Spain attracted €17 billion in real estate investment in 2025. 40% of that went into living assets. Goldman Sachs, Greystar, Blackstone, Colonies, Cohabs. They're all here. And flex living is at the center of it.
In this episode, I sit down with Araceli Martín-Navarro, President of Coword (Spain's most important flex living association, 30+ years in real estate), and Santiago Herreros de Tejada, Managing Partner at Planner Exhibitions and the man behind SIMA, Europe's largest dedicated living conference.
We cover:
- 00:00 Introduction
- 00:42 Araceli's background and Co-Work's founding story
- 02:42 Santiago's 25 years in Spanish real estate
- 04:37 What is SIMA? 21,000 visitors, 8,500 investors, 35 countries
- 06:34 How professionals can benefit from SIMA
- 09:08 Flex Living gets its own dedicated space at SIMA for the first time
- 12:33 The Spanish flex living market explained
- 14:07 Who are the people driving flex living demand?
- 16:13 Why international investors should care about Spain
- 17:06 "Spain is the Florida of Europe"
- 18:03 Infrastructure, connectivity, lifestyle, and cost advantages
- 19:54 The regulation question. Madrid vs Barcelona.
- 21:33 Working with public administration
- 22:49 Technical challenges. Parking, kitchens, licensing.
- 25:24 Madrid converting offices to coliving
- 27:40 SIMA ticket offer for Everything Coliving readers
- 29:26 Final thoughts
What we discussed:
- - Spain's three-pillar flex living framework: flexibility, private + shared spaces, service + community
- - The difference between coliving, co-housing, and senior living in the Spanish context
- - Why €17B flowed into Spanish real estate in 2025 (30% more than 2024)
- - How 35-40% of that capital targeted living assets specifically
- - Why Madrid's administration is actively supporting flex living and office conversions
- - Why Barcelona's anti-displacement regulations are tightening
- - The concept of "social coliving" being discussed with Spanish administrations
- SIMA 2026: May 20-23, Madrid. 21,000 visitors, 350 exhibitors, 200 speakers
Free SIMA Tickets for Everything Coliving Readers:
- First 20: FREE (€400 value)
- Next 20: 50% off
- Next 20: 25% off
- Email mayank@everythingcoliving.com with subject "SIMA 2026"
Links:
SIMA 2026: https://www.simaexpo.com
Coword Spain: www.coword.org
Araceli on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aracelimart%C3%ADn-navarro/
Santiago on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yago-herreros-de-tejada/
Everything Coliving: https://everythingcoliving.com
BookMyColiving: https://bookmycoliving.com
Newsletter: https://everythingcoliving.substack.com
Mayank on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/mayankpokharna
#coliving #flexliving #spain #sima2026 #realestate #proptech #sharedliving #seniorliving #cohousing #madrid #barcelona #investinspain #digitalnomads #everythingcoliving
