With 240 PropTech solutions at the beginning of 2023, the country is among the leaders in Europe in the field of smart cities, smart buildings, smart homes and water management.

According to Savills latest research, pricing levels are increasingly attracting North American investors to European real estate. In 2022, North Americans invested more than Europeans cross the border, €48 billion compared to €36.6 billion, which is 31% above the five-year average for the former. In the Czech Republic, investors from North America spent €321 million in 2022 (40% above the five-year average), while European buyers (excluding domestic capital) acquired assets worth €459 million.

The estimated value of transactions in the Polish institutional rental market exceeded €1.8 billion at the end of 2022, most of which were contracts for projects under development (forward contracts), according to the latest DLA Piper and Savills report – PRS market in CEE. Experts expect that high real estate prices and the declining availability of mortgages will generate increased demand for apartment rentals in the coming years, and thus attract new investments to this market segment.

Prague's residential market in 2022 has seen the lowest number of flats sold in the last 10 years. The residential market is slowing down further, but prices of new builds are not falling, JLL said in its latest report.

While the property investment volume in the European Union fell by 23% year-on-year to €211.5 billion in 2022, the market in Germany shrank by around 44% in 2022 compared to the previous year, says a market analysis conducted by Arnold Investments

The Bulgarian commercial property market in 2023 will maintain activity around last year's levels. Main buyers are again expected to be local investors with sufficient funds or being able to obtain favourable credit terms. This is what Cushman & Wakefield Forton is forecasting for the period. C&W Forton estimates the total volume of commercial property transactions in 2022 to be just over €270 million. Transactions with traditional market assets – office and retail space – are predominant, while there is also a stir in the industrial property segment

The rising share of domestic investors has kept volumes high in CEE property markets in the last year and this trend will continue. The overall market outlook is quite optimistic as further declines are expected for inflation and construction costs, concluded panellists of Property Forum's recent online event.

The relocation process of manufacturing and business operations to Bulgaria following the geopolitical pressure gives the country a decent chance of attracting foreign investments. Despite the prediction of a recession in 2023, the expectations are for opportunities in some sectors and for investors to focus on high–quality and sustainable product. The trend is outlined by Colliers in their latest country report.

Property investor Globalworth has reported a net loss of €16.1 million in 2022 compared to a profit of €47.5 million in 2021, while the value of its commercial portfolio remained effectively unchanged at €3.2 billion. 

Property Forum is excited to announce that the 2023 edition of “The 50 most influential people on Romania’s real estate market” will be published on May 4th during our Spring Networking Party in Bucharest, on the day of our first-ever Romania ESG Forum.