Echo Investment's residential business will be integrated into Archicom in order to create a nationwide developer with bigger growth potential, synergies and a wider market presence. The change will clarify the structure of the Group, where Archicom will be the residential part and Echo Investment will focus on growing the commercial and PRS segments, as well as on creating mixed-use ‘destination’ projects.

The Czech government has approved the provision of CZK 800 million (€34.27 million) to a programme to support the construction of rental housing. Most of the money will be allocated to municipalities, but private investors who build apartments in cooperation with the municipality can also receive a part of it. Deputy Prime Minister and Regional Development Minister Ivan Bartoš (Pirates) told to čtk.

Within 10 or 12 years, Penta wants to complete its brand new Southbank mixed-use project in Bratislava. The commencement of the construction of Southbank now depends on the permitting process and ongoing changes to the master plan, which are being overseen by the Bratislava City Council. Once the zoning changes are approved, construction could start within 1.5 to 2 years, estimates Michal Rehak, Business Director of Penta Real Estate Bratislava. According to him, the company does not want to disclose the cost of the project or the detailed schedule until the new Bratislava master plan is approved.

Romanian real estate holding Meta Estate Trust has launched its own sales division under the Meta Homes brand in a bid to boost the promotion of its portfolio. The new division will also also handle the sale of residential units bought by the holding in the early phase projects. 

Česká spořitelna has started to build affordable apartments with low rents for employees that cities lack. The first such apartment buildings with 254 flats are already taking shape in Prague 9, built by a subsidiary of the bank DBČS with the developer Finep for CZK 1 billion (€42.7 million). The bank plans to build a total of 1,000 flats by 2026. The bank also wants to cooperate with the Czech government to finance more flats through EU funds and loans from the European Investment Bank, DBČS subsidiary CEO Marek Blaha told the press.

Properties in Sofia rank relatively cheap compared to other major cities in Europe. The Bulgarian capital is taking the last place in rankings by average price and the market has opportunities to grow. The opinion was expressed by Thomas Stanishev, Director of Galardo Real Estate, in an interview for the show "Club Investor'' of Bloomberg TV Bulgaria  

The total transaction volume for last year in Belgrade's residential market was €2.67 billion, which represents an increase of around 28% compared to the overall amount of €2.06 billion which was registered in the year 2021. This also represents the largest year-on-year increase in recent years, which was caused by the rise in transactions in Q2 when the Ukrainian war broke out, and the rise in transactions in Q4 when it became evident that rents in Belgrade doubled in certain parts of the city as a result of the influx of population from Ukraine and Russia, real estate agency Cordon reports.

High inflation brings something that has not been seen in Czechia for a long time - a halt in the growth of residential property prices, especially flats. Prices of older flats are even falling. Frozen demand will soon hit construction companies. The housing market has slowed down considerably, and players are waiting for further economic development, says David Frič from STEM/MARK (the Euroconstruct member institute in Czechia).

The Echo-Archicom Group closes the year 2022 with a strong cash position and further reduced the company's net debt. This is the result of selling seven office buildings worth nearly €320 million. In 2022, the Group generated a net profit of PLN 127 million attributable to shareholders of the parent company, which was mainly the outcome of handing over to customers 2,168 apartments for sale and rent built by Echo Investment and Archicom, as well as an increase in the value of office buildings and apartments for rent.

The composition of Croatia’s construction output is changing. While the residential segment may soon experience a slowdown, health-related construction - public and private renovations and new builds alike - is seeing a considerable boom, write Michael Glazer (SEE Regional Advisors) and Tatjana Halapija (Nada Projekt), Croatian members of the EECFA (Eastern European Construction Forecasting Association).