UP AND COMING NEIGHBORHOODS IN BARCELONA FOR BUYING PROPERTY

Up and coming neighborhoods in Barcelona is one of our favourite topics here in the office. If you're looking to invest in real estate in Barcelona then naturally you'll want to anticipate which neighbourhoods might have the best potential for capital appreciation. Buy low, sell high right? As the market continues to come back here everyone's jockeying to find the newest low hanging fruit. We'll start with what's already heating up in the markets, the districts that are up and coming right now, and we'll call that Stage 1. After that, in Stage 2, we will show you which which neighbourhoods  are on their way to getting more popular and valuable in the coming years.

Stage 1

The next paragraphs will show you the neighborhoods which are up and coming right now!

El Raval

Probably one of the areas you did not expect to make the list, but we can promise you that this is the Nottinghill of London. Nottinghill in the 19th century was an area  known to be a working class and immigrant area and so properties had lower value. However, London kept on growing and the housing prices kept on rising, thus converting Nottinghill into one of the most expensive and exclusive places to live in. With the property market slowly recovering, we think that Raval has the potential to become the Nottinghill of Barcelona. More specifically, we think it will become the next Borne over the coming two decades.

The properties in Raval vary a lot. Some buildings have to go through technical inspections and therefore they are well maintained. However, in much of Raval, the buildings do not have such a regular inspection therefore are left neglected. Most of the buildings are quite old and so don't have the convenience of a lift and if climbing long flight of stairs is an issue, unfortunately, due to narrow streets of Raval, you lose the luxury of having a light filled apartment by having to live in one of the lower floor apartments. It can also be quite difficult to find a flat with air conditioning and/or heating. But why Raval is such a desirable place to buy?

Raval has already started the transformation. Without a doubt, it's becoming more cultural and trendy, especially with the famous MACBA (museums of modern art) and CCCB (exhibition centre) being built in the area. So what does that mean? This means that the area is attracting more interest from younger professionals, asy Raval boasts niche shops, small restaurants and unique bars with attractive prices. As time goes on, we can see Raval becoming the most trendy neighbourhood in Barcelona. Over the last two years prices have gone up fast. Two years ago you could buy for 1.000 a m2 now you're lucky to find something at 3.000 m2.

Location, location, location. Raval is probably one of the best located neighbourhoods in Barcelona. Wedged between el Gotico & Sant Antoni, it's close to the sea, port, train station, boasts chic restaurants and boutique shopping, but most importantly it has many transport links that make Raval a very convenient place to live as you can get from one side of the city to another without a problem. It also borders one of the most famous tourist attractions - Las Ramblas. This guarantese that the narrow streets of Raval will continue to buzz and that business will keep growing in the area as the tourists venture beyond the main streets. It is so well located that gentrification is almost inevitable!

Poble Sec

Part of the green district of Sants-Montjuic, this previously more quiet residential area is becoming a trendy place and is starting to attract real interest from property investors.

The neighbourhood is very well positioned as it benefits from the greenness of Montjuïc, the quick access to sea (15-20 min walk) and it even stretches all the way to Plaza España. This means that you can get to the airport in almost no time on the Aerobus, and the two main metro lines, L2 & L3, allow you to access parts of the city quickly.

The properties in this area tend to be relatively modern and sometimes resemble  the buildings in Eixample. The majority of them offer balcony or terrace space, however not all of them have the luxury of a lift. The streets are not as narrow as in Raval, therefore you can expect more light. Poble Sec has a bit more of a Catalan character as some of the properties have vaulted ceilings.

This area is really a place to buy for those who want to live in Barcelona away from all the touristic buzz but still want to enjoy the benefits of this incredible city. Also the return on your investment in this area is well worth considering.. Juste days of just a year and a half ago you could buy flats for under 100.000, now they sell for 3.000 a m2 and after renovating for 5.000 m2.

Sant Antoni

Sant Antoni is a part of one of the most modern and popular parts of Barcelona - Eixample. It is named after the famous Sant Antoni market which you can see in the picture below and is positioned between three different neighbourhoods. It's definitely one of the areas worth considering when looking for property.

Because it was one of the recent additions to Eixample, the buildings tend to be fairly new and not in huge need of renovation. The properties are likely to have better facilities than the ones in the older parts of town, such as lifts, outside spaces, balconies & terraces, air conditioning and heating. Since they're relatively modern, you are less likely to find Catalan uniqueness or something with a bit more character to it. Sant Antoni's location proves to be one of the most convenient ones as it is wedged it between three neighbourhoods - Raval, Eixample and Poble Sec - and it stretches all the way to Placa Espanya from which you have a quick access to the airport and also other transport links to get  you to other parts of Barcelona quickly and conveniently.

So apart from its location and its more modern buildings, why has it stood out so much? Of course, it's the lower price. According to Fotocasa, the property prices in Sant Antoni have been rising in the past year. The neighbourhood's lower prices compared to the rest of Eixample is what’s attracting so much attention. Lower property prices are promising increasing returns for the investors and bringing bigger value to invest, thus making the top of our up & coming neighbourhoods list. This area is getting quickly saturated though. It's a bit of a hipster haven really, very trendy with lots of cool restaurants attracting plenty of young people to the area.

Poblenou

Poblenou is the old manufacturing quarter of Barcelona in the district of Sant Marti. Therefore you can find a lot of industrial sites and old factories in this area. The development of the district is due to the increasing industrialization around Barcelona in the 18th century. Originally Poblenou was an independent suburb of the city of Barcelona and not connected with it. Due to its proximity to the sea, the district grew rapidly and reached, at the end of the 19th century, the highest density of industrial buildings in Spain. For this reason, it was also called El Mànchester Català ("The Catalan Manchester"). The former industrial zones with factories and warehouses are increasingly being transformed into residential districts with lofts, art galleries, schools, fitness clubs, etc.

The neighborhood is very well located since it is near to the center of Barcelona and also near to the beach. It is bordered by the Avenida Diagonal in the North and the beaches of Bogatell in the South. The metro line L4 goes directly through the quarter and has two stops at "Llacuna" and "Poblenou".

So why should you invest or settle down in Poblenou? The neighborhood is becoming more and more famous for providing awesome spaces for flats and lofts with an industrial touch. The area is very popular with young families, the creative workforce and a number of international companies that want to set up offices. Even though the place is close to the beach and the hustle and bustle of the city it is a really quiet neighborhood. All these aspects turned Poblenou from the industrial part of the city to one of the most in-demand neighborhoods in Barcelona!

Stage 2

Now we will go through the neighborhoods that will be up and coming in the future. So if you are looking for a new home or investment you should definitely consider to live in these areas to get ahead of the buying rush.

Sant Adria de Besos

Sant Adria de Besós is a city of 36.000 inhabitants in the Northeast of Barcelona. It is located at either side of the river Besós. Sant Adria has a long history which started in the year 1012 when its famous church was built. During the industrialization, a lot of factories were built around the city and it used to be a neighborhood for working people. In the picture below you can see the 3 towers of the Besos power plant which is not in use anymore but which the citizens voted to keep as an iconic building for the city in a referendum.

During the last few years Sant Adria de Besós has gotten more attractive. The government spends a lot of money these days to renew the suburban areas and it is well connected through streets and public transportation. There are several bus and metro lines which will bring you to Placa Catalunya within 15 minutes.

So why would you buy a home in a neighborhood which still looks pretty industrial? Because it's changing! The prices for properties in neighborhoods like Eixample or Gracia are exploding so a lot of people decide to live a little bit outside of the hustle and bustle of Barcelona's inner city. And Sant Adria is perfect since prices are still low and you are very well connected to Barcelona!

Glories

Another Up and Coming Neighborhood in Barcelona will be Glories! It's the neighborhood where the 3 big streets of Barcelona cross. The Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, the Avinguda Diagonal and the Avinguda Meridiana. It is wedged between Eixample and Sant Marti which means that it is very central.

It is in a central location with a big open air shopping mall and the Torre Agbar which is a popular attraction. So why is it not one of the most popular parts of Barcelona? At the moment it is not the most beautiful area nor the most buzzing. There is a huge construction site around the Placa de les Glories Catalanes which has been there for several years. But the city of Barcelona has started a huge project to make Glories a nice, green, sustainable neigborhood. Click here if you want to see some interesting videos about the construction process.

When the construction is finished Glories will be one of the prime locations of Barcelona. More and more people will invest into properties and the prices will rise. So if you want to be part of the new Glories without spending huge amounts of money now is the time to look for a new flat!

L'Hospitalet de Llobegrat

L'Hospitalet de Llobegrat, with over 250.000 inhabitants it is the second largest town of Catalonia. It is located between the river "Llobegrat" and the southwestern city limit of Barcelona. Unlike its bigger brother, it has a skyline with at least thirteen buildings over 60 meters.

L'Hospitalet is still known as a run-down suburb so why do we think that it is an Up and Coming Neighborhood in Barcelona? Because the economy has improved recently and the government is working on the infrastructure. For example, there are  4 metro lines which connect L'Hospitalet to Barcelona (L1, L5, L8 and the L9 Sud).

Besides that you can enjoy all the benefits of living in Barcelona without paying huge amounts of money for your flat AND you can avoid the tourist hotspots.

The prime areas of Barcelona like Eixample or Gracia are so popular that buyers are being priced out of the market. More and more people are starting to move into the less popular districts of the city and attracting investment from international as well as domestic buyers What do you think about our selection of Up and Coming Neighborhoods in Barcelona? Did we miss any out? Let us know in the comments! Are you looking to buy or sell a property? We're here for you SuiteLifers! - Daniel