Fri, Feb 10 2012
Property prices were registering the highest increase in East European countries, data of the British property company Knight Frank, presented in Financial Times shows.
Japan continues struggling with price decrease, the report said. Property in Hong Kong was also losing value after a previous boom.
Worldwide, property has become 8.5 per cent more expensive, the analysis showed.
Significant price increase was observed for property in Bulgaria and Estonia. According to the analysis the increase resulted from the equalisation of prices in Europe. Because of investor interest property prices in Bulgaria went up by 20.5 per cent.
According to predictions Slovenia and Slovakia would become Europe's property hotspots in the coming year. Economic recovery would also bring up property prices in Germany.
Average market prices of homes in Sofia fell by one per cent in the fourth quarter of 2011 compared to the same period of 2010, according to the Raiffeisen Real Estate Index, as quoted by Klasa daily.
Proportionately, the number of transactions in leva increased as people reacted to speculation that the euro would disappear.
Nearly all banks are ready to finance between 80 per cent and 90 per cent of the price of a home, provided it is a good building in a large city, Bulgarian daily says.
Property prices in Bulgaria were five to 10 per cent lower in 2011 than in 2010, while initial estimates for this year are that they will remain largely unchanged, with transactions remaining at ‘crisis levels’.
Bulgaria’s capital city Sofia ranks 17th, report says, quoting Global Property Guide.