After taking off this year, the mortgage market will continue its positive momentum in 2022. It is confirmed by providing loans with a fixed rate as the primary option and under clients’ new requirements when investing or choosing a new house. It was one of the conclusions of the post-Covid era in the mortgage market, organized by La Información and sponsored by Ibercaja. It was attended by Luis Alberto Fabra Garcés, Professor at the University of Zaragoza and Director of the Gamerin Mortgage Market Analysis Group, José Manuel Artal, Director of Commercial Strategy at Ibercaja, and Javier Laines, Head of Operations at Idealista.
José Manuel Artal (Ibercaja) predicts positive activity in real estate and mortgages in 2022, with growth not as strong as in 2021, as this period was exceptional due to the situation with the pandemic. Thus, the growth of the mortgage business next year may be 5% or 10%, “a percentage that we consider quite significant for the real estate market and mortgage in particular.”
Professor Luis Fabra (Gamerin) agreed that the mortgage market will maintain good activity and lending performance in 2022, after 2021, when the indicators of 2018 and 2019 will even be exceeded. According to this expert, “over the next year, there will be a tangible need for families to change their houses (more spacious, lighter and with open spaces), which will continue to stimulate the market.” However, he also warned that when the impact of the pandemic is exhausted, a new driving force will be required, which should be “a return to growing economic activity and an increase in GDP, which will generate favourable dynamics in employment and wages and, therefore, will have a positive effect on real estate and mortgage activity.” On the other hand, he warned of possible difficulties that could threaten the future. “Rising energy prices and core inflation” are among them that will affect “the behaviour of central banks and higher interest rates.”