Something is expensive when it is not worth what it costs.
The world is huge.
So is the real estate market.
When I studied Architecture in Catalonia, I started living in Tarrasa.
If you don’t know it, it is a dormitory town of Barcelona. I hope the egarenses are not offended.
I’m talking about more than 30 years ago. I know that since the 92 Olympics, the city has changed but, at that time, Tarrasa was a strange mix. Most of its inhabitants were workers who coexisted with a lot of students. There were many universities in the city and that made for a very fun university atmosphere. In fact, that’s where I met my wife.
Another day I will tell you the “anecdote” of when they threatened to kill us.
Halfway through our studies, together with two friends, we decided to move to Barcelona.
We did not want to miss the opportunity to live for a few years in the city that at that time was the most cosmopolitan in Spain.
So we did. What at the beginning only seemed like advantages: concerts, movies, walking, exhibitions, etc. gradually faded away. When you live in a big city, the area in which you move, becomes your city. In something more limited.
If you work in real estate, something similar happens. Your area of activity leads you to believe that the real estate world is limited to your immediate area, which is not the case.
When you understand that there is life beyond your circle, you understand and value everything in perspective.
It also happens in the rendering world.
You will be surprised to think that there are people who pay 5.000€ for an image or more than 100.000€ for a video.
Companies that pay those amounts do not lose money. In fact, they earn a lot with those investments.
In Spain, developers are very lucky. We are one of the countries with the highest level in terms of architectural visualization.
Real estate companies, of course, although they play with a lot of margin, are not willing to pay the prices that are paid in the USA, for example.
I tell you this to put things in perspective. That you are lucky to have world-class visualizers here and you should not squeeze them so much.
If you force them to compete on price they will either flee to other markets or disappear. I have seen this happen for 30 years.
It’s not worth it to take away that talent. I’m not telling you to be an NGO. I’m just asking you for a little responsibility in the industry and we can all earn what we deserve.
Here’s what truly justifies that investment.