We all talk about the crisis and propose solutions we can implement in order to fight it and enter a new cycle of (sustainable) development. Leaving aside the… 22.000.000 different opinions that everyone in Romania has, there are just 2 clear and understandable solutions that the country has: Green Energy and European Grants (for infrastructure and not only). On Wednesday evening the Romanian Parliament approved the proposed ordinance regarding the subvention for producers of green energy. This is something that the whole market has been waiting for the last three years. So after [...]

  Whether you wish to buy or to rent a commercial space in Bucharest, there are always some basic rules that you should take into consideration before you proceed. They look simple, but experience showed us that they are more important than you might think. Let’s check some of them together: 1. Always crosscheck all documents – don’t believe anything else People can tell several stories, but only documents count. Every day, every week, every month we meet people who say that they have something “white” and after due diligence we realize that they’re selling [...]

  We just entered the 4th year of crisis and tens of people keep on asking me about the price of old apartments. The question is usually “what will happen with the prices of old apartments during the following 6 months?” Especially after the new norms issued by BNR, this discussion has become one of the most popular ones, all around the country.    The prices of old apartments will fall. A bit or a bit more I personally believe that the new situation will force the prices of old apartments to decrease. In some categories of properties, the decrease this fall will be [...]

  EXPO REAL is history and several people have already started their preparations for next year’s edition. If you want to read more about what happened there, you can check: First day, video comment and photo gallery  Second day, video comment and photo gallery Third day, video comment and photo gallery Which are the 4 categories of investors in Romania after 3 years of crisis 5 statements you should know Except all the above mentioned, I have also chosen for you five of the tens of unofficial statements that I have heard over the duration of the event. I will not disclose [...]

  Last week a living legend died. Steve Jobs marked our world as very few people have during times of peace. I think that you’ve already read 1.000.000 different stories about him, plus lots of nice words, so I will not add more. Just in case you want to read something more, check these 2 links, I liked them a lot: http://www.economist.com/node/21531529 http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/steve-jobs-in-memoriam-10062011.html Steve Jobs and Romania Romanians are among the best in the world in the IT business, plus they love gadgets and everything that combines quality with style. [...]

EXPO REAL has finished, but before we close the discussion about it, I think that it would be interesting to share some more details. 1. The most “sought after” person coming from Romania Don’t think too much. It was by far Troy Javaher, the charismatic CEO of Jones Lang Lasalle. After the merger with King Sturge, lots of people wanted to meet him, find out the future plans of the company for Romania, discuss projects etc. 2. EXPO REAL: An impressive fair Many friends of mine compare it with 2007, when it was larger. But taking into consideration the actual crisis, it is by [...]

  EXPO REAL has ended, but the lessons, trends and results of this exhibition will define the market’s direction until the end of the year and the first quarter of 2012. Then we will wait for MIPIM to see what to expect during the next year as well. But let us focus a bit more on EXPO REAL.   I spoke with tens of people there, even with the ones who were not registered in the official catalogue and they appeared just during the exhibition. It is clear that Romania is not a priority for European investors, plus the absence of Romania through an organized representation with a [...]

  Hello from Munich. After having concluded more than 25 meetings during the first 2 days of EXPO REAL, it is clear that the skepticism of foreign investors regarding Romania remains strong. This is a long discussion, with many different issues that should be taken into consideration. But today let us discuss the reasons which are beyond our control and prevent foreign investors from returning to Romania. Let us explore 10 of them together: The international economic environment. Too many companies consider that October of 2011 is similar to October of 2008, in terms of risks and problems [...]