The COVID-19 crisis has accelerated the adaptation of technology on the residential market with developers across the region now offering digital solutions for prospective home-buyers. Waldemar Olbryk, Board Member responsible for the residential sector at Echo Investment shared his thoughts on the topic.

The immediate impact of COVID-19 pandemic in the real estate market will be felt during the second quarter of the year while on the medium and long term the focus will be on health and safety measures as well as on technology, these are the main takeaways from the Romania Call Flash, organized by CBRE Romania.

Echo Investment is introducing a new service for potential home buyers, Aurelia – a virtual customer assistant.

Hungarian residential developer Cordia is introducing a new, secure, online service that covers the entire home buying process, including virtual viewing and remote contract signing.

Although the coronavirus pandemic has the world (and the property sector) facing an unprecedented challenge, one positive consequence seems to be certain – it is going to accelerate the adaptation of technology. Property Forum asked three people in proptech to share their thoughts on how COVID-19 is going to impact the way we work and connect to each other.

Property Forum is pleased to announce it is partnering with Unissu, the world’s PropTech marketplace, to launch Connect, the global real estate equivalent of TED Talks. Budapest will be one of the 15 cities globally where hand-picked speakers will record their speeches for a global audience.

Poland-based proptech company Velis Real Estate Tech announced that its facility management software Singu FM has been implemented across Prologis’ EU portfolio and six U.S. markets. Prologis is a global leader in logistics real estate with a focus on investing in technology that helps customers solve their pain points and run their businesses as efficiently as possible. 

Currently, less than two hundred public charging stations for nearly 4,000 registered electric and hybrid vehicles exist in the Czech Republic. Data of energy companies show that the number of public charging stations should increase to 1,300 by the end of 2020. Developers building charging stations within their new office, retail and industrial properties are also preparing for electromobility, according to Arcadis, an international company focused on consultancy in the field of construction, environment and sustainable growth.

Polish modular producer Polcom will be able to expand its operations thanks to a financial package provided by a consortium of banks to which the EBRD is contributing PLN 108.43 million (€25 million equivalent).

Globalworth has inaugurated the most advanced lobby in the region, with a number of innovations and technological premieres that include the world's largest kinetic floor in an office building, the longest screen wall in CEE, the largest natural green wall in an office building SEE, a space to relax with heated marble steps, Schindler projectors and Pepper, Globalworth's first robot employee. According to the developer, the Globalworth Tower building, which welcomes some 30,000 visitors daily, has become a benchmark for office space innovation and sustainability.