The effects of higher interest rates have yet to cause too much distress within the likes of the Prague market, says Richard Britten-Long, Chairman of the Supervisory Board at Českomoravská Nemovitostní, in an interview for Property Forum. He also talked about key market drivers, including ESG.

Przemysław Orchowicz, Country Manager, Heimstaden Poland has talked to Property Forum about the current forecasts for the PRS market, overregulation risk and investment plans.

Investors are not in a hurry to buy assets yet, assuming those assets may become cheaper as holders are in trouble. Property Forum asked Kristóf Bárány, Founding Partner of fund management company Adventum Group about their preferences in Hungary and the broader region.

There are several factors which put a break on the revival of the housing markets. Property Forum asked Guy Dymschiz, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Duna House Group, active in Hungary and Poland, about the necessary steps from the states and the developers to overcome the mounting difficulties.

Waldemar Wasiluk, Vice-President of the Management Board and CFO of Victoria Dom, one of the largest residential developers in Poland, talked to Property Forum about the current difficult situation in the market, the interest of the PRS investment funds and the cautious approach of financing entities.

During the fifteen years YIT has been present in the Czech market, the company has seen a significant change in the behaviour of its clients, their demands and its emphasis on high quality. If we add to this the recent rise in energy and building materials prices, we are motivated to look for new materials with minimal environmental impact, says Dana Bartoňová, Sales Director of YIT Stavo in an interview with Property Forum.

Increase in flexible working patterns brought on by the Covid pandemic has had a positive influence on our ability to juggle these two competing pulls on our time and focus, says Clare Sheils, Managing Director of CBRE in the Czech Republic. She talked to Property Forum about market expectations, the ongoing energy crisis and being a woman in top management in real estate.

The current economic downturn may result in more mergers and acquisitions in most of the CEE countries. Owners of some hotels and retail centres may divest their assets to minimize loss. Property Forum asked Csaba Polacsek, Partner, Advisory Services at PwC Hungary about the mood of the possible buyers and the remaining risks in the coming years.

Katarzyna Zawodna-Bijoch, President and CEO of Skanska’s commercial development business unit in CEE has talked to Property Forum about the changing role of offices, skyrocketing energy prices and the incoming supply gap in the Polish office market.

Some players in the Hungarian commercial property sector have made significant steps to transform the industry, but the majority have failed to do so. Property Forum asked Zsombor Barta, President of the Hungary Green Building Council (HuGBC) about the way the entire industry should act to reach net zero as adopted by the European Union.