The Madrid Salón Inmobiliario Internacional (SIMA), held a new edition this week at IFEMA Madrid, reinforcing its position as one of the leading events for the residential sector in Spain and Europe. Over several days, the meeting brought the activity of the real estate ecosystem together in one place, drawing developers, financial services companies, agencies and other market players, alongside potential buyers, tenants and investors interested in the residential market.

At Testa Homes, as a long-term home sales and rental operator, we took part in this benchmark forum for the residential sector as a Bronze Partner. Our participation allows us to strengthen our presence in the sector’s main arenas for debate, share our vision with international players and actively contribute to the conversation on the evolution of the housing market in Spain. With precisely this objective in mind, we moderated an analysis session on how the criteria used by international capital are evolving when selecting and structuring residential projects. Read on to discover all the details!

SIMA 2026: the meeting point for capital, housing and innovation

This edition of the SIMA real estate fair brought together 390 exhibitors, collaborators and partners, consolidating its position as one of the leading residential-sector events in Europe. Attendance exceeded 21,000 visitors, including more than 8,500 professionals and investors, with an offering of over 17,000 homes. The edition was marked by the strong internationalisation of the market, with delegations from 40 countries taking part and a particularly prominent role for the Dominican Republic as guest country, alongside projects from the United States, Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia and the United Arab Emirates.

The programme of roundtables and talks focused on three major areas of change in the residential sector: international investment, technology and product evolution. In terms of investment capital, discussions addressed the new living cycle, the reorganisation of investment flows and the growing importance of factors such as the geopolitical context, regulatory stability and real execution capacity in decision-making. As regards technology, the impact of innovation across the sector’s entire value chain was analysed, with artificial intelligence applied to investment, marketing and asset management emerging as one of the main points of debate across different sessions. And in relation to product evolution, the programme explored new forms of housing, from flex living to co-living, senior living and branded residences, together with the challenges associated with land, urban planning and the affordability of housing in major cities.

Noelia Rosón moderated a panel on international investors’ decision-making in the residential market

As part of the event, Noelia Rosón, Operations Director at Testa Homes, moderated the roundtable “Housing development from the perspective of the international investor,” a session that analysed how major investors are making decisions when promoting residential projects in Spain. The discussion featured Javier de Castro, Acquisition Director and Head of Iberia at Harrison Street; Juan Gómez-Vega, Managing Director and Head of Southern Europe in Deutsche Finance International, and Heriberto Heriberto Teruel, Business Development Director at Merlin Properties.

As moderator, Noelia Rosón focused on how international capital is currently making investment decisions in residential development, starting from the criteria that determine whether an opportunity becomes an institutional investment and the factors shaping that assessment. From there, the conversation addressed the role of different financing structures in the current cycle, as well as the evolution of market-entry strategies through formulas such as forward purchases and joint ventures, together with the maturity of the different living segments in Spain.

Testa Homes, a benchmark voice in the debate on capital and the transformation of residential real estate

At Testa Homes, we take part in SIMA on an ongoing basis, as we consider it a key forum for closely following the evolution of the sector and contributing our perspective as a residential operator. In the previous edition, l focused on the de Noelia Rosón had the pleasure of heading up a panevelopment of affordable housing from the perspective of the international investor, with an emphasis on project financing, public-private collaboration, segment profitability, the regulatory environment and operating models. And in 2024, she also moderated another roundtable on residential rental management, which addressed the challenges facing the market in Spain, improvements in the management of available stock and opportunities for the evolution of the rental model.

Looking ahead, at Testa Homes we will continue to participate in the sector’s key platforms for debate, with the aim of remaining at the centre of the conversations shaping the present and future of residential housing models. This approach will see us continue to promote analysis of investment dynamics, the transformation of residential models and the impact of innovation on the real estate value chain, contributing to a fuller understanding of how the sector is changing and where it is heading.