There were 5,971 residential property deals made in Hungary in April 2020, according to the latest monthly transaction estimate by real estate group Duna House. The last time the monthly figure was this low was at the low point of the previous crisis in 2013. Meanwhile, weekly data suggest that we are past the trough as the market picked up slightly in the second half of the month.

While house prices in Budapest rose 14.1% year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2019, they fell 2.0% in nominal terms on a quarterly basis, the National Bank of Hungary (MNB) reported. The central bank has not recorded a q-o-q drop in house prices since Q4 2013.

Romanian developer One United Properties has completed the structure of its One Herăstrău Towers mixed-use project, which will include 139 residential units, in addition to offices and commercial space on 5,055 sqm. The project is 85% pre-contracted ahead its completion planned before the end of the year.

Interest in investments in the private student housing sector in Poland is constantly growing. Investors see this market as highly absorptive, which currently satisfies less than 10% of the demand for student accommodation. Significant advantages include forecasts concerning the constantly growing number of foreign students in Poland and attractive rates of return on investment, according to a new report prepared by ThinkCo in cooperation with Golub GetHouse.

Opus Land Development, the developer of the Cosmopolis residential complex, completed the acquisition of a 15.6 ha piece of land located in the immediate vicinity of the project. Last year the developer purchased a 10 ha lot in the area.

Construction of the new Student Depot student housing block in Gdańsk is going faster than planned despite the challenges created by the global COVID-19 pandemic, owner Kajima reports. The facility is due to be complete in the summer, ready to welcome its first students in September 2020.

6B47 Poland has acquired a 0.22 ha site on ul. Grochowska in Warsaw’s Praga Południe district from petrol station operator Circle K for the development of a 12,000 sqm student housing project. The developer was advised by BSWW Legal & Tax, Accace and ó TPA Real Estate Services.

Echo Investment is introducing a new service for potential home buyers, Aurelia – a virtual customer assistant.

Hungarian residential developer Cordia is introducing a new, secure, online service that covers the entire home buying process, including virtual viewing and remote contract signing.

Romanian residential developer One United Properties is moving ahead with three new projects in Bucharest.