It may be summertime, but Buenos Aires real estate is definitely not on vacation. A story in Infobae.com summarizes LaNacion’s recent analysis of average real estate prices in 10 Buenos Aires neighborhoods with this headline, “Buenos Aires properties begin the year with increases up to 20%.”

Despite the restrictions for purchasing dollars and the typical summer slowdown, Buenos Aires real estate continues to be a safe harbor for large developers and small investors alike. The article features a number of important takeaways regarding two factors working in favor of property owners in Buenos Aires: land scarcity and the complete lack of a credit bubble.

One source says while 12 million square meters or real estate were built on 2,000 lots in Capital Federal over the past decade, today there are practically no available lots for development in CapFed. And in terms of mortgages, the percentage of Buenos Aires real estate transactions that involved borrowing has fallen dramatically from 32% (1999) to 6% (today).

We compiled the above presentation to help summarize the average prices of new and used condominiums in the 10 Buenos Aires neighborhoods mentioned in the original article. (Full Story in Spanish)

For more information about Buenos Aires real estate investment opportunities, download the new issue of InvestBA Privada.

Argentina Internet Penetration

LCD sales may taper off post-Mundial, but WiFi growth means more broadband accounts in Argentina.

Sales of LCD TV’s in Argentina are currently up 150% over last year, but many analysts say those numbers will taper off once the World Cup is over. The growth of new Internet subscribers, however, should continue its upward trajectory as more Argentine residents and businesses seek broadband access to online content.

According to infobae.com, over 700,000 new residential users signed up for Internet service between March 2009 and March 2010 raising the number of online households to 4.1 million. During the same period, the number of Argentine businesses adding Internet service increased 48% and the number of broadband accounts grew 58%.

One number moving in the opposite direction is the number of e-mails sent, as Argentines sent 7.7% fewer correos electronicos compared to one year ago. This statistic partially reflects the growing preference among Argentine consumers for communicating via social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and blogs.

ADSL accounts for 62% of Argentine broadband connections, and cable modems represent another 24% of users. As we’ve noted previously, the rapid growth and popularity of WiFi has prompted the rush to broadband in Buenos Aires and other major cities in Argentina. The most recent rankings of global Internet usage show 49% of Argentines have Internet access compared to 50% of Chileans, and 36% of Brazilians. (Full Story in Spanish)

For more information about Buenos Aires investment opportunities, download IncomeBA and the new issue of InvestBA Privada.

Buenos Aires real estate sales by segment

The Flight to Safety Continues: Locals and foreign buyers remain bullish on Buenos Aires real estate.

March housing data just released by the BA Notary Institute (BANI) shows continuation of a positive trend that started last December. According to BANI, the number of real estate transactions was up 37% in March 2010 compared to March 2009, while the total value of all sales climbed 57% and the median price per transaction rose 15%.

The breakdown of sales by price level shows demand is strong for smaller units, especially two-room layouts in the more affordable outskirts of Buenos Aires. 56.7% of the units sold were priced below US$65,000, while 26% were priced below US$39,000.

The segment accounting for the largest overall percentage of sales (38.4%) is the US$65,000 to US$230,000 range which encompasses a wide range of housing types and floor plans, many of them popular three and four-room layouts.

With three months of data in the books, BANI says the acceleration of real estate activity in the first quarter of 2010 is worth noting. There were 34% more transactions in the first quarter of 2010 (vs. 1Q09), the total dollar value of all transactions jumped 75% and the median price per transaction rose 33%.

The sector should continue to post strong gains current inflationary pressures, and the flight to safety mindset of those buying real estate, luxury cars and other durable goods today in BA. (Full article in Spanish)

For more information about Buenos Aires real estate opportunities, download IncomeBA and the new issue of InvestBA Privada.

 

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