German funds have always been one of the main players on the investment market in Poland and the CEE region. However, in recent years their share in transaction volume has been decreasing. Currently, they stand at around 15% of the total value invested annually. New entrants from the USA, Asia and South Africa have increased competition for commercial property in the region. Poland and the Czech Republic are still the CEE markets of choice for German investors seeking to locate their capital in commercial real estate.

Technology is not going to completely reshape the property business overnight, mentality and infrastructure developments will define the speed of adaptation in different parts of the world. Over 120 real estate professionals came together at Property Technology Forum Europe 2018 in Warsaw, co-organised by Property Forum and RICS, to discuss the future of the profession.

According to CBRE, the global property investment volume increased 3.6% year-to-date (YTD), compared to the same period of last year, with Q3 up by 1.2% (in fixed exchange rates). Taking account of last year’s strong appreciation of the U.S. dollar, global investment volume grew by a greater 5.9% YTD.

In the third paper of a three-part series looking at the future of logistics real estate, Prologis examined the implications for logistics property in light of emerging trends for transport, labour productivity and consumer behaviour. Prologis predicts these trends will create big efficiencies in supply chains and bring associated cost savings for users of logistics facilities – a proportion of which will go towards paying higher rents, especially for facilities located in urban infill areas, as this will lead to much higher efficiency gains.

New furniture. Everything is neatly organized. Everything is in its place. And it is extremely tidy. New offices tend to look as if they are images in a catalogue or a photorealistic visualisation delivered by an architect – but this only lasts for a short while. It takes no more than a few weeks for slow, yet inevitable changes to begin creeping into a new office. As the lease term passes, the office acquires a life of its own: it is an organism straining to adapt to the dynamic movements of people, things and activities that fill it and shape the space.

Rents remained stable on the Budapest commercial property market in H1 2018, according to the last survey of the National Bank of Hungary (MNB) and RICS. The typical yield level decreased by roughly 25 basis points to 6% for prime offices and 7.5% for industrial/logistics properties. Respondents anticipate an increase in demand for investments in most market segments for H2 2018, particularly in the case of prime office and industrial/logistics properties.

The Polish retail market maintains its momentum despite the partial Sunday trading ban. This year’s supply is expected to hit approximately 490,000 sqm, the highest annual level in the last three years. Of that total, 52% will be delivered in cities a population of more than 400,000 while 42% will be handed over in cities with a population of less than 100,000, according to Cushman & Wakefield’s latest report.

At the beginning of October, the total value of real estate investment transactions completed in Poland year-to-date exceeded €5 billion which is comparable to 2017's total. JLL analysed this year’s investment transactions conducted in the commercial real estate sector in Poland.

On 6 November 2018, Property Technology Forum Europe 2018, a conference and networking event for the proptech industry and real estate professionals from all over Europe will be held in Warsaw. Nearly 200 guests will come together in the Polish capital to discuss the future of the real estate industry and to explore the latest innovations in the profession. The mission of the event is to create a common ground for true collaboration between proptech startups, property professionals and occupiers.

Despite geopolitical uncertainty and a slowing in the economic cycle, investment in the global property market has seen a significant rise of 18% year-on-year to a new record high of $1.8 trillion (2017: $1.5 trillion), according to the report of Cushman & Wakefield, which examines global commercial real estate investment activity, assessing cities by their success at attracting capital.