According to figures released by the Sociedad de Tasación, the price of new property in Spain fell by 4% in 2011, resulting in an average price of 2,376 euro per square meter, meaning the overall cost of an average home was 213,840 euro.

Experts feel that the trend may continue in some parts of Spain in 2012, whereas other places have already seen prices start to increase over last year. Of the 50 provinces of Spain, 48 of them still dropped slightly last year, Pontevedra levelled out and Zamora actually started to increase in property value.

This turn around trend in terms of value is expected in some of the provincial capitals such as Madrid, Barcelona, San Sebastian and Bilbao where property prices are already more expensive than the national average, whereas sales are expected to increase in volume in coastal and tourist areas, as well as Murcia, Cáceres, Badajoz, Pontevedra, Jaén, Lugo, Zamora, Tenerife, Avila and Ciudad Real, where the average price of a Spanish property stands at just 1,500 euro per square metre, nearly 900 euro per metre cheaper than the national average, which is where some experts feel that astute bargain hunters will be snapping up property in the first half of the year, especially in places that are already starting to grow in investment terms, following the announcements of developments such as the Paramount theme park and the transfer of flights from Murcia San Javier airport to the brand new hub at Corvera.

In 2011, the number of first homes stood at 81,000 units. In the first half of the year this started to look stagnant as there were difficulties in gaining finance for property buyers, but the problem reduced in the second half of the year, as confidence started to return.

The Sociedad de Tasación has also stated that there has been an increase in properties being purchased by individuals, rather than real estate or investment companies and that there has been an increase in the ‘rent to buy' options that ease first time buyers onto the property market.

The society also see an improvement in the marketplace for property as the number of units available is more realistic to the demands of the market, rather than overbuilding of previous years, which is also set to improve through 2012 as the demand increases, thus reducing the available stock.

Following on from the announcement that the eagerly awaited Paramount Theme park has been given the final go ahead in Madrid, we spoke briefly to Roy McDonough from The Leader Property about the impact this will have on property prices in the area.

“The minute a shovel hits soil, there will be a jump of between 15,000 and 20,000 euro in price,” he said.

“At the moment, it´s still not real. Everything´s been signed and sealed and it will happen, but everybody is waiting for the work to start. That´s why the clever investors are snapping up properties now”.

It is true that property prices are at an all time low and with many of them offering instant finance, the opportunity to become a property investor has never been so high. Some new properties are listed at up to a third of the price they were in their prime, still with the same quality structures, still backed by bank guarantees, but now with a massive discount in property tax and the future looking brighter all round.

Roy continued, “The Paramount Park is not only going to attract millions of tourists every year, but the thousands of people working at the site will need somewhere to live”. With workers at another theme park taking to the streets to protest over poor pay and conditions, many of them are not in a position to buy, or have never even considered and are likely to be looking to rent initially. That gives these properties huge rental potential.

Tourists always pay premium prices for holiday lets and workers provide stability and long term commitment.

With a wide portfolio of new properties in the area, and a depth of knowledge that is second to none, Roy is heading a team of specialists who will be able to advise you on every aspect of buying your property, whether it be just the one for yourself, or a whole urbanisation to make you the next property tycoon, whatever you need, however big or small, give Roy a ring today direct on (0034) 667 592 467, or The Leader Property office on (0034) 96 897 1860, visit the website www.theleader.info/property, email property@theleader.info or visit our main office situated in La Zenia.

Following on from the announcement that the eagerly awaited Paramount Theme park has been given the final go ahead, we spoke briefly to Roy McDonough from The Leader Property about the impact this will have on property prices in the area.

“The minute a shovel hits soil, there will be a jump of between 15,000 and 20,000 euro in price,” he said.

“At the moment, it´s still not real. Everything´s been signed and sealed and it will happen, but everybody is waiting for the work to start. That´s why the clever investors are snapping up properties now”.

It is true that property prices are at an all time low and with many of them offering instant finance, the opportunity to become a property investor has never been so high. Some new properties are listed at up to a third of the price they were in their prime, still with the same quality structures, still backed by bank guarantees, but now with a massive discount in property tax and the future looking brighter all round.

Roy continued, “The Paramount Park is not only going to attract millions of tourists every year, but the thousands of people working at the site will need somewhere to live”. With workers at another theme park taking to the streets to protest over poor pay and conditions, many of them are not in a position to buy, or have never even considered and are likely to be looking to rent initially. That gives these properties huge rental potential. Tourists always pay premium prices for holiday lets and workers provide stability and long term commitment.

With a wide portfolio of new properties in the area, and a depth of knowledge that is second to none, Roy is heading a team of specialists who will be able to advise you on every aspect of buying your property, whether it be just the one for yourself, or a whole urbanisation to make you the next property tycoon, whatever you need, however big or small, give Roy a ring today direct on (0034) 667 592 467, or The Leader Property office on (0034) 96 897 1860, visit the website www.theleader.info/property, email property@theleader.info or visit our main office situated in La Zenia.

A delegation comprising ten or so Spanish property developers and real estate departments of financial entities showcased a sample of the properties available at a technical open-day in London to promote Spanish real estate in the United Kingdom.

The event was organised by the Ministry of Public Works in collaboration with the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (Spanish acronym: ICEX) and held within the framework of the Property Investor Show & OPP Live 2011, one of the main real estate events held in the United Kingdom.

The State Secretary for Housing, Beatriz Corredor, who accompanied the Spanish business leaders, took part in the open-day, explaining the situation of the property market in Spain, price trends, the residential stock available and the legislative reforms implemented by the Spanish Government.

The objective of the open-day was to put Spanish companies in contact with professionals operating in the sector in the United Kingdom and enhance the collective nature of the Spanish offer. The aim, explained Beatriz Corredor, "is to recover communication, distribution and commercialisation channels lost during the crisis with the main emitting markets interested in the Spanish real estate sector, principally in the holiday segment, which makes up one third of the overall real estate offer in Spain".

Property prices in Spain have dropped by 17% on average and 22% in real terms since they peaked, but in some areas, particularly with the greatest demand as holiday homes, prices have dropped by over 30%, and even by 50% in some cases. The stock of properties available, which began to drop in 2010, amounts to 687,000 properties in total, 61% of which are on the Mediterranean coast and Spanish islands.

Furthermore, the Government of Spain has approved a VAT reduction for the acquisition of new homes until 31 December 2011 from a rate of 8% to 4%. New measures have also recently been approved to strengthen transparency, guarantees and legal security in the Spanish real estate sector.

Beatriz Corredor then went on to highlight that public information with universal access has been increased on the housing situation available from the Land Registry. Furthermore, this information can be obtained, as from July, in English, thanks to an agreement between the Ministry of Public Works and the Association of Registrars.

"All of this, together with the competitive benefits that characterise Spain, such as safety, geographic proximity, good climate, quality of life, high quality public services across the board and a completely modernised transport network, make Spain an ideal destination for investment", she pointed out.

According to the latest figures, British citizens are the leading foreign purchasers of property in Spain, amassing 23.4% of all purchases made in 2010 by foreigners and around one million British citizens live in Spain for all or part of the year. Furthermore, 9.47 million British tourists visited Spain in the first eight months of 2011, 8.8% up on the same period of 2010.