2016 was a strong year for the Romanian commercial property market with a continued boom in the office segment and growing investment volumes. Ilinca Paun, Managing Partner at Colliers International talked us about current trends and expectations for the future.

Looking at what is going on in world politics, TriGranit’s CEO finds it difficult to comprehend why many still stress the political risk factor when talking about the Central European real estate market. He’s optimistic about the future and expects further diminishing returns on investment, along with new investors appearing in Budapest. Árpád Török talked to us about plans for developing TriGranit and the future of the real estate market.

The Budapest commercial property market has seen a real turnaround over the past two years. Demand is evidently strong for quality office and logistic space in many parts of the Hungarian capital, including its airport. Budapest Airport has an area larger than London Heathrow and ambitious long-term plans that aim to attract a wide range of companies, including cargo and logistics operators. René Droese and Réka Sebestyén, responsible for the property business of BUD, talked to us about the airport’s development plans.  

The Polish property market has long been the region’s frontrunner and it seems like that nothing can slow it down. In spite of all the fears of last year related to political instability and the Warsaw office market getting potentially overheated, investment volumes are up significantly and development activity is stronger than ever. Piotr Mirowski, Director of CEE Investment Services at Colliers International Poland talked to us about the country’s investment market. 

The United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union dominated property news cycles over the summer. After the initial shock things have somewhat cooled down but it is still uncertain to what extent will London loose its position as the capital of the European real estate market. The first figures show that although investors have started acting a bit more cautiously they are just as hungry for yields as they have been before the referendum took place. Benjamin Perez-Ellischewitz, Head of Capital Markets at JLL Hungary has talked to us about the potential effects of Brexit on European property markets. 

International investors seem to have rediscovered one of the biggest and most important markets of Southeastern Europe that have matured a lot over the past few years. Michaela Lashova MRICS, CEO of Forton (an Alliance Partner of Cushman & Wakefield for Bulgaria and FYROM) and RICS SEE Ambassador talked to us about the present and future of the Bulgarian commercial property market. 

Central European commercial property markets are expected to attract even more investors than last year and the competition among countries is fiercer than ever. What does it take to change lost lasting perceptions and secure interest from international buyers? Andy Thompson MRICS, Director of Investment Services at Colliers International talked to us in Bratislava about recent developments on the Czech and Slovakian markets.

More and more cities around the world are rediscovering the potential that lies in their waterfronts. Transforming old and dysfunctional industrial zones into lively areas with mixed uses has been trending for many years now and the Serbian capital has one of the most ambitious waterfront plans in the world. When new first broke about Belgrade Waterfront in the middle of the financial crisis few believed that the ambitious plans of Abu Dhabi-based developer, Eagle Hills would ever materialise. In 2016 however the wheels of the 1.8-million-square-metre megaproject are already set in motion, completely transforming the Serbian capital. Nikola Nedeljkovic, General Manager of Belgrade Waterfront talked to us about the 3-billion-euro development.

2015 has proven to be a turning point for both the Hungarian commercial property market and for Cushman & Wakefield, which has merged with DTZ. Adrian Limp MRICS, Head of Valuation & Advisory at Cushman & Wakefield Hungary talked to us about valuation practices in a recovering market.

RICS, hand in hand with other global organisations, is constantly working to raise the quality of property valuation and measurement standards. In several countries, RICS valuers are already required to join Valuer Registration, while IPMS for office buildings is being implemented in many different parts of the world. But when will these innovations result in better professional practices in Central and Eastern Europe? Maarten Vermeulen FRICS, Managing Director of RICS EMEA, CIS & Russia talked to us at the Portfolio - RICS Property Valuation 2016 conference in Budapest.