Good News, Positive Projections… and Leonardo DiCaprio
First of all… Leonardo DiCaprio. Celebrated director Ridley Scott has just announced that he will film scenes from his next film, The Cartel, in Málaga and Leonardo DiCaprio is earmarked for the main role. If the Oscar-winning star is eventually confirmed for the film, it has to be said he won’t be exactly enjoying one of the Costa del Sol’s more glamorous areas – at least during working hours anyway.
The Cartel is a thriller about the drug trafficking war between Mexico and the United States, inspired by infamous Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and his first escape from prison in 2001. DiCaprio would play an agent of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
For the Mexican gaol scenes, Scott will be using the former provincial prison in the Málaga city suburb of Cruz de Humilladero, with other areas of Andalucía and Colmenar Viejo in Madrid also being used for some of the movie’s settings.
Highlighting such a sinister chapter in contemporary history, and a less than salubrious destination in the otherwise fun-loving holiday playground of the Costa del Sol, might not seem to provide all that much reason for great excitement but, as they say, any publicity is good publicity.
The presence of an authentic Hollywood film cast and crew on the Coast will certainly draw attention to the area’s other major attractions. Not the least, of course, being a re-invigorated property market for visitors contemplating a more permanent stay or purchasing a holiday home in the Mediterranean sun.
So to the good news…
- In 2016, more homes were sold in Spain than any year since 2010 – a total of 403,866, according to the National Statistics Institute (INE). This could figure could be even higher when final data is released by other institutions such as the national ministry for development, the notaries association and registrars, perhaps as many as 450,000. The number of homes sold was 13.6 per cent higher than the 2015 total and prices are estimated to have increased on a national basis by more than three per cent. More of the same – and even better in such prime areas as the Costa del Sol – is confidently expected in 2017.
- In the meantime, the notaries information centre reported that, provisionally based on figures for December 2016, the number of homes sold in Spain last year rose by 13.5 per cent (a similar figure to that reported by the INE, allowing for different calculation criteria) and average prices by 2.4 per cent compared with 2015.
- Real estate website Kyero reported a 36 per cent inter-annual boost in demand for Spanish properties in January. A market leader in attracting international clients, Kyero noted in its latest monthly update that the “turbulent” international political scene (Brexit, President Trump, etc.) resoundingly favours investment in Spanish real estate.
- A forum held in the Málaga Doctors Association headquarters this week highlighted the Costa del Sol’s excellent medical amenities, noting that Málaga had the largest private hospital infrastructure of any of Andalucía’s eight provinces – 4,500 beds or 45 per cent of the total in the region – and ranked third in the country behind only Madrid and Barcelona. Reassuring news for international visitors deciding to settle on the Coast, although Spain’s public health system is also considered one of the best in Europe.
Marbella leads the way when it comes to private medical clinics so, if that is one of your main considerations when buying a new home, this conveniently located townhouse in the city centre would be ideal (priced at an excellent €790,000).
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