It is inevitable that the amount of capital invested in PropTech will increase in 2019 compared to the previous year. As property markets around the world are becoming more educated there is also more international cooperation on the horizon. James Dearsley and Eddie Holmes, the co-founders of global proptech platform Unissu.com talked to Property Forum about the global status of proptech in 2019 and the aims of their new venture.

Hungary’s investment market peaked in 2017 but a solid €1.8 billion was transacted in 2018 with local investors closing 65% of purchases on the buyer side. Property Forum summarised some of the key market trends presented at CBRE’s yearly Re-View business breakfast.

Developers and real estate investors completed land acquisitions with a cumulative value of around €245 million last year in Bucharest, a new record for the past ten years, according to the Cushman & Wakefield Echinox which has monitored 31 medium and large transactions.

Hungarian developer Wing has announced the acquisition of several buildings in Budapest’s Infopark office complex. The seller was Lone Star Funds – Hudson Global Advisors.

Morgan Stanley Real Estate Romania is reportedly considering the acquisition of the Hermes Business Campus office project in Northern Bucharest, according to zf.ro.

United Business Center 2 (UBC 2) in Timișoara was awarded a LEED Gold certification. UBC 2 adds up to 18,000 sqm leasable area and was opened in early 2017. The building is a part of the Openville Timișoara mixed-use project currently developed by Iulius and Atterbury Europe in the vicinity of Iulius Mall.

In the second half of last year, gross take-up decreased in the two largest regional office markets of the Czech Republic. The Regional Research forum announced the Brno and Ostrava office market figures for H2 2018. 

Plaza Centers has signed a pre-agreement for the sale of a plot in Brasov, Romania for a total gross amount of €620,000 which is slightly above the last reported book value.

Cushman & Wakefield Echinox has strengthened its Capital Markets team by promoting Alexandru Mitrache as Head of Transactions - Land & Investment.

In 2018, Echo Investment signed lease agreements for a total office area of nearly 80,000 sqm. This year also seems to be busy - the company plans to start construction of approximately 100,000 sqm of offices including in Warsaw, Wrocław, Łódź and Kraków. Projects with a total area of 150,000 sqm are being prepared.