At the peak of the construction season, there were double-digit year-on-year drops in the issuance of building permits and approvals, the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic reports. The number of started dwellings was significantly behind even the pre-pandemic period, but the completion was higher. The pace of completion and the start of construction slowed year-on-year in up to 6 regions.

In the face of the housing crisis, the possibility of repurposing existing commercial buildings for residential use is receiving increasing attention. The question is: Can this approach provide a solution to the housing shortage in appropriate locations, and can it be profitable for developers? According to experts at the Urban Land Institute (ULI), changing trends in the office, retail, and hotel markets are making commercial adaptive reuse not just an option, but often a necessity.

According to Savills, about half (51%) of European investors plan to invest in co-living developments in the next three years, and, compared to 2022, co-living projects are where investor interest has grown the most. Market players, including Lithuania-based investor Baltic Asset Management, see big potential for projects of this type in the Czech market as well. The company’s CFO, Dalius Kaveckas, shared his insights with Property Forum.

Savills has presented a preliminary summary of 2023 and predicted key trends going forward. The commercial property market in Poland is expected to see a rebound in investor, developer and tenant activity in the near future against the backdrop of continued global uncertainty and the climate crisis.

Savills Investment Management announced its global outlook for real estate investment markets in 2024, highlighting several key sectors it believes offer rewarding opportunities for informed investors.

CTP has so far concluded lease deals with a total area of over 400,000 sqm for space in industrial properties in the Czech Republic in 2023, including more than 10 lease contracts for premises larger than 10,000 sqm. The largest transaction was a contract to renew the lease of almost 54,000 sqm of space in CTPark Bor. The developer continues to build new industrial space across the Czech Republic and is confident that the Czech industrial property market will continue to grow. 

A number of branded residential schemes increased by over 160 percent in the last ten years. The residential sector became attractive even for prestigious "brands" from non-residential sectors such as Versace, Fendi, Armani or Tonino Lamborghini and they have also expanded their presence into this segment across major cities around the globe. Nevertheless, the concept of branded residences is not present in the Czech Republic yet, says a Savills report. 

Immofinanz Group recorded strong growth in both rental income and operating results in the first three quarters of 2023 due to acquisitions, the full consolidation of S Immo and successful asset management. Rental income rose by 79.4% year-on-year to €389.2 million; the results of asset management, at €323.7 million, were even 92.2% higher than in the previous year. The results of operations increased to €209.1 million and sustainable FFO 1 from the standing investment business more than doubled to €214.4 million.

CA Immo has reported a good operating performance for the first three quarters of 2023. The results show, among other things, a significant increase in rental income (+9%) and high income from the sale of non-strategic properties (sales result of €158 million, FFO II +88%), which led to an increase in the operating result (EBITDA) of 129% compared to the previous year´s figure. In total, CA Immo generated a consolidated net profit of €61.1 million, which was around 77% below the previous year's figure, primarily due to the non-cash-effective, market-related negative result from revaluation.

How to invest in challenging times? How to diversify one’s investment portfolio to minimize risk? What properties are investors allocating their capital in nowadays? Marcin Purgal, Senior Director, Investment and Paulina Brzeszkiewicz-Kuczyńska, Research and Data Manager at Avison Young Poland answered these questions and many others.