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28th March 2024
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HomeNewsPassports: the barometer for real estate

Passports: the barometer for real estate

Cyprus real estate salesDESPITE a sharp increase in demand of real estate over the first months of 2019, a slight decline was recorded after the recent strengthening of criteria on the island’s Citizenship by Investment programme.

Sales increased 13.7% year-on-year for the period January-October 2019. During the same period, the number of property sales to local buyers and foreign buyers also saw an annual increase of 22% and 4.7%, respectively, indicating that demand for real estate comes from both locals and foreigners.

However, the Central Bank of Cyprus report noted that if this period was divided into before the implementation of the programme’s stricter criteria (January-May 2019) and post-implementation (June-October 2019), there is a 48% increase in demand by locals and a decrease of 5.1%, respectively, and by foreigners an increase of 20.2% and a decrease of 8.5%, respectively.

At the same time, even though there is a continued significant recovery of the sector as well as of the GDP of Cyprus, residential property prices show moderate increases with the exception of areas affected by specific factors – such as the Limassol and Larnaca coastal front.

There is also fear that the recorded price increases in these two areas will potentially spillover to others. “Areas with high price increases need close monitoring, as well as monitoring for potential spillovers to other areas,” the report said.

In the meantime, the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB) has ranked the residential real estate sector in Cyprus at a recovery stage, also assessing that the probability of risks have been limited.

Based on latest statistics, the CBC report indicates that in the first half of 2019 investment in houses reached a total of €760 million (7.1% of GDP), while investment in other buildings and constructions were at €473 million (4.4% of GDP).

© 2019 In-Cyprus.com

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2 COMMENTS

  1. The numbers pertaining to a sharp drop from foreign buyers are understandable if you take into account the fact that the maximum amount of citizenship granted for 2019/20 has been reached (700) and that future applicants will have to queue for 2021 applications!

    This is good news as it will prevent the “passport market” from overheating….so the numbers should keep coming down next year as well. Developers will adapt…

    However, what’s important for Cyprus is that the ISRB has convene that the probability of risks have been limited.
    This is mainly because the “citizenship buyers” are paying cash for their properties. No mortgages!

  2. Actually, your title should have been “Local market: the barometer for real estate”

    According to CBC’s financial report, the volatility in the transactions to locals (from +48% Jan-June to -5% July-Nov) dictates the trend for the total real estate transactions of the island. The impact of the foreign market is less as it is less volatile.

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