The latest EBI Construction Activity Report has found that the stagnation of the total value of started construction works has not stopped. Between January and March 2021, construction works in the sector started on HUF 421 billion. This, although not greatly different from the values seen in the previous three quarters, is still the lowest Activity Start indicator of the last two years. Compared to the January-March periods of the previous two years, 2021 started clearly weaker: against the positive Q1 2020, the decline was about 35%, but even over the same period in 2019, there is a 15% decrease.

Panattoni is entering a new market. The company has announced the opening of an office in Hungary, headed by László Kemenes. He will be responsible for the development of speculative and big-box projects in Hungary, from the site acquisition and investment preparation, through to the commercialisation of the projects and their transfer to their eventual tenants. The developer already has two projects secured in the Budapest market.

Real estate group Duna House estimates the number of residential property deals completed in Hungary to have reached 13,511 in April 2021. Although this is a slight decrease compared to the pre-pandemic peak in the same month of 2019, overall it is still the third strongest April in the last ten years.

Cushman & Wakefield has summarised the first quarter of 2021 in the CEE commercial real estate market. Investment volume at the end of the first quarter stands at €2 billion, down by around 20% compared to the same period in 2020.

Gergely Biró is the new CEO of Hungary’s OTP Real Estate Fund Management. The aim of the change is to further increase the fund manager's share in the domestic market with new, innovative investment solutions following the consolidation of the portfolio and to enter the regional markets with its products in the coming years.

Deutsche Hospitality has opened its first IntercityHotel in Budapest. The 312-room hotel, realised by the Hamburg-based B&L Group, will be Deutsche Hospitality's first property in Hungary. Located right next to Keleti Railway Station, it will also feature resplendent latest generation IntercityHotel interior design by the Milan-based architect Matteo Thun.

EuroCenter owner and developer Wing has selected Bernecker Kft. to carry out general contractor tasks for the modernisation of the 46,000 sqm shopping centre located in the northern Buda area. The shopping centre has closed for the duration of the renovations and is scheduled to reopen in spring 2022, boasting a modern appearance and ready to meet 21st-century customer demands. Construction work begins in late April.

Hungarian state-owned NIPÜF Group commenced the construction of a 10,000 sqm warehouse in its Tatabánya industrial park. The developer signed a lease agreement for one third of the building, and the remaining space awaits prospective tenants. The facility is to be delivered in the first quarter of 2022.

The interior of the Campona shopping centre in South Buda, owned by CPI Property Group,  will be completely rebuilt by the end of 2021.

The Hungarian residential rental property market continues to be a mixed bag based on current asking prices, according to the latest monthly survey of real estate portal ingatlan.com, which presents the latest joint rent index of ingatlan.com and the Central Statistical Office (KSH) for March and summarises the supply and average rent as of the end of April based on 40,000 ads.