The commitment to long term rentals instead of vacation rentals, preference for larger residences and innovation in the marketing tools of the projects under development are some of the changes expected in the coming months, which could set a new pattern in the sector.
The health crisis caused by the spread of covid-19 ended up changing consumer habits in all Central American markets.
Identifying the best areas to invest in, knowing what type of property is in demand in each area, whether you are looking for more rentals or sales, homes or offices, or in which segments of the population there is more demand for each type of property, is part of what can now be analyzed using modern Big Data techniques.
The real estate market is not alien to the new reality focused on analyzing large volumes of information and making business decisions based on data.
Increases in the average price of office space have been recorded due to less construction of these types of buildings in the first half of the year.
Figures from a report by CBRE Panama cited by Capital.com.pa indicate that construction has declined in this segment due to increases in the price of materials and high utility rates, leading to the average price of "...
Investors and entrepreneurs in the global real estate sector will be meeting from 21st to 26th of May in Panama City to discuss issues such as project finance and marketing trends.
The World Congress of the International Federation of Real Estate Professionals (FIABCI) will be held this year in Panama City, and is expected to include the participation of representatives of companies linked to the housing market from all continents.
The value of property in areas such as Amador, Balboa, Clayton and Albrook, has registered increases of up to 300% in the last ten years.
The proximity to the city, the vegetation surrounding the area and the security offered are some of the factors which have increased the value of these areas. For example, in Clayton, an apartment now worth about $160,000, cost about $35,000 ten years ago.
Specialty and department stores are the entities demanding the most space in commercial centers and malls in the capital.
The vacancy rate for Class A commercial property fell by 7.4% in the first half of 2013 to 4.8% in the second half of 2013, due to the fact that the rise in meters available in major shopping centers has been absorbed at a good pace, with many of those spaces being leased before the works are finished, reported a study by the real estate firm CBRE Panama.
The rise in prices in Costa Rica is encouraging foreigners looking to retire to increasingly turn their attention to Panama.
The rising cost of real estate in Costa Rica is forcing foreigners to look at other countries in the region in their search for a place in Central America to use as a second home for retirement.
"Since 2000 expatriates have been looking for the 'next Costa Rica'.
The booming economy and the arrival of foreign executives are driving demand and pushing up prices for rentals in Panama City.
According to realtors in the past five years rental housing in Panama City has grown by 40%. In areas such as Rio Abajo, Carrasquilla and Parque Lefevre the price paid for for renting an apartment used to be up to $500, but now the value could be $800.
An increase in the supply of offices in Panama City is putting downward pressure on occupancy levels.
According to the consultant Indesa, the occupancy level in the first quarter of 2011 was 95.4%, versus 86.5% for the same period this year.
Speaking about the topic, the Corporate Finance Director of Indesa, Francisco Escoffier, said that, "In the next couple of years it is not expected that the total demand for offices, including locally generated demand and the demand generated by the arrival of multinationals, will be enough to absorb new supply coming, so the available inventory will go up and occupancy will do down ... in the research occupancy means that there is physically one tenant in the property, which is a conservative definition. "
The National Council for Housing Promoters in Panama is made up of 22 Developers and 9 Banks, who are united by quality and accountability requirements.
An article in pa-digital.com reports that "57% of everything that is built in the Republic of Panama is developed by members of this union whose promoters have been in the housing market for over 50 years."
The Panamanian group of companies, Convivienda projects sales in 2012 amounting to $665 million with the delivery of 7,429 homes.
The director of the national council of housing developers, explained that the with the Preferred Interest Act raising the ceiling on the value of homes which can benefit to $120,000 will help... "the middle class above all, because there are more chances to get a house for a longer period", reported Panamaamerica.com.pa
The economic and tourism boom has created an inordinate amount of investment in hotels, which is threatening to lower the occupancy rate to unsustainable levels.
The opening of more than 20 hotels has been announced for 2012, adding 6,000 rooms to the inventory offered by Panama, and representing an annual increase of 300% in the hotel supply, while the increase in the number of visitors to the country during 2011 grew by - 13%, which although significant, is far below what would be needed to keep up the hotel occupancy rate, which currently stands at 66%.
According to their press release, Panama’s Superintendency of Banks’ study of the real estate market shows growth in the construction sector.
For the fifth consecutive year, Panama’s Superintendency of Banks circulated a survey among those banks with most lending activity within the construction sector in order to analyze the housing market. On this occasion, as well as requesting information regarding single-family housing projects and apartments, it included financed projects which fall into the category: Other Buildings, Infrastructure and Commercial Properties.
The crisis in Europe, North America and Venezuela is dampening the dynamism in the real estate sector whose sales depend heavily on these markets.
In the first six months of 2011, of the total amount of real estate transactions only 2% related to the sale of luxury real estate projects.
The executive director of the National Housing Promoters (Convivienda), Elisa Suarez Gomez, said that building of luxury residences has been reduced in the first half of the year. "... In luxury segments, those costing upwards of $350,000, sales depend heavily on the foreign market, so the crisis in European countries, Canada and Venezuela, has made for significant changes in the sales process", said the director to Panamaamerica.com.pa