According to Michael Klien from WIFO (the Austrian Euroconstruct member institute), 2022 was the second year of recovery for the European construction industry after the outbreak of the pandemic. The year-on-year growth rates of 3% were, however, much lower than in 2021 (+5.8%) owing to the sharp rise in construction costs, Euroconstruct reports in its latest press release.

Real estate investment volumes in CEE reached almost €10.7 billion during 2022, up 6.6% compared to the previous year, with Poland accounting for 54% of all transactions, trailed by the Czech Republic and Romania with shares of 14% and 12%, respectively, according to a report by Cushman & Wakefield Echinox. 

In 2022, a total of 333,210 sqm of new industrial/logistics space was added to the Greater Budapest stock, the Budapest Research Forum reports.

Saying goodbye to 2022 means welcoming a year of uncertainty for the fourth time in a row. Two pandemic years, war in Ukraine, historically high inflation and the upcoming spectre of recession have forced the Polish investment market to cope with tough times, says Avison Young Poland

In their global real estate outlook for 2023, the Savills World Research team says that capital value increases in most real estate sectors around the world in 2023 will be minimal, and rental growth prospects limited, but investment activity may rebound in H2 2023.

The Polish Ministry of Development and Technology has drafted a bill to limit purchases of large numbers of flats. The new legislation is to target both individual investors and funds investing in the institutional rental segment (PRS).

New technical regulations regarding the methodology for calculating the energy performance of buildings will be enforced in Romania starting February. The new rules will help the local construction market will take an important step forward by aligning with European standards and trends in terms of sustainability

A key challenge facing many real estate corporates, who historically have been reliant on the bond markets, is the quantum of near-term maturities. This includes the Nordics where JLL estimates circa 32% of real estate corporate bonds are due to mature within the next 2 years. 

Demand for renting and buying real estate should remain decent over the longer term in Romania and its neighbors, despite 2023 most likely being a bit more challenging than a regular year, according to experts of Colliers. 

A stagnating market, stable prices of quality properties and further inflation of the rental housing bubble. These are the key trends of the Prague residential market at the end of last year, according to an analysis by Svoboda & Williams.