The longer-term trend of price increases on the residential market continues to be the most likely scenario as demand continues to outpace supply in many of the larger cities of Romania, according to a report by the Eastern European Construction Forecasting Association.

Total commercial real estate investment into the Slovak market amounted to €502 million in 2020, a year-on-year decrease of 27%, according to Cushman  & Wakefield’s market reports for Q4 2020.

The MBARE programme (MBA – Real Estate Investment, Development and Valuation) taught at the Prague University of Economics and Business, after only three years of operation, has been accredited by the international organization RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) for the field of commercial real estate and real estate valuation. It is the only accredited MBA programme of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe.

Property investment volumes for the CEE region totalled €10.4 billion in 2020, 24% below 2019 levels. Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary all saw year-over-year declines in volumes. Romania, Slovakia and Bulgaria all saw increases. By comparison, EMEA  volumes are estimated to be down by ca. 27% YoY but Colliers’ latest reports indicates a strong rebound in 2021. Investor appetite remains strong for 2021 for the CEE region but will continue to be challenged by available product and the varying impact of COVID on certain sectors.

2020 was a good year for the Romanian transaction market, with a volume that approached the threshold of €1 billion. Most of the transactions concluded were for office buildings, with a volume of €784 million. Although estimates for 2021 are more modest, we can expect the sale of several important assets to go through this year. Property Forum lists the office buildings in Bucharest that could change owners in the next 12 months.

The fourth quarter of 2020 closed a year full of changes and upcoming trends on the Czech industrial market. Despite the pandemic, the industrial segment proved stable, and there was a significant acceleration in the development of e-commerce, and specifically the digitalisation of the entire retail sector. There remains a high demand for premises on the market from investors and clients, and this interest puts pressure on prices, which will increase significantly at premium locations in 2021, according to 108 Agency.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, dealmakers are broadly positive about the prospects for M&A in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe (CEE/SEE), according to a new survey from Wolf Theiss and Mergermarket. Just over half (52%) of respondents said that the health crisis will increase their appetite for deals in the next 12 months.

There were 11,185 residential property deals made in Hungary in January 2021, according to the latest monthly transaction estimate by real estate group Duna House. This is the highest figure recorded for the month of January in the last five years.

December turned out to be a good month for construction companies and producers of building materials, according to the latest monthly report by research company Spectis, “Construction market in Poland – February 2021”. However, the outlook for the construction industry in 2021 remains moderately bleak, mostly because of a high comparison base of Q1 2020. That the second half of the year could see an upturn is yet suggested by higher order books reported by the top 20 construction companies.

The latest annual report by specialist business property advisor Christie & Co reflects on the themes, activity and challenges of the previous year and forecasts what 2021 might bring across the hotel investment sector in various European countries.