The number of traded residential units also increased by 27% to around 92,000 units within 194 transactions, indicating that the market for large portfolios of over 1,000 units has regained momentum.
The demand for residential units in Berlin was particularly strong. The capital city traded around €2.3 billion and more than 32,300 residential units last year, which accounts for 37 per cent of the registered investment volumes and 37% of all residential units in Germany.
As a result of the large transaction volumes and high end development projects in Berlin, the average price per square meter increased to €1,033, the report also shows.
CBRE attributes the run on German housing stock to the impact of the European sovereign debt crisis, which is driving German and international institutional investors towards tangible assets and the country’s stable residential market.
‘German residential is regarded as a secure investment at a time when the European sovereign debt market is in crisis and international capital markets are volatile. This has resulted in a strong year for the country’s housing industry,’ said Konstantin Lüttger, head of residential investment, CBRE Germany.
‘Developers have benefitted from a strong demand for individual sales as well as capital investments, not least because rents are increasing in both large and prosperous medium-sized cities and university towns where there is a shortage of supply. The confidence of both national and international investors in the German residential market is clearly reflected in last year’s impressive trading levels,’ he added.
Listed property companies dominated the investment market with an overall volume of 32%. In conjunction with closed end investment vehicles, private investors were also very active and accounted for more than 13%. Investments were also made by open ended (special) real estate funds at 13% as well as the public sector at 10%.
Domestic investors accounted for €4.35 billion, more than 71%, of the overall investment figure. They were followed by investors from the USA at 5.7%, Sweden at 4.2% and Austria at 3.4%.
