This is the majority opinion of exhibitors questioned, who also stressed the change in the home buyer profile.
This new buyer profile, more informed and demanding, is changing relationships. “At this year’s SIMA we have been able to state that clients are ever more choosy, they have clear ideas on the type of house they want to buy, no longer a compulsive purchase, and this obliges us to work very well to satisfy them,” said Luis de la Orden, who is commercially responsible for Obra Nueva in Madrid at Neinor.
Leaving aside the compulsive purchase, the new buyer is much more thoughtful and informed, as backed up by José María Martínez, from BBVA-Anida: “In the majority, the public who came to our stall at SIMA knew all about our product, and arrived pre-informed.” Ane Sarrionandía, Marketing Director at the developer Amenábar, also drew attention to this matter, saying, “Many of the people who visited us at the fair arrived with leaflets of our products. Or new about us form family and friends who had recommended us.”
Regarding the kind of person, most of them were groups of young people up to 35 years of age and between this age and 50 years old, either looking for their first home, or to move house, respectively.
The desire to move house, without doubt, was the star of this SIMA. “Our buyer here is all about moving, people who want to sell their house and want to find a better one, People who bought a house for a good price a year or two ago, now they are finding the house of their dreams,” commented Álvaro Marcos of Aedas Homes.
Buying to invest has also been the motive of many visitors to the fair, as Ane Sarrionandía pointed out: “In our case, these investors were interested in smaller sized homes, especially in the centre of Madrid, and on occasion want to buy more than one.”
There were six times more international visitors in 2017 compared to 2015. The new level of activity in our real estate sector and the recovery of our economy explain this renewed interest in Spain. This was certainly the case for the large delegation from Argentina, who were welcomed at SIMA as an invited country.