Price pressure and uncertainties still exist in the residential market in CEE. Build-to-sell is dominant and build-to-rent has already started in some countries. According to the panel focusing on the challenges and opportunities in the residential market at CEE Property Forum 2024 in Vienna, stabilised construction costs and lower mortgage prices, however, may boost investments.

Hungary's Indotek Group completed the acquisition of a stake in Auchan's domestic hypermarket business over the weekend. In addition to the 47% stake in the retailer, the real estate investor will also take over the operational management of the Auchan chain. The competition authority has already approved the acquisition, Indotek said.

Praktiker Real Estate, the property company owned by Turkish investor Omer Susli, has purchased the Muntenia Business Center offices, in central Bucharest, from Longshield Investment Group for €8 million.

UBM Development is selling a non-core asset in Poland for €17.85 million to a Polish entity Rewa. The project Galeria Szperk is a shopping centre with 57 well-known chains, national and local brands, including attractive retail and service outlets in Kosakowo (Gdynia), Poland.

pbb Deutsche Pfandbriefbank (pbb) has underwritten an investment facility, totalling €38 million to refinance a retail park portfolio called Vendo Park in Poland for Trei Real Estate.

Real Management has secured additional credit financing amounting to PLN 120 million (ca €28 million), which will be allocated to the expansion of its development activities. The financing was provided once again by mBank S.A.

The Lett Markowska project in Warsaw's Praga Północ district, being developed as part of the housing platform by Nrep, has received financing of PLN 60 million (ca. €14 million) from Santander Bank Polska. The funds will be allocated to the development of the investment, which includes 179 rental apartments. This marks the first collaboration between Nrep and Santander Bank Polska.

The location of the winter harbour in Bratislava is going to change to a new district, reports SME.sk. At stake are plots worth hundreds of millions. 

The European average home price was €5,666 per sqm during Q3, a 2.1% increase compared to Q1 2024, finds a report by Catella, which tracks 58 cities across 16 European countries. 

Real estate investment decisions in CEE are currently made considering various challenges, such as difficulty in predicting five-year exit strategies for investments, liquidity in the region, and concerns about the impact of ESG regulations on building compliance and financing, to name a few. CEE Property Forum 2024 in Vienna has taken a closer look at European investment trends in the panel chaired by Tim Wilkinson, MRICS, Head of European Acquisitions at Indotek Group.