The new Polish government, dominated by the Koalicja Obywatelska (Civic Coalition) party, announced back in the election campaign that it would resume work on a law on REIT-type structures, abandoned several years ago. Economic organizations are calling on it to make good on its economic promises - the introduction of domestic REITs could bolster domestic demand and lure more domestic capital to the real estate market, virtually non-existent here today.

2024 is foreseen to experience a decline in SEE construction markets but a comeback is the projected current scenario for 2025. Romania is expected to contribute most negatively to the shrinkage of the SEE region in 2024. The rest of the countries is forecast to perform better. Bulgaria, Croatia and Serbia could end up at higher level in 2025 than what was experienced in 2023. The EECFA (Eastern European Construction Forecasting Association) released its 2023 winter construction forecast.

According to the "Ski Report" published by Savills for the eighteenth time this year, on average, across the Savills Ski Prime Price League table of the top twenty resorts, prices for prime residential property fell by approximately -4% for the year. However, this fall is from record levels, after prices rose more than 20% in the 2021/22 season. While down slightly from their 2022 highs, values remain on average 20% above 2021 levels and 41% above pre-pandemic prices. 

It is anticipated that the market will experience the transition from being perceived as a problem to an opportunity for many investors and funds in 2024. CBRE summarised this year's developments in the Czech commercial real estate market and provided an outlook for 2024. 

Office real estate in Poland, as in the entire CEE region, is trying to forge a new identity for itself in the new times of hybrid work and lower demand. Participants in the panel on the future of offices at Future of Real Estate 2023 discussed how this process is taking place. The event was organised by Property Forum and RICS in Warsaw.

In the face of the housing crisis, the possibility of repurposing existing commercial buildings for residential use is receiving increasing attention. The question is: Can this approach provide a solution to the housing shortage in appropriate locations, and can it be profitable for developers? According to experts at the Urban Land Institute (ULI), changing trends in the office, retail, and hotel markets are making commercial adaptive reuse not just an option, but often a necessity.

According to Savills, about half (51%) of European investors plan to invest in co-living developments in the next three years, and, compared to 2022, co-living projects are where investor interest has grown the most. Market players, including Lithuania-based investor Baltic Asset Management, see big potential for projects of this type in the Czech market as well. The company’s CFO, Dalius Kaveckas, shared his insights with Property Forum.

Savills has presented a preliminary summary of 2023 and predicted key trends going forward. The commercial property market in Poland is expected to see a rebound in investor, developer and tenant activity in the near future against the backdrop of continued global uncertainty and the climate crisis.

Savills Investment Management announced its global outlook for real estate investment markets in 2024, highlighting several key sectors it believes offer rewarding opportunities for informed investors.

Over the past year, many residential markets in CEE that have historically depended on credit buyers, have experienced a significant slowdown. This is not the case with Serbia’s residential market which has been dominated by cash buyers. At the same time, the local commercial real estate market also remains attractive to foreign investors, especially for the development of logistics and industrial facilities. These are just some of the conclusions of last week‘s Balkans Property Forum 2023, organised in Belgrade by Property Forum.