After selling real estate holdings for $83 bn (EUR 59 bn) in 2006, many German investors are cash-rich and have made a strong return to the acquisition trail in 2007, according to research by Jones Lang LaSalle published at EXPO REAL in Munich on Monday. The research shows German investors have increased their cross-border purchases by 96% to $ 13 bn in the first half of this year, compared with 2006.

After selling real estate holdings for $83 bn (EUR 59 bn) in 2006, many German investors are cash-rich and have made a strong return to the acquisition trail in 2007, according to research by Jones Lang LaSalle published at EXPO REAL in Munich on Monday. The research shows German investors have increased their cross-border purchases by 96% to $ 13 bn in the first half of this year, compared with 2006.

Of the assets purchased, $2.5 bn were located in France, $ 2.3 bn in USA, $1.4 bn in Luxembourg, $1.3 bn in UK and $1.2 bn in the Netherlands. Significant acquisitions were also made in Australia, Singapore and Latin America, the survey showed. German investors sold $10 bn of commercial real estate in the first six months of 2007 (down 30% on H1 2006).