Global Housing Market Outlook Mixed

The European debt crisis and U.S. recession continue to make it hard for global real estate investors to speculate on the future of the market and a new …

The European debt crisis and U.S. recession continue to make it hard for global real estate investors to speculate on the future of the market and a new report suggests the confusion will persist. The latest Cushman & Wakefield Global Economic Pulse report reveals a mixed market outlook as low interest rates, a large inventory in many areas and growing demand drive more interest. Primary markets are expected to see increased performance as the U.S. economy improves and the Eurozone shows signs of remaining intact, while other markets that evidence more risk may continue to struggle. For more on this continue reading the following article from Property Wire.

Despite the unknowns surrounding the debt crisis in Europe and the United States, real estate occupiers are not sitting still but the outlook is mixed, according to Cushman & Wakefield’s latest Global Economic Pulse report.

The outlook is mixed for real estate markets in the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific, but stronger economies in specific markets around the world offer an improved forecast for real estate later in 2012, it says.

‘While we have been in the midst of challenging economic times, there is now a growing sense of constrained optimism, and we anticipate the global economy to strengthen during the second half of 2012,’ said Glenn Rufrano, president and chief executive officer of Cushman & Wakefield.

High volumes of office leasing activity over the past 12 months have shown that many occupiers are not being deterred by a period of slower growth.

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‘We have seen strong leasing activity as many organizations recast their real estate portfolios and strategies in preparation for the next expansionary economic cycle,’ explained Maria Sicola, executive managing director of research for the Americas at Cushman & Wakefield.

The report says that the entire Americas region experienced a slowdown in 2011 as the European and US debt crises caused businesses and investors to become more cautious, and dramatically slowed the pace of growth in the US, the region’s main driver. However, the underlying fundamentals are pointing to a brighter future in 2012.

‘The main drivers of growth, that is low interest rates, pent up demand, balance sheet improvement and healthier labour markets, are all still very much in place,’ said Ken McCarthy, senior economist and senior managing director of research for Cushman & Wakefield.

The improving economic environment in the Americas is also expected to lead to healthy leasing fundamentals in the commercial real estate market. US office and industrial markets have been characterized by rising demand and limited supply. Investment sales in the Americas were up 51% in 2011, and improving fundamentals coupled with a still healthy investor appetite for real estate should lead to healthy growth in the region, with activity in the US forecast to increase by 25%.

The report also points out that the escalation of the sovereign debt and banking crisis hit a European economy already weakened by higher inflation and interest rates. Most of Europe now faces the threat of weaker growth and a credit squeeze. However, the outlook for the region overall is still poised for mildly positive growth by the end of the year. The first half will remain weak, but better growth is expected later in 2012 as inflation falls and a more stable pattern of global demand emerges.

‘While it remains incredibly hard to predict what may happen, the commitment of governments and institutions to resolve the sovereign debt crisis looks increasingly sufficient to keep the Eurozone intact, at least for now,’ said David Hutchings, partner and head of Cushman & Wakefield’s European research group.

Real estate conditions across Europe are far from uniform, with some markets supply constrained and seeing costs increases, while others are still stabilizing. A focus on sustainability and a need for better or more efficient space has been the catalyst for recent activity, with change a bigger driver for European markets than growth. Investors will remain focus on top cities and assets that offer protection from the downside, and as a result yield trends are likely to diverge further, with core markets stable or possibly down, and increases in secondary markets, the report says.

The Asia Pacific economy’s dynamism remains one of the bright spots in the challenging global environment. Steady GDP growth, which continued through 2011 on the back of healthy domestic consumption and investments, is expected to slow slightly, but continue in 2012.

This article was republished with permission from Property Wire.

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