Romania attracted around €1.2 billion worth of foreign direct investment (FDI) from real estate and construction companies during 2022, accounting for 17.2% of the total investment volume recorded in the country, according to central bank data analyzed by Cushman & Wakefield Echinox. 

In a strategic move to strengthen its presence in the Croatian real estate market, ALFI Real Estate Fund (ALFI RE) recently added another gem to its investment portfolio. The acquisition of the Matrix B office building in Zagreb's bustling business district marks a significant milestone for the Fund, propelling its real estate portfolio value to over €100 million.

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.

SEE is still a land of opportunities but things go too slowly. The size of a single country is too small for international institutional investors who prefer to buy large portfolios rather than individual assets. However, sizeable local players were optimistic about the change in foreign investors’ attitudes at the panel devoted to the investment market in this region at CEE Property Forum 2023 in Vienna.

J&T Real Estate has purchased two hectares of building land on Rohanský island in Prague's Karlín district from the Rohan Consortium, in which Sekyra Group has a half share. In the future, J&T Real Estate plans to buy another two hectares and build the Nový Rohan district for CZK 15 billion (€613.5 million). The company did not disclose the specific price of the acquisition but said the value of one square metre exceeded CZK 20,000 (€818), ČTK reported, cited by online daily newstream.cz.

For many real estate market leaders who came to Expo Real 2023, it was an opportunity to look for new investment opportunities in the face of more difficult macroeconomic and economic conditions in the world. Experts from Walter Herz advisory agency share their insights on the current situation in the Polish property market. 

“In times of change, Expo Real once again confirms how important personal exchange is for the real estate industry”, says Markus Arnold, CEO and sole owner of Arnold Investments. This is also the reason why the company is on site with an international team from ten countries and an unchanged large exhibition stand.

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.

Hungarian real estate investor and developer Indotek Group has announced the acquisition of Hotel H·Top Royal Beach in Lloret de Mar. The vendor is H·Top Hotels & Resorts Group which will continue to operate the facility, hosteltur.com reports.

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.