The lingering effects of Mexico’s recession should create buying opportunities for the country’s largest homebuilders next year. “There will be lots of opportunity for consolidation,” Gerardo de Nicolas, Homex’s CEO, tells LatinFinance. It will be easier to take market share in 2010,” he addsMexican homebuilders are suffering the effects of a housing-related downturn in Mexico, and smaller operators in particular have become vulnerable. Among the better known players in the country are Geo, Javer, Urbi, Sare, Ara and Desmet, which is currently holding debt restructuring talks with creditors. Homex is not considering any acquisitions at the moment, says de Nicolas, but he does however, expect to acquire land banks from Mexico’s smaller developers at attractive prices in 2010, he says. De Nicolas explains that the 2009 fall by 50% in new homes offered in Mexico has been accompanied by a 42% drop in the number of homebuilders offering new homes. Homex currently has 10% of the market. Homex expects to continue to grow, but de Nicolas says he does not foresee the need to raise additional capital in 2010.