Property
be Ma s m t p laga ag ro ’s az pe in rty e
www.theolivepress.es
www.theolivepress.es
Issue 27
March 2019
Know what this is? It’s just helped an architect win the world’s most prestigious prize
13
March 13th - March 26th 2019
See Legacy on page VI
King of cool Spanish maestro celebrated for five decades in the business, see STARchitect page XII
Still hot
SIMPLE, INTRICATE AND STYLISH: Bofill’s works are all, or a mixture, of the three
B
RITISH buyers in Spain have beaten pre-Brexit referendum records despite the doom and gloom, new figures have revealed. Shrugging off the UK’s imminent departure from the EU, the sale of homes to plucky Brits rose 12% in 2018 to 10,178 - beating the 2016 record of 10,156. While UK buyers declined significantly in the quarters after the referendum in June 2016, and by a massive 28% in the last quarter of 2016, they started recovering to increase by double-digits
The Brits have not stopped investing in Spanish property with a 12% rise in purchases last year
last year. It means the UK’s share of the foreign market has been steadily increasing from a low of 14% in the first quarter of 2017 to 17% at the end of 2018. Although this is not yet back to the levels prior to the referendum
due to other nationalities flooding the market, it is expected to rise again this year. According to property expert Mark Stucklin, of Spanish Property Insight, the weakness of Sterling against the Euro was the leading cause of the drop in demand. “Once the Pound stabilised at a lower level British demand also stabilised and then began to grow again,” he explained. Continues on Page III