Berlin Residential Property Market – Why Invest In 2008?
The economic environment
The outlook for the German economy is positive and the economic upturn is continuing. 2008 will see a change from purely export driven growth to more growth support through domestic demand. For the first time in years significant raises in salaries are currently negotiated and the consumer climate can be seen as friendly. This will be associated with further reduction in unemployment as companies are prepared to take on staff. Growth in the economy can be expected to stimulate the German property market.
The Local Aspect
In 2006 the Berlin economy grew by 1.9 and 7000 new jobs were created. While the growth is below the German average the increase in jobs and decrease in unemployment is well above the average. These figures reflect that numerous businesses have decided to grow their business in Berlin or set up new offices and branches here. The focus is on media and innovative technology.
The population is stable at 3.4 million after a period of migration in the 1990’s into the newly available suburbs after the fall of the wall.
The German Property Market
Germany has seen a major influx of international capital to its property market over the last 23 years with record year 2006 which was considered a record year still being outranked by 2007. The year 2008 is seen by most market players as a year of consolidation. Increasing numbers of institutional investors will become sellers which should offer interesting opportunities for smaller and private investors as it is unlikely that all sales will be in large packages.
The Berlin Property Market
After years of stagnation the Berlin property market started a boom phase in 2006 which has carried on into 2007. Especially international investors have absorbed record numbers of undervalued properties. The turnover in 2006 went up by 50 to a record value of 15.8 billion Euro;. Naturally this has led to a price increase the initial yields of 8 to 10 are no longer achievable in acceptable locations. The yields in top locations are below 6 whereas good locations like Steglitz still produce offers between 6.5 and 7 many of them with short term development potential upside.
The new rent table 2007 “Mietspiegel 2007″ has already shown increases in residential rents. The picture is variable though between stable and increases.
Is it not too late to jump on the train?
No it is not too late! Attractive property even at entry level is still coming into the market with positive cash flow and a realistic expectation for capital appreciation. Careful research is required to make sure the information provided is met by the reality after the purchase. Market knowledge is required or local support is recommended.
Conclusions
The economic situation in Germany is positive with the prospect of a longer period of prosperity. The Berlin property market has three main value drivers:
Stable population development accompanied by new jobs.
Long term commitment to the location by the government and international business.
Still low prices compared to other European capitals with yields that allow a positive cash flow after financing.
With a followup article I will provide information about the rent in different parts of Berlin and different types of buildings. You will find this article on the authors website below.
About the writer: Uwe Falkenberg the author is a Berliner and active in the German property market for more than 25 years. Experienced as project manager developer and head of the German Business for a UK based property consultancy he now owns and operates Berlin Portfolio Ltd. His international background and local expertise is an ideal combination for an international investor. Contact EMail
Be Prepared For Boom In Real Estate In India
Recently a report by the widely recognised global investment banking and securities firm by the name of Goldman Sachs declared that the real estate sector is on the alltime high in India. They advised people to invest in certain particular real estate firms as they have forecasted that the coming year will see the tremendous rise in this sector for these firms.
However for the prospective investors the boom in real estate in India is a good news. Why this is a good news for them it is because they have been exposed to an investment aspect where they can earn money in very minimum time. Real estate in India today is the most soughtafter sector to invest in India. In India Nariman Point in Mumbai has been the most expensive land from the real estate point of view. However things changed drastically when Ghaziabad a small city which comes in the National Capital Region NCR was declared as the sixth most dynamic city in the world. It was this recognition that brought the small city of Ghaziabad on the World map. After that there was no looking back for Ghaziabad. This incident marks the beginning of the actual real estate boom in India.
>From then on Ghaziabad has come on the radar of all the major real estate firms. This can be easily deciphered from the fact that as many as 21 multiplexes at present are there in Ghaziabad while many more projects are in the pipeline. They have managed to bought huge chunk of lands and has converted these places into place characterised by skyscrapers and multistoreyed buildings. These real estate developers are the chief reasons behind this all reformation as after buying huge pieces of lands they make residential multistoreyed buildings on them and later on sell them to the common people at a quite hefty price.
Interestingly not only Ghaziabad is enjoying all the attention from real estate developers but there are the likes of Gurgoan Noida and Faridabad that also features into this list. Gurgoan which has been promised by Vijay Mallya the liquid baron of Kingfisher a world class Formula1 racing track has seen a remarkable improvement in the past few years. That itself tells the whole story.
Real estate in India has seen a vast improvement in a short span of last few years especially in the Northern India in places like Delhi Ghaziabad Gurgaon Faridabad and Haryana and any more. Interested buyers are willing to pay any price for buying a small piece of land whether in form of flats apartments or a whole plot.
In a land of population over 100 crores buying yourselves a place to live in is a huge challenge in today’s life for a person. This is why a person toils whole day and night work double time or does overtime to collect enough money to realise this dream of his. However in today’s time where inflation rate is going beyond the mark of 12 percent it is very difficult for an average person to save enough funds to convert this dream into reality. But now people can relax as banks and lending authorities these days across the whole India are offering loans against property at very cheap rates of interest.
These loans against property can be easily availed and what more a borrower can repay it too quite easily without any problems since the repayment options are quite flexible and the time period is also quite long. The main reason behind allowing for a long repayment period is that the borrower does not feel the burden of repaying the loan at any point of time.
The chief features of this loan against property are many such as a person can choose between fixed or floating rate of interest and borrowing up to 60 percent of the total market value of the property is allowed. Heavy loan amount is available depending upon the need of a borrower. However please keep in mind that these features may vary from one authority to another.
So don’t worry about the boom in real estate in India as loans against property is there for the concerned people.
About the writer: For more information about home equity loan and Real estate in India. Please visit our website: http://www.paisawaisa.com/
Bangkok Homes For Sale An Investment Opportunity You Dont Want To Miss
Bangkok is a fast developing city with many tourists and many individuals interested in buying a home in an exotic mesmerizing city. The demand for homes is high and continues to increase. The reasons are that Bangkok offers a rich cultural life a wonderful architectural landscape and together with this it is also a developing economical center with many business opportunities. It is the perfect combination obvious for anyone looking for Bangkok homes for sale or Bangkok condos for sale.
The great number of housing units is influenced by the high demand on the real estate market. The city develops vertically providing clients with apartments and condos that have breathtaking views and offer comfort and at the same time. Bangkok homes for sale represent a good investment and thats why there are numerous real estate companies which focus on their sale.
For investing beginners Bangkok is truly an opportunity. Bangkok condos for sale can be a real bargain as there are about 16348 units planned for building or under development. This year a great number of building projects should be completed and with their completion the real estate market will have a lot of offers to make its clients. Bangkok condos for sale have only one problem: they are rather expensive. Nevertheless competitor real estate companies do their best to attract potential buyers and this is all in the advantage of the clients who can get really good deals out of this situation. Many developers are ready to run attractive promotional campaigns like free furniture price discounts and special features so it all works out for the clients interested in Bangkok homes for sale.
An interesting tendency was observed in Bangkok over the last years. The price for condos started to fall despite the high demand. The average price of Bangkok condos for sale was around 7.65 million baht in 2005 and in 2006 this figure was 5.5 million baht. In most of the cases the price decreased due to the reduction of the condos surface. The developers were worried about the condos high mortgage rates and about the high prices for the services and as a result they reduced the surface of the properties. Therefore the condos prices also went down. Some reports show that this move was a part of the global tendency which implies “more compact efficiently designed layouts” and which was needed in Bangkok as well. For the real estate market this now means offering housing units for a better and more affordable price.
The most developed building area in Bangkok remains in Sukhumvit. Due to its leisure offers and vicinity to public transport routes this part of Bangkok is mostly appreciated by experienced foreign investors. The properties in Sukhumvit represent about 49 of all new housing units. After Sukhumvit come the central business districts of Lumpini and Silom/Sathorn which represent together 20 of the new housing units. On the other hand Sukhumvit was as well the area with the highest number of inhabitable condos currently empty around 35 which mean around 13.34 billion bath’s worth.
2007 was a very good year for buying glamorous city views in Bangkok. The citys real estate market offered Bangkok homes for sale and Bangkok condos for sale at good prices in good locations and with appealing comfort and facilities. Bangkok is more affordable than many Asian capitals like Singapore Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur and its continuous development together with its unique culture and sceneries make it a desirable real estate target. In fact many analysts say that as long as the political situation will be stabile in Thailand and in the region Bangkok will remain a very important city for real estate investments.
About the writer: The urban development in Thailand makes Bangkok be an attractive city for investments. Affordable offers regarding Bangkok homes for sale and Bangkok condos for sale represent good opportunities for business and for finding a home for yourself or for your family.