How has been the first quarter?

It has not been really the best but in line with the general feeling about the market: volatile. What it proves is that the tax advantages active up to the end of 2012 had a positive effect on the transactions and, after that, the market is still suffering.

When talking to other real estate colleagues, the general impression is about the same: there are buyers interested in purchasing at the Costa del Sol but it is difficult to close operations. There are a lot of uncertainties on the news about the Spanish economy and on the real estate market that cause that giving a second thought to purchase decisions is becoming more than usual.

Although it is difficult to see the details because of chart’s size, the following also shows what it is obvious: less transactions and reduced prices cause that the volume of sales has been in this quarter a forth of what it was in the first quarter of 2007. It is obvious but hurts. It also tells us that we are still not going up, we have a way to go and the only way out is by means of an extra effort. Data is for Malaga province.