Although the Guatemalan economy has almost stagnated in recent months, during the first half of the year the number of loans granted for the purchase of residences grew 3%, and by 2021 it is predicted that sales could be similar to those of 2019.
The social distancing measures and the prohibition of several economic activities decreed by the authorities due to the covid-19 outbreak, caused considerable negative effects to the Guatemalan real estate market.
In Honduras, Congress approved the creation of the Social Interest Housing Bond, which will be a state contribution in cash or in kind, and may not be less than 11% of the value of the home to be purchased or rented.
According to Article 18 of the law, to access these bonds, the Secretariat of Housing and Human Settlements (SEVIAH) will prioritize access to the bond and housing care for households with incomes less than or equal to four (4) Minimum Wages, at its highest scale in force, Congress reported.
At the Expo Capac in Panama, 2,100 homes were sold, and mortgage transactions for nearly $180 million were achieved, surpassing the projections of the organizers by 50%.
This year was attended by 400 exhibitors who presented some 600 real estate projects and the support of 14 mortgage banks, public and private, which closed buying and selling procedures with thousands of visitors who came together during the five days of the fair event, reported the Panamanian Chamber of Construction (CAPAC).
In Panama, the National Assembly approved in the third debate the bill that contemplates interest rate benefits for the purchase of homes for a value of up to $180,000.
The Cortizo administration approved a proposal that establishes that the government will assume 2% of the bank interest for the purchase of homes valued between $120,000 and $150,000, and in the case of real estate between $150,000 and $180,000, the exoneration will be 1.5%.
The Cabinet Council approved on September 3 the bill No. 044-19, which still has to be endorsed by the Assembly and seeks to increase coverage for the purchase of homes worth $180,000, informed the presidency of Panama.
In the first quarter of 2019, 76 environmental impact studies were submitted to develop condominiums, apartment buildings and other housing projects in the countries of the region.
The interactive platform "Construction in Central America", compiled by the Business Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData, includes an up to date list of public and private construction projects for which environmental impact studies (EIA) were submitted to the respective institutions of each country.
At the Expo Vivienda 2019 held in Panama, 600 housing development projects were presented in different parts of the country and $120 million were reported in negotiations.
The seventeenth version of Expo Vivienda had the participation of 180 companies, of which 12 were banks and 168 promoters and real estate, informed the organizers of the event.
A 40% decline is estimated in the construction of social housing investments in the country, and in the case of middle and upper-class housing, the contraction reaches 70%.
According to figures from the Superior Council of Private Enterprise (Cosep), the value added in the construction sector will register a 25% decline, falling from $399 million in 2017 to $300 million in 2018.
In Costa Rica, the Málaga City housing project, which was to be developed by Rock Constructions, was acquired by ALD Inmobiliaria, which plans to resume works.
In January 2017 the company Infinito Versol S.A. announced its intention to issue $42 million in debt bonds in the local market in order to finance the construction of a residential development of 1,600 homes.
In the upcoming edition of CAPAC Expo Habitat, to be held from September 5 to 9, the real estate developers' union expects that $120 million worth of deals will be struck.
Theevent will be held at the ATLAPA Convection Center, and will include the participation of more than 400 exhibitors, among them construction, real estate and decorating companies. About 600 projects for houses, apartments and land located in different areas of the country will be exhibited.
With the aim of encouraging more companies to invest in the development of social housing, the Varela administration has decided to raise from $50,000 to $60,000 the price of social housing solutions that are built in the provinces of Panama and Panama West.
In the resolution, which was published last week in the Official Newspaper La Gaceta, it is argued that the decision to raise the final sale price of the homes was taken "... in order to make it more attractive to developers nationwide so that they are interested in developing these types of projects."
In the first two days of Expo Mivi, a fair dedicated to the sale of affordable housing in Panama, $29.7 million was negotiated in the approval of 566 housing units.
From a statement issued by the Ministry of Housing and Land Management
Expo Mivi 2018, a real estate fair designed by the Ministry of Housing and Territorial Planning for low-income families, managed to secure transactions in the order of 29.7 million balboas from the approval of 566 housing units.
Through a trust the government will provide financing for the purchase of middle class housing, in local currency and at a rate of 8.7%.
From a statement issued by Coalianza:
Tegucigalpa, April 9. With an amount of 600 million lempiras (around $25 million) and to benefit 2,000 Honduran families, the government today announced a trust that will have a special focus on guaranteeing access to housing for the middle class.
This year in Panama realtors expect to sell 9,000 homes and generate $1.146 billion, which would be a 34% increase compared to the value sold last year.
The National Council of Housing Promoters (Convivienda) plans to sell 8,958 units of housing nationwide this year, after having sold 7,219 units last year.