish property market has started to whirr back into motion, it remains highly price sensitive. Basically only if the price is right will the property sell.

Real estate agent, Mercers, has just launched its newest concept which is ideally suited to today’s Spanish property market - Rent2Buy. With purchasers hesitating and vendors despondent, a Rent2Buy arrangement bridges a win-win gap between the two.

Thriving in a tricky marketplace, Spanish real estate agent Mercers has just seen a good year get even better with the announcement of a ‘Best Real Estate Agency Spain’ Award for the second year running.

September was Mercers’ best sales month this year. The buying public are after bargains and that’s exactly what they’re getting on the Costa Cálida. Price two bed golf villas from as little as 50,000 euros (46,000 pounds) and they will sell.

Don’t panic, Zapatero hasn’t been taking tips from the Brits on how to handle delinquent youths, instead it’s the massive rise in “Almost Sold Back On Market” property littering estate agents books.

Many harbour an ambition to be César Ritz and run a hotel. Jerez estate agents, Mercers, have two city-centre homes available which will allow just that. Both have enough period flair to satisfy the late ‘King of Hoteliers and Hotelier of Kings’

Even with the magic formula of ‘sun+beach+golf’ many holiday resorts come a cropper. Over-built, over-crowded and over-hyped. But not Costa Ballena. This development in southern Spain constitutes a blueprint for holiday resorts of the future.

Many commentators offer their opinions on the Spanish Property market – but are they close enough to the truth? The following Qs have been A’d by real Spanish property experts. Experts who have been in the business on Iberian soil for years.

If you’re going to live in a unique building you may as well create an interior that’s just as standout. That’s exactly what the owner of this loft apartment in a restored sherry bodega in Jerez has achieved. It can be yours for 350,000 euros.

Seven years ago the pound bought a mighty 1.61 euros. Now it's at its weakest point since the euro’s inception exactly a decade ago. But Costa Calida-based Mercers have proved that a little creativity can go a long way to beat the currency crisis.

On Spain’s Costa Cálida real estate agent Mercers isn’t letting a pesky recession get in the way of selling houses. The secret is simple. Offer bargain property that’s hard to resist, like a two bedroom terraced golf villa for 55,000 euros

After 25yrs at the forefront of the Spanish property market, Mercers see their recent award win at the CNBC-sponsored European Property Awards as an endorsement of their business and a real pat on the back for a quarter of a century of hard work.

As months pass another set of dreary figures are posted by the Spanish Ministries. However, where there’s distress there’s opportunity and Costa Cálida-based Mercers is experiencing increased sales figures as bargain-hunters come out in force.

Every rule must have its exception and in terms of the Spanish real estate market that exception is Jerez. Whilst much of Spain is feeling the heat of a slowdown, this Andalucian city is happy in the knowledge that its property prices are going up.

All but the most adventurous of Brits like to seek out a bit of familiarity when selecting their overseas idyll for semi-permanent living or lock-stock retirement. Costa Cálida’s enormously popular Camposol fits the bill perfectly.

The city of Jerez is known for its fortified wine however few realize it’s the cradle of the gypsy-Andalucian art of flamenco. In order to redress this balance the Council of Jerez is building its ambitious project ‘La Ciudad del Flamenco’.