With interest rates forecasted to decrease across Europe in 2024, real estate investment activity is set to increase in Romania as well as in other countries in the region. Andrei Văcaru, Head of Capital Markets CEE at iO Partners talked to Property Forum about the movers and shakers of the Romanian investment market.

Trei Real Estate has just presented its mid-year financials for 2023. Despite a difficult market environment for developers, Trei continues its developments of residential real estate in Germany, Poland and the United States as well as of retail real estate in Poland. The development pipeline amounted to a total value of €1.9 billion by 30 June 2022, which represents a drop of c. €100 million since 31 December 2022. The decline is essentially explained by the completion of three retail parks in Poland as well as by the completion and the highly successful sale of the “Atlantic Beach House” residential project in Charleston/South Carolina, whose disposal generated around 35 per cent IRR for Trei. Out of the total development pipeline of €1.9 billion, the residential use class accounts for €1.7 billion while retail developments in Poland account for €200 million.

Synapsis Property Ventures, a boutique investment company that makes private investments in development projects in Slovakia, bought two real estate projects in Bratislava last year. They are Hotel Campus near Železná studienky and Knižkova family houses in the Rača district. The current total amount of the company's private equity investments is approximately €12 million, Synapsis announced. 

The investment transaction market in Romania reached €181 million in H1 2023, down by 43% compared to the same period of last year over rising financing costs. At the same time, the average price per property decreased from €24 million to €11 million, according to Cushman & Wakefield Echinox. 

Skanska has divested the first phase of its office complex H2Offices in Budapest, Hungary, to Erste Open-Ended Real Estate Investment Fund, represented by Erste Alapkezelő Zrt., for approximately €100 million. The transfer of the property is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2023.

7R has finalised the sale of 7R City Flex Gdańsk II. The new owner of the warehouse is GLP Europe. The facility comprises 11,000 sqm of space – currently fully leased by leading brands from the food and FMCG sectors. The price has not been disclosed.

Romanian developer Iulius has signed a partnership with Oil Terminal, a public company owned by the state, for the urban regeneration of a 38-hectare land plot in Constanța. Iulius plans to invest more than €810 million in a large mixed-use scheme. 

Atenor announced the sale of the RoseVille office building located in District 3 of Budapest. The buyer is a Hungarian fund set up by international investors. This transaction is a significant achievement in the developers' operational plan and a major milestone in the Budapest investment market for the year 2023.

Czech Investment group Kaprain acquired ca. 53,000 sqm brownfield site from Howden ČKD Compressors, part of Howden, a leading global engineering company, which was recently acquired by Chart Industries. Howden ČKD Compressors exclusively appointed Colliers to market the facility for sale.

Pharmaceutical company Biofarm has sold a plot of land close to Victoriei Square in Bucharest for around €5 million. The land spanning 2,176 sqm, which used to host an industrial facility, was taken over by Romanian company Iancu de Hunedoara Residence SRL. The deal was brokered by Crosspoint Real Estate.