Antonio, 84 years old, decided to say goodbye to his neighbours in a small town in the Asturian mountains in September 2021. He left the town of 30 inhabitants to move to a residence in a larger town, about 30 kilometres away. The lack of services in the rural area, the absence of public transport that limits the possibility of getting around and the harsh winter conditions in the Picos de Europa made him make the decision. In 2022, Rocío Meiriño (29 years old) will be leaving the town of 30 inhabitants. bought a house to renovate in a small Galician town. Now she shares with her more than half a million Instagram followers the progress of the renovation and also the peculiarities of life in a small town: “My partner and I wanted to move in together, but rents are very expensive and it was not feasible. We saw the house advertised in a town by chance… It was in ruins, but it had potential and it seemed like a bargain,” she explains.
But the usual replacement for sellers is not young people who are moving in, but middle-aged people who are looking for a house to spend the summer or to escape the hustle and bustle for a few months. “I understand that people have to go to the city for job opportunities, but we are extremely lucky to be able to work here.” Meiriño admits that his case is not very common, and explains that they bought the house because it was “very cheap” and because they could renovate it themselves.
Someone who knows stories like Antonio and Rocío’s well is Manuel Arias, manager of Arias-Martín Inmobiliaria and president of the Salamanca Association of Real Estate Agencies. He explains that those who usually buy houses in small towns are looking for recreational spaces and affordable prices. “A lot of them are sold to people from outside the province. They usually come from big cities and are looking for something very cheap, a place where they can enjoy the outdoors, have a barbecue or come to the town festivals,” he says.
Arias explains that there is no demand in the lower age groups: “There was a small boost after the pandemic, due to teleworking, but the buyer profile is more middle-aged people looking for a second home.” The main problem, he points out, is communications and services: “Many municipalities do not even have a good internet connection or coverage and that makes selling to people of working age very difficult,” he concludes.
Inheritances
Those who sell their houses, on the other hand, tend to escape the inconveniences of rural life or properties that may entail an expense: “95% of the people who sell here have inherited the property and are putting it up for sale, either because they have no roots or because they want to get rid of the problem of a dilapidated house that could fall down,” he says. This makes prices very low and attracts buyers willing to invest part of their savings without needing financing. “Generally, they are buyers who come with amounts to invest around 40,000 euros and who are looking for a place to spend the summer,” he concludes.
Juan Carlos Prada’s real estate agency is located in Villaviciosa, a municipality on the Asturian coast with 14,400 inhabitants, spread over 41 parishes. “We are seeing an increase in buyers from outside the community and also non-residents, mainly English, French and Argentine,” he says. Prada explains that prices in this coastal municipality have currently increased, but that it is possible to buy a house near the sea for prices around 100,000 euros. The most common buyer profile in the small rural areas where this real estate agency works is a couple around 50 or 60 years old who want to invest part of their savings: “With the pandemic, sales increased, but now many people are escaping the heat. They are usually people who have sold a property in Madrid or in the south and who come with enough money to buy here, because the Asturian coast is still one of the cheapest in Spain,” he explains.
Another thing is to place the computer in front of a window with an idyllic view. This is still something that very few people can do. Despite the bargains that can be found in rural Spain, young people do not end up accessing it. “It is a market that is absolutely broken compared to current demands,” says Luis Camarero, professor of Sociology at UNED. “Comparatively, houses are cheaper, but the investment they require in many cases is much higher.” [para reformarlas] and the transport costs that have to be added make them not so affordable.” Camarero explains that there is not a big difference between the average monthly cost of a house in a rural area and a house in an urban area, because transport – to work or to access basic services such as doctors or supermarkets – is almost double that in cities.
All of this translates into great difficulties when it comes to establishing a population or providing housing for professionals who work in these areas. “In many cases, there is no way to establish a stable population for people who are going to work in social services, medicine or education because in rural areas there is no availability of well-equipped housing for rent,” he explains.
“In Spain we have a serious problem with migratory movements from rural areas to the main cities. This is making the pressure of housing demand impossible to absorb, especially for rent, in the big cities,” explains José María Alfaro, president of the National Federation of Real Estate Associations (FAI). To alleviate this, he points out, regeneration policies are required that take into account the profile of potential buyers: older people, young people, digital nomads…
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