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One of those questions that people always ask themselves: is it a good time to buy a home? With relentless prices, changes in the market and difficulties in saving, several factors will have to be taken into account when making a decision. All information is too little to avoid failure.
The doubt. The housing market does not slow down no matter how much people want it to. Operations grow and so do prices. So much so that Spain has now had ten years in a row with increases in references. With interest rates that do not ease and therefore a Euribor that remains high, is it better to buy now or wait?
Whatever is done, several things must be clear. How to know if the price is inflated, what can go wrong when investing or if you should just forget about it and choose to rent instead of buy.
Regulating. Trends matter and the regulatory hand can change them for better or worse. The rental market could change forever with the entry into force of rent caps. The official index plummets the prices seen on real estate portals, with differences of up to 1,000 euros in Barcelona or Madrid. Something that could reduce the profitability for the owner and lead them to sale. “The small owner will not be harmed by the index,” said the Minister of Housing, Isabel Rodríguez.
Hunt for opportunities. Unstoppable inflation forces us to take measures of all kinds. There is more use of loans, moonlighting and overtime to cover the holes in bills and purchases. Some are desperate. Spaniards are also increasingly looking for deals on food, something that was more appropriate for fashion or electronics. From salmon to Coca-colas, these are the most sought-after sales. We will have to continue doing it: it turns out that this year food and energy will stop the moderation in prices. To suffer more.
It all depends. In the search for savings, some have it more difficult than others. Ask the parents: making ends meet is complicated with children involved. This is the monthly cost of parenting in Spain, and some tricks to cope with it. There are also differences between men and women in money management. While they have it in the bank, “education causes women to have money invested in the closet,” says consultant and artist Yolanda Domínguez (Podcast). Maybe it’s better to do it in Treasury bills, with record retail demand, or gold, at all-time highs.
Knowing why things happen allows you to anticipate and take advantage. This week there are examples… Bitcoin hits all-time highs. The cryptocurrency par excellence registers levels never seen before after more than one called it over. Hadn’t the crypto phenomenon already died? Why has bitcoin risen so much?
There are other lessons in the bag. The bearish attack against Grifols serves to review how short traders act. But it also serves to remember that the loan of shares, essential for bears, also serves in more cases that support the market.