The investors profile is very heterogeneous, with nearly 70 pct. of the transactions’ value made by investors from outside Europe, from countries such as Singapore, South-Africa or the United States.

Ten years ago, most active investors in Romania came from Austria and from Germany, France and Great Britain.

Last year, the top of the largest investors in the local market was headed by Growthpoint and NEPI from South Africa, GIC from Singapore or the Americans from Lone Star, the owners of GTC. European investors included Catinvest (France) and PPF Real Estate (Czech Republic).

„2016 was encouraging for the real estate market considering the growing liquidity. The spectre of the investors which bought assets of significant size in Romania got larger, a trend we expect to keep in 2017. The investments yield is constant, contributing to a stable environment, predictable for the potential buyers”, says Tim Wilkinson, Partner, Capital Markets, DTZ Echinox.

The yields for the prime properties in Bucharest are situated at 7 pct. for the retail segment and 7.25 pct for the office segment. Compared to yields in other capitals in the region, such as Warsaw, Prague, Bratislava and Budapest, the yields in Bucharest are higher on average with 140 percentage points for the office segment and with 180 pp on the retail segment.

The office segment was the most attractive in 2016, with a total share of 44 pct from the value of the transactions, being followed by retail (31 pct) and industrial (25 pct.)

From the total investment volume, Bucharest attracted 77 pct, the most transacted assets being the office buildings. In the regional cities, the investors’ interest was mainly registered on the retail segment, with commercial centres transacted in Sibiu, Craiova, Piatra Neamț and Arad. (source: profit.ro)