2016 brought about yet another turnaround on the Hungarian commercial property market. Real estate professionals from the country and all over CEE came together in Budapest at Property Investment Forum 2016, organised by Portfolio. The biggest and most important event of the Hungarian real estate market was held for the 12th time this year, attracting over 700 visitors and nearly 100 speakers.

General optimism, attractive investment opportunities and more capital characterises the Central and Eastern European property market that is now considered a favourable investment destination by international investors. The second Emerging Europe Property Forum, co-organised by Portfolio Property Forum and RICS, took place on 8 November at the RICS HQ in London. 

In the middle of August, the whole world was once again in Olympic fever, as Rio hosted the 31st Summer Olympic Games. The event bears significance for Hungary, beyond the achievements of its athletes, because Budapest is one of the cities which has applied to host the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Romania has significantly strengthened its position as a favourable investment destination within Central & Eastern Europe and unlike other countries in the region, the Romanian property market is not entirely dominated by its capital city. Although investors and developers are most active in Bucharest, secondary and even tertiary cities have a lot of potential as well, and several companies have decided to explore what these regional hubs have to offer. 

This year has witnessed new players entering Central and Eastern European markets which, when combined with investments from the region's traditional players, has further increased CEE investment activity. Colliers, Skanska and JLL has released a joint report that analyses the region’s potential as an investment location.

The operating results recorded by Immofinanz were stable in year-on-year comparison at EUR 45.3 million in the first quarter of the abbreviated 2016 financial year (Q1 2015/16: EUR 46.9 million). Rental income fell from EUR 82.2 million to EUR 76.8 million due to temporary rent reductions in Moscow and the planned sale of properties. 

Brexit has proven that nothing is certain, but at this point it seems that the divorce of the UK and EU won’t have much of an impact on Central and Eastern European property markets. Over 300 visitors and 70 speakers came together in Vienna to discuss the most pressing issues concerning the CEE property industry. We report from CEE Property Forum 2016, co-organised by Portfolio Property Forum and RICS. 

Airports have become an important part of daily life and they have proven to be essential for the development of cities and regions. Good and fast connections are key parts of doing business and the lack of efficient infrastructure can hinder the economic growth of entire regions. Airports in Central and Eastern Europe have a long way to go until they can secure their place on the global map, but they can easily improve their position within the region by increasing their competitiveness. One of the key ingredients of success is establishing adequate transport links.

An expanding BPO/SSC sector does not just boost the economy but the construction market as well. Investment funds and real estate agencies point out that in CEE there is still a need for prime offices, shopping centers and logistics infrastructure. Skanska, JLL and Dentons, in cooperation with ABSL have published their latest CEE Investment Report 2016: Mission to Outperform.

Two-thirds of real estate markets globally have shown progress in levels of transparency over the past two years, according to JLL and LaSalle Investment Management’s 2016 Global Real Estate Transparency Index (GRETI). The ten countries identified as “Highly Transparent” by GRETI account for 75 percent of global investments into commercial real estate, highlighting the extent to which market transparency drives real estate investment decisions. Poland registered an excellent result in this year’s index and stands just outside the top ten, while other countries in the CEE region have also improved their results.