Opinion This year is definitely a better year than 2010. No one can say the opposite. But despite the positive signs, the first six months have not seen many transactions completed. The growth is still slow, after two years of “silence”. It looks like the Romanian Real Estate market has become a marathon similar to the grand prix of Monaco, where patience and careful moves overcome speed. Slow, fragile recovery This year is the first when we see the prices reaching some kind of stability. The number of investors who declare any sort of interest are 2-3 times bigger than in the past, [...]
[relevant-to-adsense]What to do with the old residential blocks? Only realistic target: Simply refurbish them!
Replying to your questions Part 3 of the article with title: "Old blocks built during communism: Positive and negative elements of the country’s main residential option". Hello to everyone. One of my constant readers, Mr Pedro Matos, sent me a very interesting question. He is a foreigner living in Romania and asks something that thousands of people ask as well: What will happen with the old blocks of Bucharest? Pedro’s question is here: “Dear Ilias, My question is simple: Do you believe there is a market for refurbishing existing homes and [...]
[relevant-to-adsense]Old blocks built during communism: Positive and negative elements of the country’s main residential option
(part 1) Replying to your questions. Hello to everyone. One of my constant readers, Mr Pedro Matos, sent me a very interesting question. He is a foreigner living in Romania and asks something that thousands of people ask as well: What will happen with the old blocks of Bucharest? Pedro’s question is here: “Dear Ilias, My question is simple: Do you believe there is a market for refurbishing existing homes and apartment buildings in Bucuresti? Is this a viable option, both in technical,economical and social terms? Or will these thousand of “bloc” [...]
[relevant-to-adsense]Is it a paradox? Too many unsold apartments, while some developers prepare new residential projects!
On Monday I explained to you why the Romanian residential market looks (to me) like a “department store during end of sales period”. To check this text, please press here. But is there any reply to this issue? Is it possible for the market to continue moving towards an unclear direction? Can we continue having too many unsold apartments in some areas and shortage of good offers in other zones? Several new residential projects in the pipeline. A paradox? Or a solution? Since the beginning of the year I have participated in several discussions about new residential developments, or [...]
[relevant-to-adsense]A residential market similar to department store during “end of sales period”
One of the most favourite topics of discussion during the last 2,5 years was definitely the situation in the residential market. We have written too many articles explaining why many residential developers ended up with unsold apartments, being located at wrong areas, overpriced and not properly designed and executed. Meanwhile “Prima Casa” entered into our lives and the market adjusted to a new reality. But the “feeling” across the market remains: There is too much unsold product… A “secret” that any buyer knows, but “the analysts” don’t [...]
[relevant-to-adsense]10 + 1 new Real Estate stories that makes us wonder if they are true…
Hello. As 1st of April is the day of lies, I thought about sharing with you some stories that I heard over the last weeks (by very serious people) and you will decide if they are true or not… “Tens of major international investors are ready to enter in the Romanian market during the following months”. “There are at least 4 – 5 banks that literally sit on tons of cash and they will start injecting it in the market over the following years”. “There will be a new real estate law, which will organize the whole market, from scratch”. “The transaction [...]
[relevant-to-adsense]What will happen in Romania if we add eligible persons to “Prima Casa” without having the necessary funds
part 2 of the text with title: “Why do you want to follow all possible mistakes that Greeks have done? “Prima Casa for all” will become “Prima Casa for no one” On Thursday I explained to you what happened in Greece, once the politicians started spreading money to people, multiplying the number of eligible people for every category of State aid. Today let us check what will probably happen in Romania, if the country increases the number of eligible people for “Prima Casa”, without having the necessary funds to support this action. A nice idea, which sounds [...]
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Few days ago, on Tuesday, I had presented to you an interview of Mr Gavin Ryan, an expert in Private Equity and Venture Capital Funds. As far as I understood from your feedback, this subject was really interesting for you, as the official information about this segment is really limited. This is why I decided to address to Mr Ryan again, summing some of your questions and adding some new ones. This domain is really interesting and I think that it worths to know ... 
HSBC shares with us its opinion: 13 consequences if Greece leaves the Euro
Nowadays hundreds of people are asking me “what will happen if Greece leaves the Euro zone?” This is why I decided to share with you the latest analysis prepared by HSBC Bank regarding this scenario. “If Greece decides to leave the Eurozone, which would also mean withdrawing from the European Union, HSBC Bank believes the consequences could be summarized as follows: The nominal value of assets and liabilities of the banking system will be restated in order to devalue the currency. There will be checks on capital, because of the immense current account [...]
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