Hungarian residential developer Cordia plans to hand over a record number of homes this year in Hungary. Thanks to an expanded government family support scheme and the re-introduction of a 5% VAT rate on residential property, the company expects sustained strong demand and will therefore increase its offer by more than 800 new homes as part of several developments. Work is continuing uninterrupted while protective measures are observed, with full online customer service introduced last year.

Budapest’s housing market is becoming more eventful for used and newly-built homes alike as sales have started to pick up in early 2021. As a result, developers sold more than 1,600 new homes between December 2020 and February 2021, nearly half the total number of new homes sold last year. At this rate, total sales figures may even double this year. As usual, most new homes were sold in Budapest's District 13, but the Inner Pest districts have also attracted large numbers of buyers. Data from the Budapest Housing Market Report by Eltinga and Ecorys reveals the number of new homes sold early this year in various locations.

Public transport expert Dávid Vitézy, CEO of the governmental organisation Budapest Development Agency (BFK), was recently invited by RICS to join its ranks as a Fellow Member, recognizing his unique professional knowledge. On the occasion of this new appointment, he talked to Property Forum about the future he imagines for Budapest.

On Thursday, 11 March, SES Spar European Shopping Centers opened S-Park Kaposvár, a new retail park in Southern Hungary. As a result of a renewed lockdown in the country, only those stores that are deemed essential for the provision of basic goods and services to the population have been allowed to open. These are a 6,800 sqm Interspar store, a 600 sqm dm drugstore and a 150 sqm Ofotért optical retail store. S- As soon as official Hungarian regulations permit, all other stores located at S-Park, such as Hervis, Deichmann, Euronics, Pepco, and Kik will go into full operation. The segment and shop mix, which includes 10 stores, covering a leasable area of 11,200 sqm, will deliver a comprehensive range of brands and services to Kaposvár and the surrounding region.

Major upgrades have launched recently in the myhive Haller Gardens office building, owned by Immofinanz in Budapest and a showroom has been completed in the first phase as planned. The large-scale renovation will affect the entire office building. In addition to the significant energy and technical improvements, the building’s exterior facade, community and office spaces, restaurant and café will be renovated, just as the roof terrace and surrounding garden that will be significantly rebuilt.

The past year has turned every aspect of our lives upside down, including the way we work and use office space. CEE-based flex office provider New Work has updated its annual research that confronts these issues and shows how our habits to use office as a place of work have changed over the past year. Research shows that flexible office space in Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania has increased tenfold and workplace needs now are completely different than ever before, so there should be an office ready to use at every corner.

CTP is starting the construction of 80,000 sqm in Vecsés, a strategic location near Budapest Airport. With the market-leading 250,000 sqm under development in Hungary and high demand of the logistics and industrial space due to its large undersupply in the entire CEE region, CTP will reach the target of a 1 million sqm portfolio in the country already by the end of 2022, a year ahead of the originally projected forecast. CEE’s largest industrial developer already manages 10 parks in the size of 520,000 sqm in the country.

Hungarian lender OTP Bank is providing the largest project financing loan to date for the development of the Duna Terasz Grande apartment complex in Budapest. According to the financing agreement signed recently, OTP provides a HUF 23 billion (appr. €62.8 million) loan for developer D&B Ingatlanfejlesztő-Group. The 790-apartment project is the largest waterfront residential development in the 13th district. It will be handed over in 2023.

Owner CPI Hungary will complete the second stage of a reconstruction project in its Arena Corner office building, updating it to reflect the latest office trends and changing tenant requirements.

The NIPÜF Group has opened two new warehouse units in the industrial park of Páty, near Budapest. The tenant for the facility, now expanded to 23,000 sqm, is Waberer’s-Szemerey Logisztika Kft.