Robust commercial real estate investment activity continued in Q2 2016 across the core Central European markets and reached EUR 2.6 billion, a 56% increase on Q1, according to Cushman & Wakefield. This has pushed volumes over the last twelve months to EUR 9.3 billion, close to 2007 record levels. 

There has been a significant increase in demand for income-producing industrial properties bought for investment purposes in Hungary in the past two years. China's Shanghai Feilo Acoustics owned Inesa Europe purchased more than 16,000 square meters of industrial property under such a deal. The distribution center located at Dunakeszi serves the European customers of one of the largest LED manufacturers in China.

The supply of new apartments in Budapest has increased significantly, 2.5 times, between February and March of 2016, but only a few can move in as the number of apartments with an occupancy permit is limited. The first wave of increase will hit the market in the second half of 2017. The still tight supply and large demand has pushed prices upward; the increase in price per square meter has exceeded 5%, as shown by the analysis of the Budapest Housing Market Report.

Vacancy rates reached a record low level on the Budapest office market as a result of modest development activity and strong demand from tenants. The Budapest Research Forum has published its quarterly office market analysis.

Renewals dominated the Budapest industrial property market in the second three months of the year where the vacancy rate has increased for the first time in nearly three years. The Budapest Research Forum has published its Q2 2016 industrial market snapshot.  

Immofinanz has signed several lease agreements since the beginning of the calendar year 2016 accounting for approximately 40,000 sqm of its Hungarian portfolio. Of this figure, prolongation of leases accounts for more than 25,500 sqm, and new and expanded contracts sum up at 14,500 sqm.

The sharp rebound of the Hungarian real estate investment market witnessed in H2 2015 has gained further momentum during the first half of this year. According to JLL the transaction volume of the first semester reached more than EUR 910 million, already more than during the full 2015 year, highlighting the increasing weight of capital targeting Hungarian assets.

Prologis has signed a new lease agreement for 4,800 square metres with Inter Cars Hungária, the largest passenger and truck parts dealer in Central and Eastern Europe, at its DC7 building now under construction at Prologis Park Budapest-Sziget. CBRE facilitated the transaction.

Diófa Fund Management has announced the purchase of Europark shopping centre in Budapest from Unibail Rodamco. The acquisition is a result of a one year long and constructive cooperation between the parties and was entirely funded by own capital. Due to new investment fund restrictions it is highly possible that this was the first and last shared deal on the market.  

Within two months OTP Real Estate Investment Fund has already added the second logistics property to its portfolio. The 35,000 sqm warehouse complex is located in South-Pest, within the Gyál Business Park, near the M5 motorway and several multinational companies. The transaction is part of OTP Real Estate Investment Fund Management’s ongoing portfolio development, therefore further transactions can be expected in 2016.