Two decades ago, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia joined the European Union. Since joining the single trading bloc in 2004, these countries, which comprise most of central and eastern Europe (CEE), have enjoyed rocketing economic growth, which shows no signs of stopping. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts that CEE growth will be nearly triple that of western Europe’s economic growth in the coming years. As a result, CEE markets present an exceptional opportunity for commercial real estate investors, but especially those in the industrial and logistics sector, which is being boosted by a powerful combination of economic forces and demographic trends.

The role of a development monitoring surveyor is becoming increasingly crucial in residential projects. As developers and investors increasingly embark on forward-funding or forward-purchase structures, surveyors can work with both parties to ensure alignment, as investors try to align their accepted institutional standards with the procedures and processes traditionally used by housebuilders and volume developers.

Every month we receive hundreds of press releases, most of which are issued by public relations firms representing their investment manager clients. The last paragraph in each of those press releases is almost always reserved for a few sentences describing the nature of the firm for whom the press release is being released. And in nine out of 10 cases — perhaps more — the first sentence says something such as, “XYZ Corp is a leading investment management firm …” The obvious trouble with that is, every firm can’t be a leading firm.

In recent months, the investment market for residential real estate in the United States, particularly in the area of multifamily investments, has experienced positive traction, whereas commercial real estate has endured the opposite. Private equity giants are once again strategically investing in multifamily assets in the United States after a lengthy investment pause. Blackstone is a prime example, acquiring a $10 billion (€9 billion) multifamily asset earlier this year. But what is behind the current renaissance in multifamily investments, and what should investors look for to make their investment pay off?

Some 70 percent of UK office floor space is at risk of being unlettable by 2030 due to low energy performance certificate (EPC) levels. A new report by Knight Frank says the majority of office buildings in the United Kingdom are currently rated at an EPC C level or below. With the UK commercial property sector still expecting buildings to need a minimum rating of B by 2030 if they are to be rented out, Knight Frank says many landlords are facing a huge challenge to prevent their portfolios from falling into obsolescence.

Global commercial real estate is showing signs of recovery from the slowdown sparked by higher interest rates, and there are glimmers of good news emerging for investors, according to MSCI. Sales of commercial property worldwide in the second quarter of 2024 almost matched the levels of the same period in 2023, says the index provider. Global transactions were down only 1 percent from the second quarter of 2023, says MSCI, with the Americas leading the improvement, registering 5 percent higher deal activity in the quarter. EMEA posted a 1 percent pace of growth, while Asia-Pacific still saw sales fall, but at a reduced rate compared with the initial waves of volume declines in 2022.

The German residential investment market could be on the cusp of a major recovery as capital allocation into the sector increased by almost two-thirds in the second quarter of 2024. In a year-over-year comparison, Empira Group has found investment in larger residential portfolios — of 30-plus units — increased in the second quarter of 2024 to around €2.5 billion. Investment into the sector for the second quarter of 2023 was approximately €1.5 billion. The manager also estimates that 65 percent of all new German apartment developments can be categorised as multifamily buildings, meaning that there is scope for further investment growth in the area during 2024.

Portugal and Czech Republic are the best locations for nearshoring supply chains, according to Savills. The consultancy's 2024 Nearshoring Index, which ranks 26 countries around the globe on factors that may be important to occupiers looking for new locations to shorten or diversify their supply chains, says the two European nations come out at the top of the list. This is due to their attractive resilience, economic cost, business environment and ESG performance.

A far larger number of urban European buildings should have their façades refurbished in order to increase their value and increase sustainability within real estate markets, according to Vincent Nobel, head of asset based lending at Federated Hermes. In a paper called Beyond the façade, Nobel says the central locations in European cities are filled with large numbers of ugly buildings, which struggle to meet current standards for energy efficiency or attract tenants willing to pay a decent rent. “Ugly does not, however, mean structurally obsolete,” he writes. “The ugliest buildings can prove attractive to an investor because they can be cheap to buy, and, as a result, have significant potential for commercially viable refurbishment.”

One of the reasons for Paris' current attraction for real estate investors is because its property market is getting a fresh boost from large-scale infrastructure projects and major sporting events. Most notably, the 2024 Summer Olympics and the ambitious Grand Paris Express project are acting as catalysts for the real estate market. In addition, the Paris central business district (CBD) boasts a very stable and resilient rental market. This results in attractive investment opportunities for real estate investors.