Related coverage
New era of financing emerges from the ashes
Liquidity is up and leverage is down. Alternative lenders are stepping in where banks can no longer tread. While the period of re-regulation may not yet be over, real estate finance is starting to look in rude health once again.
Direct lenders target funding vacuum left by universal bank
Direct lending for commercial property deals is a niche, but expanding, segment of the alternative financing universe that is plugging the funding void left by a diminished bank lending sector, where deleveraging is far from complete.
Pfandbriefe looks for new lease of life from savings banks
The increasing role of Sparkassen – Germany’s ubiquitous savings banks – in real estate lending could boost Pfandbrief issuance, which has been steadily declining despite mortgage volumes surging to a 16-year high, analysts say.
Regional
Africa – Consumers drive boom in sub-Saharan Africa
Retail space developments, rather than housing, offer the best opportunities in the region.
Asia – China takes back seat in Asian real estate
The weakness of the Chinese market has prompted the Asian real estate industry to look elsewhere for returns in 2014.
CEE – Beyond Poland and Prague
In the real-estate markets of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), the effects of the financial crisis have been unusually protracted.
Latin America – Beware LatAm's local potholes
Real estate in Latin America offers big investment opportunities, but the national landscapes vary widely and local expertise is vital for foreign investors when they explore the sector.
Middle East – Dubai leads the way back to the good times
The good times are back in Gulf real estate – to an almost worrying degree. The days when people were abandoning apartments and heading for Dubai airport as they plunged into unserviceable debt seem a long time ago now, as attention has turned instead to more familiar territory: working out how to calm down a vibrant market.