Spain ranks fourth in the top 10 most attractive European countries for investors in 2024, being the only country with two cities in this ranking – Madrid and Barcelona – demonstrating good forecasts for the real estate sector.
According to the latest '2024 European Investor Intentions Survey' prepared by CBRE, a Global Commercial Real Estate Services company, Madrid climbs to third place, while Barcelona ranks seventh in the 'top 10' European cities preferred for investment.
Spain ranks fourth among the most attractive European countries for investors in 2024, behind only the UK, Germany and Poland.
CBRE's Director of Capital Markets in Spain, Paloma Relinque, described it as "very good news" that investors consider Spain one of the most attractive markets this year, with Madrid and Barcelona taking top positions.
In terms of expectations, respondents are optimistic, expecting the investment market to recover in the second half of the year and prioritising value-added and opportunistic strategies in the search for higher returns in the current interest rate environment.
In addition, according to the study, southern Europe is the focus of investors, highlighting the progress that countries such as Spain and Italy are making in terms of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria and digitalisation, factors increasingly considered by investors.
Higher sales expectations than in 2023
The survey also highlights that property sales expectations are higher this year than in 2023, and more than half of the investors surveyed believe that market activity will return to levels seen before the rise in global interest rates in the first half of 2025.
Challenges for investors this year include a mismatch in buyer and seller expectations, continued high rates and tighter financing conditions.
In addition, the CBRE survey shows that only 27% of respondents believe that the geopolitical landscape will be a major obstacle to real estate investment, down from 42% last year.
