While the exact magnitude of Covid-19 and its effect on the real estate investment market remains uncertain, some European cities are already emerging as more resilient than others, according to Savills’ latest research report.
Using nine different metrics, from liquidity to the handling of the current crisis, London, Paris, Berlin, Stockholm and Frankfurt make up the international real estate advisor’s top five most resilient cities. These cities are expected to recover faster than others while continuing to see significant levels of real estate investment.
‘Investors’ flight-to-safety is the theme that really stands out for me,’ said Marcus Lemli, CEO Germany and head of investment Europe at Savills. ‘With four cities in the top ten, Germany’s status as a safe haven for investors could be enhanced due to the Covid-19 crisis. Furthermore, we believe that smaller markets such as Stockholm, Gothenburg and Oslo will prove more resilient especially due to less expected volatility.’
Europe’s powerhouses, the UK, France and Germany, have already started attracting a larger share of real estate investment in Q1 2020, accounting for a combined 73% of total transactions, up from 63% in Q1 2019. Savills expects this trend to continue over the course of the year.
Lydia Brissy, director of European research at Savills, added: ‘Our analysis shows that uncertainty will constrain investors’ activity to the prime segment, including prime locations. Therefore, we expect many investors to target core and liquid locations with sectors such as multifamily continuing to rise up the rankings due to underlying fundamentals such as population growth.’
