According to a survey conducted by Savills involving real estate investors with total Europe and Middle East assets under management (AuM) exceeding €500 billion, almost a third of investors are looking to adopt a more aggressive, value-added investment strategy over the next 12 months. This is up from 14% on last year’s survey, with only 28% expecting to deploy a more defensive strategy over the next 12 months, down from 55% last year.

During the first half of 2023, investment activity remained low due to increased financial costs and an uncertain outlook. As a result, there was a need for more price discovery across all sectors. In Poland, we are witnessing a similar tendency in European countries and the United States, and one of these trends is a reduction in investment volume. The rise in interest rates had a significant impact on transaction valuations and investment activity, leading to a challenge in determining the size, speed, and duration of price adjustments. JLL experts presented an analysis of investors' activity in Poland in comparison to CEE countries.

iO Partners, JLL’s preferred partner, has opened a new office in Belgrade, Serbia. From this location, the real estate consultancy will also cover neighboring countries including Croatia, Slovenia and Montenegro. 

Despite the slowdown, the CEE investment market remains strong with local investors playing a more vital role than ever. The most active dealmakers discussed what sells today and will drive market activity tomorrow at CEE Property Forum 2023 in Vienna.

Marie Baláčová has been named Partner at Cushman & Wakefield. She will also lead the business development services team for the CEE and Nordics region. The new role is a part of the company’s new operating model aiming at more efficient collaboration of market research, marketing and communications experts across countries and regions, further supporting advisory services to clients. 

NEPI Rockcastle has officially opened its €136 million Promenada Craiova shopping centre in central southern Romania. 

Despite rising operating costs, high inflation, and uncertainties related to events such as the conflict in Ukraine, Central and Eastern European markets continue to be attractive compared to Western Europe. Daniel Bienias, Managing Director in CEE at CBRE, talked to Property Forum about investment trends and the future of the advisory business in the region and beyond.

Real estate investments are a great protection against inflation, especially compared to alternative asset classes. Michael Wagenhofer, Head of Capital Markets at Arnold Investments talked to Property Forum about investment trends.

The industrial sector will remain on the radar of investors due to the ongoing nearshoring trend but development should also accelerate across other commercial sector once interest rates start to fall, concluded speakers of the investment trends panel of CEE Property Forum 2023, held in Vienna.

The interest rate side will be a definitive factor for investments going forward, while investors that have a strong equity base will have more opportunities to snap projects next year, concluded speakers in the opening panel of CEE Property Forum 2023, held in Vienna.