The demand for essential products such as bricks, cement, sand, gravel, iron, and steel in projects financed by mortgage loans is significantly increasing, according to Domingo Echeverría, Regional Commercial Manager of Familia Bercomat. Additionally, it focuses on materials such as sheets, profiles, insulations, screws, paints, ceramics, wood, and elements for doors and windows. This variety reflects the need for comprehensive supplies for projects ranging from small expansions to complete homes.
Echeverría assures that those who have been awarded a loan can benefit from additional discounts of 5% and storage services for up to one year, allowing them to acquire construction materials in stages according to the progress of the work. This proposal aims to simplify logistics, improve efficiency in planning and executing works, and avoid the dispersion of the construction budget.
However, the cost of construction has experienced a significant increase, reaching a cumulative rise of 69.69% in the last 12 months. For example, the construction of a 315-square-meter house can exceed $1 billion. This increase in costs has raised concerns among entrepreneurs, as setting a cost in dollars has become complicated due to the current economic context.
The hypothesis is that bank financing can promote the planned purchase of inputs and benefit manufacturers and distributors, as well as consolidate the economic and social relevance of the housing construction sector. It is expected that mortgage loans will be a fundamental tool for accessing homeownership and reactivating the real estate sector, generating a positive impact on the sale of construction materials.
Hardware stores and suppliers of construction materials expect the expansion of mortgage credit to stimulate sales, which have experienced significant declines in recent years. Despite the difficulties, some optimistic projections point to an increase in sales volume in the coming months, especially for products such as bricks, cement, sand, gravel, iron, and steel.
On the other hand, areas such as bricks, lime, carpentry, paints, sanitary ware, and plumbing have suffered declines in sales, as has cement. The association of cement manufacturers reported a decrease of 5.6% in demand last December. There are alarm signals regarding price increases, such as ceramic bricks, which have seen a rise of 50% to 80% in some companies. This situation has generated concern among owners and consumers in San Nicolás.