The mood among investors at MIPIM was mixed: we all expected that the beginning of this year would not be rich in transactions and new projects, and it is true - we are seeing an investment slowdown across Europe, writes Marcin Purgal, Senior Director, Investment at Avison Young. However, in this time of uncertainty, we can say that Poland is enjoying and will continue to enjoy the interest of investors - it is one of the most active markets, across all segments, offering higher rates of return than Western Europe. We have an influx of new capital from the Baltic countries and Scandinavia. Also, the already present capital is still active, such as investors from Central and Eastern Europe as well as a few from Western Europe.

Europe’s largest retail estate fair, MIPIM, which took place in Cannes last week, has shown that the industry was on the move. Interestingly enough, the market mood is by no means as negative as is frequently suggested. On the contrary, Arnold Investments reports lively interest from international investors. The focus is particularly on properties of up to €50 million. “Many deals are about to be finalized”, summarizes Markus Arnold, CEO and sole owner of Arnold Investments.

Property group Globalworth said its total combined portfolio value remained effectively unchanged at €3.2 billion during 2022 compared to 2021, while investments in logistics/light-industrial facilities in Romania and the refurbishment/repositioning of two mixed-use properties in Poland totaled €52.2 million. 

Decarbonization of the construction sector plays a crucial role in achieving climate goals, as the real estate market is responsible for 38% of global CO2 emissions, according to UN data. In the case of new buildings, especially industrial ones, eco-friendly solutions have become the new standard. In fact, it’s often required by investors, says Marcin Kosieniak, MEP design specialist and co-owner of the PM Projekt construction design office, and expert of the RRJ Group.

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