The residential queen continues to be La Moraleja
La Moraleja has its own weight, it is not even necessary to add the word 'urbanization' in front of it so that everyone in Madrid knows what residential area we are talking about. It is one of the urbanizations with the most stable supply and demand since it was developed decades ago.
Something similar can happen even to foreign celebrities: artists, sportsmen, diplomats or businessmen who temporarily reside in our country; they may not be able to locate Alcalá de Henares or Guadarrama, but they know where La Finca (Pozuelo de Alarcón) or La Moraleja (Alcobendas) are located. And the fact is that these two urbanizations have attracted relevant people for decades. The main reasons: security, the size of their plots and homes, as well as the proximity to the city of Madrid. Although neither of the two has lost steam, the truth is that La Moraleja is the veteran, and it is also experiencing a sweet moment that continues to attract new celebrities. According to many media, the actor Richard Gere will be one of the next neighbors with his wife Alejandra Silva, and so could the soccer player Kylian Mbappé if he finally ends up playing for Real Madrid. This is one of the urbanizations with the most stable supply and demand since it was developed decades ago.
La Moraleja was born standing upright
It has had a star since it was born residentially in the 70s, when the plots into which the hunting estate of ‘La Moraleja’ was divided began to be sold: 1,150 hectares owned by José Luis de Ussía y Cubas, Count of Los Gaitanes (and son of the Marquises of Aldama). Relevant people and businessmen of the time went hunting there, such as Antonio García (father of Ana García Obregón, now deceased), owner of Jotsa, who wanted to buy 95% of the shares of Niesa, the company that was listed as the owner of the land. The builder Obregón said in one of the few interviews he gave: “It was clear to me that Madrid was going to grow in the north, and that it was going to grow there. So he looked for travel companions and partners to pay 700 million pesetas at the time (4.2 million euros) for the land. He was not mistaken: the plots of three different sizes, 10,000, 2,500 and 1,500 square meters, were sold in less than five years.
That is one of its great attractions today, the size of its plots and the fact that ‘there are as many as there are’, that is why, being a limited supply, this urbanization has remained immune to crises and real estate cycles. In addition, it enjoys something that other areas desire and do not achieve: the organic and natural rejuvenation of its population. If at the beginning of the 21st century the first and second generation of those buyers of the 70’s still predominated as residents, today it attracts a rejuvenated population group: some of them decided to move to this residential oasis after the Covid pandemic, but the truth is that even before, families with children were the majority, something that is greatly helped by the fact that there are almost 30 educational centers in the urbanization or nearby, several of them international schools.
Mercedes Rodríguez de la Fuente, a real estate partner in Madrid, has noticed an increase in the demand of potential buyers in the last XX years and tells us the main profile that comes looking for a property: “On the one hand, we have the demand for replacement, the typical family that was in the area of El Soto or El Encinar and wants to move to a larger property. But we also get families with children who, after making their first years of life in the city, have decided to move here for its tranquility, size and social environment. It is also true that there is an important number of businessmen or well-known faces who are looking for a home among the large residences of the classic La Moraleja and come to us looking for our specialty: unique homes”.
La Moraleja is made up of many, but there is one above them all
Because although many people refer to all these residences and areas as ‘La Moraleja’, the truth is that there are three distinct spaces. La Moraleja, El Soto de La Moraleja (known as El Soto) and El Encinar de los Reyes (El Encinar). Within each of them, there are independent single-family properties and different developments of townhouses or apartments, although 95% are single-family homes. The price depends on the size of the plot, the state of conservation of the construction and the equipment of the house. Villas on smaller plots can be found for around 1.5 million euros. While in the central part there are many large houses with plots that usually reach one hectare in size and a price that can reach 20 million euros in some cases. The average in the whole urbanization would be 5,348 euros per square meter (5,631 for La Moraleja central), 2,159 euros more than the regional average of Madrid (Idealista data as of January 2024). Thus, although its average is below some exclusive neighborhoods in the capital, such as Salamanca, which has reached 7,186 euros per square meter this 2024, in terms of municipalities and residential neighborhoods it is at the top of the podium. What is clear is that the price statistics of this area is one of the most stable in Madrid, as can be seen in this graph.
The price depends on the size of the plot, the state of conservation of the construction and the equipment of the house. You can find villas on smaller plots that are around one and a half million euros. While in the central part there are many large houses with plots that usually reach one hectare in size and a price that can reach 20 million euros in some cases. The average in the whole urbanization would be 5,348 euros per square meter (5,631 for La Moraleja central), 2,159 euros more than the regional average of Madrid (Idealista data as of January 2024). Thus, although its average is below some exclusive neighborhoods in the capital, such as Salamanca, which has reached 7,186 euros per square meter this 2024, in terms of municipalities and residential neighborhoods it is at the top of the podium. What is clear is that the price statistics of this area is one of the most stable in Madrid, as can be seen in this graph.
The classic houses of La Moraleja built between the 70s and 90s show a traditional gabled construction style, usually with tile or slate, with much use in their walls of stone or wood, but the reality is that they are becoming less and less. Those of new construction after demolishing the old ones, or the integral reforms, however, opt for more functional lines based on the ‘cube’ system and large windows.
Es tal la animación y el buen ambiente en estas plazas y locales, que es más que frecuente que residentes en Madrid centro se desplacen a los locales de La Moraleja para quedar con amigos de la zona o directamente cenar por allí.
Aunque hay vigilancia en todos los accesos a la urbanización, la entrada no está vetada solo a residentes, por tanto, no es una urbanización estanca pero sí con seguridad privada de 24 horas que patrulla la zona, además de la propia policía local de Alcobendas, por lo que se considere una zona muy segura.
Madrid está de moda y cada uno encuentra su zona
Madrid está de moda, lo sabemos y lo notamos todos los que vivimos en ella. Se ha convertido en el place to be para las grandes fortunas —y también para clientes de clase media-alta— de países como México, Venezuela, Perú, Colombia o Chile, entre otros. Tener un apartamento (departamento como ellos suelen llamarlo) en Madrid es tener un pie en Europa y convertir nuestra ciudad en el centro de operaciones para sus viajes a Londres, París, Roma, Berlín o Suiza.
Y si bien es cierto que el barrio de Salamanca ha sido el primer destino elegido por estos turistas estacionales, también lo es que si finalmente deciden quedarse a pasar largas estancias o fijar finalmente su residencia, El Viso y La Moraleja son los enclaves elegidos.
Por eso, los precios y el interés en La Moraleja se van a mantener en los próximos años, pero sobre todo el buen ambiente y calidad de vida que desde el principio fue el reclamo de esta zona verde del norte de Madrid.
Madrid is fashionable and everyone finds their own zone
Madrid is fashionable, we know it and all of us who live there can feel it. It has become the place to be for the big fortunes -and also for upper-middle class clients- from countries like Mexico, Venezuela, Peru, Colombia or Chile, among others. To have an apartment (apartment as they usually call it) in Madrid is to have one foot in Europe and to turn our city into the center of operations for their trips to London, Paris, Rome, Berlin or Switzerland.
And while it is true that the Salamanca district has been the first destination chosen by these seasonal tourists, it is also true that if they finally decide to stay for long stays or finally set their residence, El Viso and La Moraleja are the chosen enclaves.
For this reason, prices and interest in La Moraleja will be maintained in the coming years, but above all the good atmosphere and quality of life that from the beginning was the attraction of this green area in the north of Madrid.
