IPIN Live - Archived posts for December 2010

Overseas buyers are increasingly looking to invest in en bloc property in Singapore, it has been claimed. According to figures from the Urban Redevelopment Authority....

If you are a frequent reader of my blog posts here, you might (quite rightly) have assumed I am not much of a Christmas type. Imagine my joy at having been asked to write something about the property markets with respect to the "festive season"...

According to the latest Moody's/REAL Commercial Property Price Index, US commercial property prices rose 1.3 per cent in October from the previous month, the second consecutive month of growth....

Property investments in Spain could look more attractive as the country shows that it is not in as bad a deficit as had been thought....

There is currently "huge" room for negotiation on the price of foreign property in many markets around the world, an expert has claimed....

As we approach the end of 2010 the industry experts start forecasting their market predictions for the year ahead. We have taken a closer look at five of the property industry reports....

Activity in the commercial sector in the Americas region is set to rise significantly in the coming year. Jones Lang LaSalle reports that volumes in 2010 are likely to be up by at least 90 per cent compared to 2009 levels....

Commercial investors looking for opportunities around the world may be interested to learn that the building of new shopping centres and expansion of existing facilities will make Abu Dhabi one of the most retail-concentrated cities in the world....

The UK commercial property market has been bolstered over the past year thanks to interest from foreign investors....

2010 has been an unusual year here at IPIN. Unusual on the account that in previous years almost everything said in or around the property markets was positive. 2010 however, has changed all that, and quite possibly the way in which the world views property as an investment.

A recent report from CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) has claimed that Asia will be the world leader in terms of office construction as we head into 2011. As firms gradually shift away from taking up new space in Europe and North America, activity in Asia is expected rise significantly....

A growing number of foreign buyers are looking to the US market for investment opportunities, with Florida the favoured destination. Real estate agents in Miami have reported an influx of buyers from Europe, South America and Canada as prices in the state remain at rock bottom....

Confidence among investors in Europe is returning, with the New Year likely to bring with it a rise in activity. Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) has forecast that transaction levels will rise by 30 per cent to reach EUR 130 billion....

The term "Multi-Family Homes" has existed in the US for a number of years now and the sector has proven to be very well established in its own right. With the downturn in UK property prices, the concept is now starting make headway in the UK....

The level of real estate transactions picked up during the third quarter in Asia, new figures show. Direct investment excluding land transactions in the region grew by 53 per cent compared to the previous quarter suggesting that confidence is returning to buyers....

Interest in property in the Asia Pacific region is expected to continue into 2011, underpinned by strong economic and real estate fundamentals. Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) is confident that the current buoyancy seen in the market will be carried into the New Year....

The recovery of the commercial property market in the UK has stalled, with values rising just 0.1 per cent for the second consecutive month in November, new figures show....

Investment in European commercial property is expected to rise by as much as 35 per cent in 2011, a new report has suggested. Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) has forecast that the sector will see around EUR 130 billion spent next year...

Eco-friendly investments are attracting a growing deal of interest, with a recent survey suggesting that green building initiatives are a key influencer when tenants look to sign commercial real estate leases....

Foreign buyers and investment funds have begun to return to the Australian office market, with the sector contributing 25 per cent of the total transactions for the year....

Whilst being reasonably well versed on a wide array of subjects in the investment world, the one I can probably least stand is inflation. If you need to ask why, you are in the right place. Inflation, for all intents and purposes is an inordinately boring way for economists...

Homes in the US are set to drop in value significantly by the end of the year, a new report has suggested. In total, residential prices will have fallen by USD 1.9 trillion when the year closes....

Australia, Singapore and China are leading the commercial property market in the Asia-Pacific region in terms of direct investment, new figures show. According to figures from Jones Lang LaSalle, there is likely to be a further increase of buyers to the end of the year....

Despite a lack of confidence in the UK construction industry, things are beginning to look up for the sector, it has been claimed. Construction firms expect some improvements to their business performance over the next year after a difficult 12 months in 2010....

Those looking to invest in overseas property have been advised that the global recovery in the real estate market is at different points around the world. According to ING Real Estate Investment Management's (REIM's) Global Vision 2011 report, real estate investment is forecast to produce strong returns...

Global capital investment is rising rapidly as the economy recovers from the recession, with emerging markets focussing on real estate in particular....

Standard Life Investments has claimed that investments in global real estate could see returns as much as 30 per cent over the next three years...

A growing number of foreign property investors are preparing to increase the capital which they are putting into the Brazilian real estate market in 2011, according to a new report...

Despite a growing number of governments in Asian countries imposing cooling measures on their respective property markets, investors still have an appetite for real estate in the region....

Global property investors are turning to London thanks to currency discounts gained from a weak pound, it has been claimed. According to Hamptons International, foreign buyers are benefitting from discounts of up to 35 per cent on UK property prices, which is driving activity in the prime central London property market....

Property prices in urban areas in China have soared on the back of sustained investment from overseas, it has been claimed. The Institute of Finance and Trade Economics under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), constructed a property bubble index designed to measure market prices compared to the actual value of a property....

The recovery of global commercial property markets around the world is beginning to gather momentum. However, the future of the sector remains uncertain, with a number of concerns remaining surrounding risk and uncertainty....

The residential property market in Eastern European destinations is beginning to stabilise, with some locations enjoying modest price increases. According to the latest data from Ober-Haus Real Estate Advisors, Poland in particular has been performing well....

The global real estate market recovery, which began in 2009, is beginning to run out of steam, it has been claimed. According to Liam Bailey, head of residential research at Knight Frank, there is a growing body of evidence highlighting the setback....

The revelation that Qatar is to host the 2022 FIFA football World Cup has proved to be a blessing for real estate and construction firms in the Gulf region. A number of developers are already working in the Gulf state and others in the region are hoping to get some of the action from the tournament....

Investors are increasingly looking to expand their exposure to real estate markets around the world, it has been claimed. According to Anne Breen, head of real estate research and strategy at Standard Life Investments, many speculators are seeking new sources of income in low interest rate environments....

A growing number of Chinese-based investors are beginning to target real estate funds - switching their attention from domestic urban residential investments to strategic assets in advanced economies, IPE reports....

New figures would suggest that the global real estate price recovery is faltering, with a significant number of countries experiencing negative growth during the third quarter of 2010. Knight Frank reports that, on average, home values around the globe have increased by 3....

Singapore has been named as the top Asian destination for real estate investment, with Shanghai, Mumbai and Hong Kong also expected to perform strongly in the coming year. Strong economic growth and brisk activity in the financial and high-tech industries helped Singapore take the top spot, according to the survey jointly published by the global non-profit Urban Land Institute and PricewaterhouseCoopers....

Property values in central London have been boosted by demand for real estate in the city from European buyers, Knight Frank has claimed. Central London real estate prices increased 0.9 per cent in November - the first price rise since June 2010 spurned by a lack of stock....

Potential property investors are being drawn to the commercial market by the prospect of strong yields, it has been suggested. Merrill Lynch Wealth Management's annual investment outlook statement revealed that the commercial sector is once again proving to be an attractive investment vehicle for buyers....

Globally property investors are displaying a renewed sense of confidence in the real estate market, with the majority of speculators planning on making a purchase within the next 12 months...

Vacancies in offices in and around London could be the result of a harsh economic climate, with a number of businesses in the country closing. According to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), there were 55,100 business failures in the capital during 2009....

The central bank in Singapore has warned potential investors that real estate values in the country are set to rise once again, despite being generally accepted as already being too high. Low borrowing costs and excess liquidity on a global scale mean that upward pressure will be applied to prices....

As we head in to 2011, property investors around the world are likely to be more cautious about where they spend their money. Many potential buyers are now seeking out markets with secure economic fundamentals and developments with the potential of realistic returns....

A growing number of foreign buyers are heading to the Chinese property market, drawn by the sector's promise of high investment returns and solid economic credentials. Statistics from the Ministry of Commerce show that a total of 114 foreign-funded real estate companies went on the record in November....

High taxes in Canada are acting as a barrier to potential commercial real estate investors, it has been claimed. According to a new study by Cushman and Wakefield property tax services, the charges make up a "massive 53 per cent of commercial property rents", the Toronto Star reports....

The seasonal slowdown in the UK property market has started early, with residential prices falling for the fifth month in a row. Average home values dropped by 0.8 per cent in November, according to the latest data from Hometrack....

Property speculators around the world could find that they are able to benefit from sustainable real estate investments, according to one expert. Indeed, more investors are also likely to place focus on the sustainability of the assets in their commercial properties during the next few years, Etienne Cadestin, sustainability consultant at Knight Frank added....

Real estate investors have been told to consider the full range of options available to them in capital markets. According to John Gellatly, head of global real estate multi-manager at Aviva Investors and chair of the Investment Property Forum (IPF), there is a "huge need" for speculators to educate themselves on the benefits of different investment vehicles....