While hardly a day passes without at least one developer, builder or property agent filing for creditor protection, Spain’s property sector is trying to put a brave face on its current woes.

Despite a backdrop of oversupply and tight credit conditions that have driven down prices and sales, not all exhibitors at the current Sima international real-estate exhibition in Madrid have lost their sense of humour. At one large stand, a wrestling ring draws visitors as a caped Captain Avantis promotes a rental plan with buying option by defeating the “Evil Mortgage Man” in a staged bout.