Ciutat Vella - Eixample Esquerra - Eixample Dreta - Sants - Montjuic - Les Corts - Sarriá - Sant Gervasi - Gràcia - Horta - Guinardó - Nou Barris - El Born - Sant Andreu - Barceloneta - Sant Martí

Flat BCN - flats y habitaciones en Venta o Alquiler en Barcelona

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The Barcelona property market has risen strongly since 1997 with double-digit price rises in most districts every year with the exception of 1998. A growing Spanish economy, increasing employment, cheaper borrowing (lower interest rates and innovations in the mortgage market), a cultural preference for buying over renting and the impact of rising foreign demand for property in Barcelona has pushed overall demand up whilst the supply of property has remained fairly constant (constrained by mountains and sea Barcelona cannot expand through sprawl). The increase in tourism to Barcelona has also increased the pressure on the property market as residential property in Barcelona's most attractive central districts has been converted into hotels. These supply and demand factors explain the tight property market and rising prices of the past 6 years. However there are signs that the Barcelona property market is beginning to cool. Until recently the average time it took to sell a property in Barcelona was around 4 weeks, with little or no room for negotiation over the price. Now the average time to sell has increased to 6 weeks or longer and vendors are more disposed than before to negotiate over price. Anecdotal evidence from bank managers also suggests that the number of new mortgages being granted in Barcelona is falling, and that first time buyers are being prevented from entering the market by high prices. Even so the consensus of analysts' opinions is that property prices in Barcelona will increase yet again by double digits in 2004, but that price increases will slow down in subsequent years to below double digits. We take a slightly more pessimistic short-term view than the consensus. We believe that prices could easily stagnate in Barcelona over the next couple of years, though we think falling prices unlikely. However over a 5 to 10 year period we believe that property prices in Barcelona's key areas will deliver satisfactory capital gains as Barcelona establishes itself as one of Europe's best cities to live in. This will undoubtedly be the case if Barcelona achieves its goal of becoming one of Southern Europe's main business centres.

Properties in Barcelona are rented out on a short-term basis to tourists, business travellers and students. Short term lets range from one day to several months, though few agencies will accept bookings of less than 3 or 4 days. Many foreigners planning to buy property in Barcelona are interested in renting out their property on a short-term basis when they are not using it. Doing so generates income that helps pay the purchase and maintenance costs of the property whilst enabling the owner to use the property when visiting Barcelona. This double benefit of healthy rental income plus the use of a property for short breaks in Barcelona has made short-term rental properties a highly popular investment amongst overseas buyers. Furthermore over the past 5 years short term lets in Barcelona have been stunningly profitable, outperforming long term rents by a wide margin and delivering exceptionally good investment returns (rental yield plus capital gains). There are various factors that explain the success of short-term rental apartments in Barcelona over the past few years. Barcelona's inexorable rise as a leading year-round tourist destination plus a shortage of hotel beds have all but guaranteed high occupancy rates for short-term rental accommodation in Barcelona. Just as importantly the internet and low cost airlines have changed the way people book their holidays; in the past most people would use a travel agent to book a flight and a hotel. Today many people put together their own holidays, booking flights and accommodation online. Whereas 5 years ago it would have been difficult to book or even find a short term rental apartment in Barcelona from abroad, now by simply typing 'accommodation in Barcelona' into Google you can book one of hundreds of apartments in a matter of minutes. Furthermore families and groups travelling together often prefer apartments over hotels because they work out cheaper per head and enable people to feel more at home then they would in a hotel. However it is steadily becoming more difficult to rent out apartments in Barcelona on a short-term basis. The runaway success of short-term rental properties in Barcelona over the past few years is partly to blame for the present difficulties. Word got out about the great returns and resulted in a considerable expansion in the number of apartments being offered on short-term rentals. Catalan property investors have gone in hard and overseas buyers are not far behind. The flood of new apartments has coincided with a big increase in the number of hotel beds in Barcelona (approximately 3,000 new hotel beds in the last couple of years) and a levelling off in the growth of visitors to Barcelona. Greater competition from both hotels, which have dropped their prices, and other rental apartments means that occupancy rates and prices are falling, driving down returns. In comparison to previous years 2004 has been disappointing for short-term rentals in Barcelona. The difficulties emerging in 2004 notwithstanding, buying property in Barcelona with a view to renting it out on a short term basis can still deliver results if approached in the right way and with realistic expectations. One of the biggest challenges for non-resident owners who wish to rent their apartment on a short-term basis is to find a good agency to market and manage their property. As the supply of short-term rental properties in Barcelona has expanded so to has the number of agencies marketing and managing these apartments. However some of them cannot be trusted to do a good job and fewer still comply with the law. Common problems with rental agencies include: Unprofessional opportunists who will take advantage of overseas owners and pocket rent that the owners don't know about. Agencies that do not take adequate care over screening rental clients, which can result in a high level of wear and tear that owners end up paying for. Unprofessional agencies lacking audit procedures so that over time everything that isn't nailed to the floor is stolen (by clients and staff) from the apartment. Agencies that rent out apartments on a short-term basis without having the tourist client sign a short-term rental contract despite the fact that it is mandatory. This exposes the owner to a potentially huge problem should a rental client decline to leave the apartment for whatever reason. Agencies that only market properties and do not offer any management services. This might be acceptable for owners who live in Barcelona but is no solution for non-resident owners. Owners who decide to manage their own properties are responsible for getting the appropriate government permits. We suspect that few agencies have the necessary government permits to engage in this business. To market and manage short-term rental properties legally an agency has to comply with detailed regulations and have the necessary permits, insurance and guarantees. Furthermore all the apartments they rent have to be inspected by the local government (residential properties cannot be rented out on a short term basis without a permit from the government). We do not recommend using an agency that does not comply with the law. If anything serious were to go wrong - for instance a bad accident befalling a rental client in your property - you could find yourself in deep trouble. Unfortunately the best high-profile agents that satisfy all regulatory requirements cannot effectively market and manage more than around 100 apartments, possibly even fewer. Every day the best agents are offered new apartments to rent out as more owners try to enter the business. However some leading agents are actually downsizing their portfolios rather than taking on new apartments to rent. With the present abundance of apartments on offer for short term rentals the best agencies are only interested in the most rentable properties offered by owners with reasonable rental expectations. Contracting a good agency is an essential part of achieving decent short-term rental returns but in the present climate it may be difficult to get a new property listed with a good agent.

Alquiler temporal en Barcelona

PROPERTY BARCELONA: A GUIDE TO PROPERTY IN BARCELONA

Over a 10-year timeframe we believe that capital appreciation on property in Barcelona will be reasonable, when taking into account a relatively low level of risk. Barcelona's strengths as reviewed at the beginning of this guide will continue to hold true and we believe this will attract increasing numbers of buyers from all over Europe. At the same time Barcelona's stock of property is fixed and supply cannot increase to meet growing demand (other than converting larger properties into a greater number of smaller ones). For the market to clear it is reasonable to expect prices to continue rising, though in the next 3 to 5 years we also feel that Barcelona's property prices might stagnage in order to digest the astronomical increases in the last few years.

Size Barcelona is big and cosmopolitan enough to avoid the dreaded small town parochial feeling without being overwhelmingly big, impersonal, sprawling and choked up like many of the world's big cities. Once again it gets the balance just right. Furthermore the fact that Barcelona is hemmed in by the mountains and the sea means that sprawl is not an option so Barcelona is forever destined to be the perfect size. Access Barcelona is the gateway to Spain from Europe and extremely well accessed by road, rail, sea and air. It's popularity with tourists and the size of its business community ensure a large choice of regular and low cost flights in and out of Barcelona every day from all over Europe. The main Mediterranean motorway running down from France passes Barcelona and in due course the arrival of the TGV-fast train rail link will make cities like Paris and London accessible by rail in a mater of hours. Ferries leave Barcelona for the Balearics and other Mediterranean destinations several times a day. Modernity Barcelona is undoubtedly Spain's most modern city. Under Franco's regime Barcelona was always the rebellious city striving to be a part of modern Europe in contrast to the conservative and establishment leanings of Madrid. In the present day Barcelona is thoroughly modern with excellent infrastructure, services and some of the best health facilities in the world. Living in Barcelona means not having to compromise on any of the advantages of modern life. Culture & Style Barcelona oozes style and culture. Designers consider it a leading centre of design flair and innovation, which is why many international design companies have offices in Barcelona or even head offices. The architecture is world famous and stimulating, as is the cuisine. Barcelona is very much a part of the international art circuit and important exhibitions often pass through Barcelona (for instance the Lucien Freud exhibition which came to Barcelona after London and before San Francisco). The city is also a paradise for shoppers looking for both high fashion as well as something different and Barcelona Fashion Week brings in all the big names. Safety It is no secret that Barcelona suffers from petty crime in the main tourist areas of the old town. However outside of the Raval and parts of the Gothic Quarter and certainly everywhere above Gran Via Barcelona is a safe city in which to live and mooch around. Out on the town in Barcelona of an evening you never sense the undercurrent of violence so common in British cities. Cost of living Though the cost of living in Barcelona has risen substantially since the introduction of the Euro it is still a cheap place to live in comparison to other European cities. Compare the cost of dinning out (including taxis) Between Barcelona and London and you will understand what we mean.

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PROPERTY BARCELONA: A GUIDE TO PROPERTY IN BARCELONA

The Spanish population of Barcelona has been steadily declining since 1979 whilst in recent years the foreign population has been increasing (to around 9% at present). The biggest groups of immigrants are from Latin America, The EU and Morocco. Looking at the population figures we can see that the local population is getting older and smaller and the immigrant population younger and bigger- the same pattern as all over Europe. However it is also interesting to note the rise in the number of people moving to Barcelona from other EU countries. Latest figures for 2003 show a significant jump in the number of British, Germans, French and Dutch moving to Barcelona. The population of Barcelona is set to continue growing largely due to immigration. Districts The city of Barcelona has 10 districts: 1. Ciudad Vieja (includes Raval, Born, Barrio Gótico & Barceloneta) 2. Ensanche (divided by Paseo de Gràcia into Izquierda y Derecha, includes Sagrada Familia) 3. Sants-Montjuïc (includes Poble Sec) 4. Les Corts (includes Pedralbes) 5. Sarrià-Sant Gervasi 6. Gràcia 7. Horta-Guinardó 8. Nou Barris 9. Sant Andreu 10. Sant Martí (includes Poble Nou)

Living in a vibrant, sun-drenched city in the Mediterranean with an insatiable joie de vivre can be an intoxicatingly pleasant and exciting experience, but it has to come at some sort of price. Reports of eggs and other missiles thrown down from flats into the midst of loud revelers on the city streets below, highlight, anecdotally, that for many Barcelona residents the price to be paid is excessive noise levels. "The use of car horns in traffic jams is just so pointless," lamented Tania Ahern of the Eixample. "Who on earth starts drilling at 8am on a Sunday morning?" moaned Norman Bell of Gràcia. "Are there prizes for the loudest rather than the fastest Moped these days?" enquired Manuela Jarrett of the Ciutat Vella. One doesn't need to spend much time asking around before hearing plenty of noise-related gripes and grievances. It appears that although noise comes with the territory in Barcelona, there remains a collective need to vent. Noise pollution as an issue is screaming for attention, and it is moving up the list of social priorities. "It is a variable taken into account more and more in evaluating quality of life," according to Pau Rodríguez Montequín, the Director de Servicios de Vigiláncia Ambiental. "The noise in our city is caused by a high density of communal services, institutions and businesses which create intense activities and movement." This is true enough for any city, but Barcelona is characterised BCN Girlsby neighbourhoods that have a representation of the whole gamut of city life. Residential buildings, retail outlets, bars, schools and businesses all jostle for space side by side in many streets, meaning there is no distinct business or entertainment districts where noise is to be expected, or residential areas where it is not. The central government's Ministerio de Medio Ambiente has noted that Spain is considered to be the noisiest country in Europe, with Mediterranean cities in particular singled out as the worst offenders. Only Japan suffers from higher levels of "acoustic contamination". The situation is serious. Excess noise can be highly stressful, causing sleep disorders, fatigue and extreme annoyance. However, doing something about it proves difficult for an individual, as the apparent culprits all have a tendency to pass the proverbial buck. Private transport must shoulder a significant Girls BCN portion of the blame. At between 50 and 60 dB, a car idling is about as loud as a normal conversation. From 100 metres away, a jet aeroplane takes off at about 110 dB, and hearing damage can occur at 120dB. Motorcycles at 80-110dB are the worst day-to-day offenders. These are in no short supply in Barcelona, second in number only to Rome in Europe: narrow streets, traffic congestion and parking problems have led to a proliferation of scooters, mopeds and motorbikes in recent years. Exhaust silencers are compulsory on new bikes now, but this does not stop some moto owners (those of the go-faster stripe mentality) from actually doing the opposite and installing illegal, custom-made exhausts that are extra-loud. Although these riders may be a minority, they create a bad name for moto owners as a whole.