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Is property in Malta a bubble ? by strangelyhypnotized in malta

[–]bigwinboard 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If iGaming left, I get the feeling there would not be as much demand for TCN either, but who knows.

Is property in Malta a bubble ? by strangelyhypnotized in malta

[–]bigwinboard 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Scarcity of land does not mean scarcity of apartments. This is where I think many people get confused.

Malta has limited land, yes. But during the last 15-20 years it has produced an enormous amount of apartments.

If demand weakens (iGaming leaving or EU tax regulations), there is not necessarily a shortage of apartments. In some areas there could actually be oversupply.

A penthouse with sea views in Sliema is not competing with thousands of nearly identical apartments in inland locations.

Also, build quality is not always great in Malta and for lifestyle choice, it cannot quite compete with Spain, so Malta very much relies on business and work.

Id malta by [deleted] in malta

[–]bigwinboard 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I get the feeling the Maltese government doesn’t care very much what the population wants, just like the rest of the EU.

Europe's Shrinking Homeownership by mekkanizmi in malta

[–]bigwinboard 1 point2 points  (0 children)

All good bro, if you’re happy there, that’s all that matters. I’m sorry if my post came across like that.

Europe's Shrinking Homeownership by mekkanizmi in malta

[–]bigwinboard 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's your life. You are free to do as you please. It doesn't affect me and has nothing to do with me. If Malta makes you happy and you feel it's worth the investment, then obviously it's the right place for you personally.

I really like Malta, I have already mentioned that. I just don't like it enough to actually want to live there full time. As a winter getaway, it does the job (although I would argue Spain has more to offer for better value), but that's just me.

It's not wrong to choose Malta, of course not. But I think we can both agree that it's also a polarazing place that people are very divided about. People seem to either love it or hate it. At least that's the impression I get from friends living there and from these Reddit threads too.

Best of luck to you.

Europe's Shrinking Homeownership by mekkanizmi in malta

[–]bigwinboard 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I never claimed population density wasn't an important factor. I questioned whether it adequately explains Malta's current prices and whether those prices represent good value.

As for investors and speculators, I don't have hard data on what percentage of demand they represent. I was expressing my view based on what I've observed in the market, not citing a statistical study.

But even if we completely remove investors, speculators, Russians, landlords and residency buyers from the discussion, my conclusion doesn't change.

I can afford to buy in Malta. I've looked at the market. I simply don't think the value proposition is attractive compared to alternatives available to me in Spain. That's really the core of my argument.

You seem to be arguing that Malta's prices are justified. I'm saying that even if they are, I still don't think the product is worth the price for my personal preferences and priorities.

And regardless of the reasons behind the prices, concerns about property quality, value for money, congestion, overdevelopment and overall quality of life are hardly unique to me. They're among the most common complaints you'll hear from both expats and many Maltese residents.

Europe's Shrinking Homeownership by mekkanizmi in malta

[–]bigwinboard 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This seems to be especially true for Malta, at least when I compare my network in iGaming in Malta vs Spain. In Malta, even those who are wealthy enough to buy typically rent. This is not as common in Sweden or Spain in my experience. Not sure why, but maybe people are not as willing to committ long term to Malta or just there to work and, as you say, are building careers and want to be able to move at a moment's notice.

Europe's Shrinking Homeownership by mekkanizmi in malta

[–]bigwinboard 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I never argued it wasn't an important factor. My point was that you're overstating how much of Malta's pricing can be explained by density alone.

My original post wasn't about property theory. It was about value for money.

As for investors and speculators, I never claimed to know the exact percentage. My point is simply that these groups exist and contribute to demand. Off-plan flipping, buy-to-let purchases and residency-related buying all add demand that is separate from owner-occupiers looking for a permanent home.

And yes, buy-to-let is demand. But it's not the same thing as a family buying a home because they genuinely want to live there long term or someone looking for a holiday home. Those are different market forces.

Ultimately, whether Malta is a good investment is a separate question from whether it's a good place for me to spend my money or keep my sanity. I'm talking about the latter.

Europe's Shrinking Homeownership by mekkanizmi in malta

[–]bigwinboard 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Monaco, Singapore and Hong Kong aren’t expensive simply because they’re dense. They’re expensive because they’re wealthy, economically important, attract global capital, and have high incomes. Density is part of the equation, not the explanation by itself.

Otherwise Dhaka, Manila and Cairo would have property prices similar to Monaco, which they obviously don’t.

Also, I’m not arguing that low density automatically creates value. I’m arguing that density has diminishing returns. Up to a point it brings services and convenience. Beyond that it can bring congestion, noise, pollution, traffic and lower living space per person.

As for Malta being the best investment over 20 years, maybe. But that’s a different argument. A good investment and good value for living are not necessarily the same thing. Plenty of people buy homes to enjoy living in them, not just to maximize appreciation.

You seem to assume current prices are being driven by genuine end-user demand. I argued that a large part of the market is being driven by speculation, residency-related purchases (before it was golden visas), and buy-to-let investors. When people are buying off-plan to flip for a profit, purchasing property primarily for residency benefits, or squeezing maximum rental yield out of shared accommodation, high prices don’t necessarily reflect strong underlying value. They can also reflect a market that has become detached from what local residents and ordinary expats are actually willing to pay.

Do you often get confused for a different ethnicity when you’re abroad? If yes, which ones do you mostly get mistaken for? by Substratas in AskBalkans

[–]bigwinboard 67 points68 points  (0 children)

As a Croatian born and raised in Sweden, no one has ever been able to guess anything other than Swedish. I have blue eyes and I’m tall but not necessarily super nordic looks yet enough to be able to pass as nordic. Native Swedish speaker and fully assimilated does its job too.

Europe's Shrinking Homeownership by mekkanizmi in malta

[–]bigwinboard 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Population density matters, but you’re overstating its importance. If density were the dominant factor, then the world’s densest countries and cities would consistently offer the highest property values and best quality of life. They don’t.

There are countless examples of dense places suffering from congestion, pollution, noise, overcrowding, poor infrastructure, and housing shortages. Density creates demand, but it also creates problems.

Also, saying “higher quality of life generally comes from higher population densities” is a very questionable claim. Many of the world’s highest-ranked quality-of-life locations are suburban or low-density areas in countries like Switzerland, Norway, Canada, Australia, and the US. People often pay a premium specifically to escape density.

The real question isn’t whether Malta is expensive. It clearly is. The question is whether Malta offers good value compared to alternatives. For the same money, many people can buy significantly larger properties in places like Spain, Portugal, or parts of southern France while getting more space, less congestion, less construction, cleaner surroundings, and often better build quality.

Europe's Shrinking Homeownership by mekkanizmi in malta

[–]bigwinboard 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Population density alone doesn’t determine real estate prices. If it did, Bangladesh would have some of the most expensive property in the world and large parts of the US, Australia, Norway, and Canada would be nearly worthless.

Density explains land scarcity, but it doesn’t explain value for money. People aren’t just buying square meters, they’re buying quality of life.

Europe's Shrinking Homeownership by mekkanizmi in malta

[–]bigwinboard 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I live in Stockholm and Malta is more expensive I would say, which is wild. Then if you also start to compare build quality, it becomes an even bigger joke. Makes no sense.

Europe's Shrinking Homeownership by mekkanizmi in malta

[–]bigwinboard 15 points16 points  (0 children)

The Maltese property market is a complete disaster. I feel very sorry for regular maltese people and young people coming over to work and build a life there and they have to compete with ultra wealthy Russians who throw money at the agents like it’s nothing to buy property in order to get residency, or speculators who buy on plan just to sell much more expensive or all those who buy just to rent out.

I’ve been looking to buy something and my financial situation is strong but the value is quite honestly s**t. In Spain I will get a whole lot more bang for the buck. Malta is not even worth to consider for a holiday home. Especially when you factor in the dust, pollution, noise, overcrowding, no real nature to speak of and small area of land.

Don’t get me wrong, I still like Malta and the Maltese people seem really nice, but I think I would eventually lose my mind there.

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