Colombia. At the end of this year, the country's builders project that the sector will have a growth that will oscillate between 9.5 and 14.4 percent.
This depends on the dynamics observed by the leading indicators and the impact of the measures formulated by the Government such as the 100,000 free housing program or the Plan to Boost Productivity and Employment (Pipe).
The president of Camacol, Sandra Forero Ramírez, told local media that these initiatives will be fundamental to continue reaching segments of the population not served in terms of housing, where the financial closure of the projects is guaranteed with the minimum component of savings and additional efforts in subsidy and indebtedness. "Launches, initiations, sales, licenses and variables such as the subsidy to the interest rate, the mortgage interest rate in pesos, as well as mortgage disbursements, are those contemplated and give us a forecast with differences," he adds.
When considering only the relationship between the leading indicators of the sector, it is estimated that the number of licenses in 2013 could reach 175,924, with growth of 4.3 percent.
When the projection incorporates the effects of the subsidy to the rate, sales experience a growth of 12 percent, where the segment higher than Social Interest Housing (No VIS) would be the marker, with 14 percent.
In another projection, which contemplates the impact of the 100,000-home program, it is found that launches, sales and initiations will grow, together, by 22.3 percent, due to the good performance that housing initiations could experience, which would reach 165,094 units, with an increase of 51.1 percent.
"The outlook looks promising in terms of initiations and licenses, since it is expected that the total program of 100,000 homes will be licensed and started and that the impact on sales will be favorable, given the subsidy program at the interest rate for low and middle incomes," says Forero.
