Property investors are increasingly eying up riskier markets as fierce competition for commercial real estate in more stable countries pushes up prices and investment volumes.
Research from CB Richard Ellis has found that direct investment in commercial property within Europe is up 26 per cent in the first quarter of 2011, compared to the same period last year. Some USD 38.6 billion worth of transactions were completed in the first three months, the consultancy noted.
"As was the trend last year, the vast majority of investor demand is targeting core assets and markets, which continues to drive yields further down," CBRE said, "Investor sentiment is starting to shift further along the risk curve, albeit very selectively."
The consultancy added that it expects investor interest in prime properties in riskier markets to be more popular. These would include Spain, core Central and Eastern Europe and even first glimpses of interest in fringe CEE markets.
First-quarter deal volumes in Italy and Central and Eastern Europe rose by 75 per cent and 197 per cent respectively, CBRE said.