Commercial land prices have been stable over the first half of 2019, while prices for residential sites continue their rising trend at a slower pace, according to Colliers International.

According to JLL, the value of real estate investment transactions in Central and Eastern Europe totalled more than €5.47 billion in H1 2019. Poland is the clear front-runner accounting for €2.72 billion (almost 50% share), followed by the Czech Republic with €1.68 billion (30%). In both countries, Asian investors, particularly those from South Korea, have been remarkably active. Total volumes in Hungary amounted to €400 million, while in Romania and Slovakia total volumes hit €338 and €350 million respectively.

The Romanian real estate market recorded good results in the first half of 2019, with activity on office and investment segments getting more dynamic than that of some CEE peers. With the full-year GDP expansion figure likely to top 4%, Romania also remains an outlier in terms of economic performance when compared to other CEE economies. According to Colliers International Romania, there is a favourable perspective for the Romanian real estate market that could be maintained by year-end.

The Bucharest office market could have a record year in terms of deliveries in 2019, provided that all the announced projects are finalized on time, a scenario in which modern office spaces with a total area of ​​about 377,000 square meters will have been delivered in the capital city, according to data from Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.

Romania’s modern industrial stock exceeded the 4 million sqm during the first semester of 2019, since a new supply of 240,000 sqm was brought on the market and by the end of 20202 approx. 1 million sqm are expected to be delivered, according to the latest research report by CBRE Romania.

Over recent years, Romania has become one of Central Eastern Europe’s most attractive regions to start operations in. According to research by JLL, by the end of 2020 the country is expected to become the second largest economy in the CEE and continues to attract investors from all over the world – not only from Europe, but also those from South Africa, the USA and China.

According to Cushman & Wakefield’s latest DNA of Real Estate Q2 2019 report, the European logistics sector continues to perform strongly with strong rental growth and investor demand driving down yield by 2bps, whereas yields in the European office and retail sectors remained flat.

The investment volume in H1 2019 amounted to almost €410 million on the Romanian market, a 6% increase compared to the similar period of last year, when the corresponding figure for investment transactions was of €386 million, according to Cushman & Wakefield Echinox calculations and estimates.

Flow volume into the CEE-6 commercial real estate markets picked up in Q2 2019, registering a cycle-high €3.3 billion for the quarter. Following on from the weaker Q1, H1 2019 volumes at €5.5 billion were thus just -3% down on H1 2018’s record, according to Colliers International's latest report.

Delivery of retail space will accelerate in the second half of the year, when approximately 150,000 square meters will be delivered in several cities in the country with new deliveries in Bucharest amounting for 35,000 square meters, according to the H1 Romania Retail MarketBeat report, realized by  Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.