Housing Market Prospects

Domestic demand for housing is expected to be sluggish, since: (i) household disposable income is not expected to increase significantly in the near future; (ii) the unemployment rate is forecast to remain in double digit figure until 2030 (according to the European Commission, the 2015 Ageing Report, January 2017); and (iii) the extraordinary tax imposed on real estate property looks set to become permanent.

Given that domestic demand for housing is not expected to recover soon, it is worth exploring the potential demand originating from abroad.

Chart 22 shows that, in terms of value, housing in Greece is attractive compared to other Mediterranean countries though not to South – eastern European ones. However, according to the Global Property Guide, rental yields remain moderate and are lower than those in neighbouring countries such as Romania , Bulgaria and Cyprus.

In order to attract foreign investors, Greece offers a residence permit (valid for five years with the possibility of renewal) to non – Europe an citizens who buy a house worth more than €250,000 . In addition, in 2010 the real estate transfer tax was reduced from 10% to 3% on the property’s fair value. The above incentives resulted in partially revamping residential investment interest in 2016, with FDI for residential property increasing to €250 million from €186 million in 2015.

Overall, the recovery of the housing market in Greece is largely related to improving the investment climate and reducing tax burdens . Still, given that domestic demand for housing is expected to remain subdued, residential investment is not expected to support GDP growth to the degree it did before the economic crisis. At the same time, any demand for housing coming from abroad is directly related to the restoration of confidence in the economy.

source:
part Alpha Bank/greece economic and financial outlook

The total contribution of tourism to GDP is expected to increase in 2017

In 2017 tourist arrivals are expected to hit a new record high and tourism receipts to recover from last year’s decline , as Greece is considered to be a safer destination compared to its neighbouring peers and is offering high quality hospitality. (Chart 17).

According to the latest Bank of Greece data , tourist arrivals (excluding cruises) in the first eight months of 2017 increased by 9.9% yoy, compared to an increase of just 1.3% in the same period of 2016, while travel rece ipts increased by 9.1%, compared to a sharp drop by – 9.1 % in the first eight months of 2016.

Especially in August 2017 , tourism receipts increased by 16.4 % yoy (from – 13.0 % yoy in August 2016 ) and arrivals by 14.3 % yoy (from +1 .8% in 2016 ). In August alone, foreign visitor arrivals reached 5.8 million – the highest number ever for this month (Chart 18).

According to Greek Tourism Confederation estimates (May 2017), in 2017 tourist arrivals (including cruises) are expected to reach approximately 28.5 million and receipts to increase by 7.5% yoy. In addition, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council, the total contribution of tourism to GDP in 2017 is expected to increase by 6.9% to approximately 20%.

source:
part Alpha Bank/greece economic and financial outlook

Buying Greek Property

Foreign demand for Greek real estate is soaring as overseas investors are drawn by attractive asset prices and amid signs the Greek real estate market has bottomed out after years of decline. Data show that foreign investment in Greek property has more than doubled since last year to well over €1 billion euros, while property-linked residency visas issued under Greece’s Golden Visa program are up by a third and recently surpassed 2,000 in total. The vast majority of foreigners are buying properties in and around Athens, say industry sources, with investors coming from China, Turkey, Russia, Israel, Egypt, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates. After falling by as much as 50% from their pre-crisis peak, Greek property prices have now stabilized, data show.

Source: National Bank of Greece
(https://www.nbg.gr/greek/the-group/press-office/e-spot/reports/Documents)

Record year for Greek tourism

Greek tourism is set for another record
year in 2017 with the country on track to welcome 30 million visitors. In the last three years, Greece has seen a sharp increase in investment in its tourism industry, which accounts for roughly a sixth of the economy and last year brought in more than €13 billion in
revenue.

Over the next three to five years, more
than €4 billion are expected to be invested in approximately 200 tourism related projects around the country. “For 2017, the first signs of the market are positive,” according to a recent National Bank of Greece report, which estimates that the country needs some €22 billion in tourism-related investments over the next
five years.

TARGETED TOURISM INVESTMENT COULD INCREASE RECEIPTS BY 40% OVER 5 YEARS

+¤1.2 Bln in HOTELS
annually for 5 years

+¤3.3 Bln in INFRASTRUCTURE
annually for 5 years

+5.5 Mln TOURISTS
annually after investment

+¤5 Bln in RECEIPTS
annually after investment

Source: National Bank of Greece

(https://goo.gl/TgoxhC)

Ερμιονίδα- «Σωσίβιο» για την περιοχή το φυσικό της κάλλος, λείπει η σοβαρή και συστηματική προώθηση…»

Αναδημοσιεύουμε από την εφημερίδα “Ενημέρωση Πελοποννήσου”

Έρευνα: Κώστας Πρώιμος

Με αιτία και αφορμή την απερχόμενη τουριστική σεζόν καταγράψαμε τον απολογισμό της, μέσω των συνομιλιών μας, με τέσσερις γνωστούς επιχειρηματίες, που δραστηριοποιούνται στην Ερμιόνη και το Πόρτο – Χέλι.

Το κύριο εξαγόμενο συμπέρασμα της ακόλουθης έρευνας, αποτελεί η διαπίστωση πως η «Τουριστική» Ερμιονίδα, παρά τις σοβαρές ελλείψεις σε αναπτυξιακές υποδομές, καταφέρνει μέσω παρατεταμένης ύφεσης να επιβιώνει, χάριν πρωτίστως στο φυσικό της κάλλος και τις ιδιαιτερότητές της, που την καθιστούν θελκτική, σε όσους την επισκέπτονται είτε συστηματικά, είτε για πρώτη φορά…

Πάντως, εν όψει κοσμογονικών εξελίξεων, στο γεωπολιτικό χάρτη και τα διεθνή οικονομικά συστήματα, ο έμπειρος επιχειρηματίας κ. Παναγιώτης Γούτος, «κρούει τον κώδωνα του κινδύνου», ισχυριζόμενος πως είναι επιτακτική ανάγκη, η δημιουργία ενός ενιαίου Τουριστικού φορέα προώθησης και προβολής της Ερμιονίδας, αλλά και των γειτονικών νησιών Σπετσών και Ύδρας… συνθέτοντας ένα «μαγικό» τουριστικό τρίγωνο…

Παναγιώτης Γούτος- (GODAI): «Η εφετινή χρονιά για την επιχείρησή μας που αποτελεί και μια καινούρια επένδυση στην περιοχή, μπορώ να πω ότι ήταν καλή και φαίνεται πλέον ότι «πατάμε» γερά για τρίτη συνεχόμενη σεζόν, χάριν στην επιμονή μας για ποιότητα και παροχή υψηλών υπηρεσιών… Θέλω όμως να επισημάνω πως, κανένα GODAI ή άλλη τουριστική μονάδα, δεν μπορούν από μόνες τους να σηματοδοτήσουν την περαιτέρω ανάκαμψη της περιοχής μας. Καθώς δεν υπάρχουν υποδομές προς αυτή την κατεύθυνση, ούτε και οργανωμένο marketing από τους καθ΄ ύλιν αρμοδίους… Continue reading »

Avoiding Capital Controls: Real Estate Revenues From Foreign Buyers Deposited in Banks Abroad

The majority of revenues of Greek luxury real estate transactions acquired by foreign nationals remain in banks outside of Greece, sources have reported.

In fact, many of the Greek sellers are even prepared to travel abroad in order to close contracts and open foreign bank accounts where they then deposit their profits. A major motivation for sellers opening bank accounts when dealing with the luxury real estate market and foreign buyers is to avoid capital controls imposed on Greek banks.

Unfortunately that means that the money spent on luxury Greek properties by foreigners never enters the Greek credit system and only some of it enters the Greek economy, but is impossible to track back to its original origin.

After the imposition of the capital controls [at end-June 2015], the cases of sellers requesting that money be deposited abroad have multiplied. Of course such transactions are entirely legitimate and taxed in Greece, but the revenues remain in other countries.

www.gktizein.gr

Statistical bureau: Property title transactions in Greece down nearly 9% annually between 2004-14

Transactions registered at Greece’s deed/title offices show a decrease, on average, of 8.6 percent a year from 2004 to 2014, a period that witnessed the real estate bubble burst in the country.

According to data released by the national statistical bureau, EL.STAT, the decrease reached just over 20 percent in the 2013-14 period.

Based on figures supplied by 380 such deed offices around the country – which correspond to 96 percent of the total – 384,546 actions dealing with property were recorded, resulting in 57 million euros in proceeds – 47.2 percent of which were diverted to state coffers and the remaining 52.8 percent collected by the deed offices themselves.

The average sum collected from a single property transaction – which ranges from an outright sale to a transfer, imposing a lien to even adding a co-owner on the deed – reached 149 euros.

Godai season 2016 just ended

It was a great season

Why the wealthy are heavily focused on real estate

DAVID ISRAELSON

Special to The Globe and Mail

Last updated Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016 6:55AM EST

With markets roiling in 2016 and commodities lingering in low-price limbo, the holdings of high-net-worth investors can serve as indicators of where the rest of us might consider parking our nest eggs. It turns out that a good chunk of wealthy peoples’ investments is in real estate.

“Real estate is generally accepted as an alternative investment [by high-net-worth investors],” says Simon Jochlin, portfolio analytics associate at StennerZohny Investment Partners, part of Richardson GMP in Vancouver.

“It has the characteristics of an inflation hedge: yield, leverage and cap gains. It does well in upwardly trending markets, it pays you to wait during market corrections and typically it lags equities in market declines – it buys you time to assess the market.”

While the definition of high net worth can be flexible, in Canada and the United States it is generally considered to be someone who has at least $1-million in investable assets.

Thane Stenner, StennerZohny’s director of wealth management and portfolio manager, says a good way for determining what the wealthy do with their investments is to look at reports from Tiger 21, an ultra-high-net-worth peer-to-peer network for North American Continue reading »

Arriving at school on a bicycle

Where?
At Pierson College, Geraert Ter Borchstraat, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Nederland 51°41’59.70″С 5°19’7.84″В

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