After barely 1,000 houses were built in Nicaragua in 2020 in the context of the economic crisis generated by the covid-19 outbreak, the goal of local companies for this year is to build between 3,000 and 4,000 houses.
According to representatives of the Chamber of Developers of Nicaragua (Cadur), the prices of the houses to be built this year will range between $18,000 and $400,000.
In 2019, 426 environmental impact studies were submitted to develop condominiums, apartment buildings and other housing projects in Central American countries.
The interactive platform "Construction in Central America", of the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData, includes an up-to-date list of public and private construction projects that present environmental impact studies (EIS) to the respective institutions in each country.
A loan from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration will finance the "National Program for the Construction of Social Interest Housing."
The international organization reported that these resources will be used to finance the "National Program for the Construction of Social Interest Housing."
Vertical housing developments in Panama and Guatemala, and the development of a mixed-use project in Costa Rica, are part of the investments planned for the coming months in the region.
The interactive system "Construction in Central America", compiled by the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData, includes an up to date list of public and private construction projects that are expected to be built in the coming months.
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.
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.
The union of builders is proposing creating an insured mortgage fund, to provide financing for those who can not meet the requirements demanded by banks.
The Chamber of Developers of Nicaragua (Cadur) announced that the fund could start with an initial seed capital of $5 million.The objective of the fund is to finance the purchase of new homes, and to facilitate access to financing for workers in the informal sector or clients that receive remittances from abroad.
The construction trade union intends to sell around 6,000 homes in 2018, a figure which is 20% higher than the amount of units sold in 2017.
For the construction sector, the year starts with the Expo-Casa fair that will be held in February, 60 urban projects will be included in the event and it is expected that 250 houses will be sold.Representatives from the Chamber of Developers of Nicaragua (Cadur) estimate that during Expo-House around $10 million worth of mortgages will be sold, and for the sales projections of 2018 the amount of the credit could reach $170 million.
The social interest residential complex that the developer La Riviera plans to build on a plot of 11 blocks in Rivas, will contain 300 homes measuring 60 and 80 square meters.
The 60 square meter houses will have two rooms and a price of $25 thousand, while the 80 square meter houses will have three rooms and a price of $40 thousand.
In Nicaragua, incentives for financing and construction are driving growth of the real estate supply, especially the development of multifamily complexes.
A recent reform of the special law to promote financing and construction of low-income housing explains the strong momentum that the activity has seen in recent months.
Héctor Lacayo, president of the Chamber of Developers (Cadur), explained to Elnuevodiario.com.ni that "...Starting in 2018 in the capital, at least six new housing projects will be developed, they are classified as multifamily units, in addition to the two that have already started to be sold this year and which are onthe outskirts of the city."
The 2018 budget for the Nicaraguan Institute of Urban and Rural Housing includes $12 million to be granted in subsidies and loans for the purchase of low-income housing.
The funds will be allocated among low-income families for the purchase of homes categorized as social interest, in the form of mortgage loans through financial institutions and subsidies.
The law reform approved by the National Assembly raises from $32 thousand to $40 thousand the cap to receive a subsidy for social interest housing and up to $50 thousand for housing in condominiums and apartments.
With the reforms, the ceiling for receiving the subsidy for social interest housing is increased from $32 thousand to $40 thousand for a single family dwelling and up to $50 thousand for multifamily housing, the latter is a new feature of this initiative, specifically for condominiums and apartments.
The nicaraguan government has announced a new subsidy on the interest rate for apartments´purchases worth up to $50,000 and constructed within buildings with no more than four floors.
In addition to this new incentive to purchase housing classified as social interest and in high rise form, the Ortega administration has announced that it will expand from $32 thousand to $40 thousand the maximum value of high rise housing that is eligible for the current interest rate subsidy.
Through a trust belonging to the Nicaraguan Institute of Housing $31 million will be available to finance the purchase of social interest housing, with a fixed interest rate of 7.5%.
Like the construction sector, banks have started backing financing of social interest housing.In the first half of the year, loans granted for the purchase of this type of housing registered an increase of almost 17%, according to reports from the association of developers.