Croatia and Slovenia are attracting growing volumes of real estate capital, but investors are increasingly competing for a limited pool of institutional-quality assets. At Zagreb Property Forum 2026, speakers on the opening panel discussed pricing, investment strategies, financing conditions and the growing need for creativity as the region’s real estate markets mature.

Echo Group closed the first half of 2026 with a 14% rise in residential sales and considerable activity in its commercial segment. The Group completed the sale of part of the Resi4Rent portfolio, comprising 18 projects and 5,322 units, for approximately PLN 2.4 billion, the largest transaction to date in the Polish PRS market. It also sold two buildings in the Brain Park office complex in Kraków for €74.3 million. Capital raised from these transactions is being directed towards debt reduction and new investment, primarily in central Warsaw.

North-East Romania has an increasingly important role to play in the economic transformation of the wider region. Positioned at the intersection of Romania, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, the region has the opportunity to become a significant gateway for investment, infrastructure development, industrial growth and future reconstruction.

The value of newly started construction projects in Romania fell considerably in the first half of 2026, with declines recorded across almost every submarket, according to the EBI Construction Activity Report Romania Q2 2026, prepared by Eltinga, Buildecon and iBuild. "Q1 was relatively strong, but not enough to change the overall downward trend. A combination of economic slowdown, persistent inflation, elevated interest rates, and reduced public spending continues to constrain the market," said Dr. Sebastian Sipos-Gug of Ebuild srl.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming a structural factor in corporate operations rather than an emerging technology, according to a market report published by Colliers Hungary. The analysis, authored by Kristóf Tóth, Associate Director and Head of Research at Colliers, examines the economic impact of AI on Hungary and the wider region.

Property Forum’s first EastGate Investment Showcase, held on 15 September, brought together investors, business leaders, financial institutions, public authorities and regional decision-makers at the Palace of Culture in Iași to explore how Northeast Romania and the wider Romania-Moldova-Ukraine corridor can translate its strategic position into investable opportunities. The event created a new meeting point between international capital and regional stakeholders, with discussions ranging from infrastructure and energy to real estate, logistics and Ukraine’s reconstruction. EastGate’s objective extends beyond the event itself: the initiative will continue with the development of the EastGate Investment Pipeline 2027, aimed at identifying and preparing concrete opportunities for investors.

The European commercial real estate debt financing market is showing signs of renewed recovery, according to CBRE's European Lender Intentions Survey. Some 72% of European lenders plan to increase their volume of new loans in 2026 compared with 2025, while only 7% expect a decline. The survey, which gathered responses from 134 lenders between 18 March and 28 April 2026, reflects a stabilisation of the outlook amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.

Poland's planning reform is reshaping the land market as the Housing Special Act, commonly known as lex developer, expired on 31 August 2026. The legislation had for eight years enabled residential projects to be built on sites not always designated for residential use under local zoning plans. According to the Polish Association of Developers, the procedure was applied to projects comprising over 100,000 homes during that period. Plots covered by a local zoning plan, a legally binding planning decision, or an adopted Residential Investment Location Determination are now gaining in value, while sites without a secured development pathway face price pressure as regulatory risk becomes a direct component of land valuations.

P3 Group S.à r.l. has reported its condensed consolidated interim financial results for the first half of 2026, posting net operating income of €284 million, up 6% from €269 million in H1 2025. The company's logistics portfolio covers 10.2 million sqm of gross lettable area across 10 European countries and serves approximately 490 customers. Portfolio value was held at €10.8 billion, with acquisitions and development activity offsetting disposals, while the like-for-like value declined marginally by 0.4% as yield expansion to 5.74% outweighed estimated rental value growth of 0.3%.

Bucharest is consolidating its position within the Central and Eastern European (CEE) real estate market, combining rental growth across major asset classes with investment yields that remain well above Western European levels, according to the DNA of Real Estate Europe Q2 2026 report published by Cushman & Wakefield. Across Europe in Q2 2026, prime office rents rose 4.5% year-on-year, retail rents increased 3.0%, and logistics rents grew 2.4%, while investors remained selective as yield movements pointed to a more balanced market following the repricing cycle of recent years.