"Moscow aside, if you look at central and eastern Europe, Bucharest is probably the biggest and most interesting opportunity for property investors right now," says Edit Vesser, corporate director for CB Richard Ellis in Bucharest in an article recently published by the esteemed Irish Times.
In February 2005, I first alerted readers of Escape Artist to the incredible potential latent in the Eastern European country of Romania. Several readers who contacted me purchased land through a realtor that I advised them of in an area outside of the city limits of Bucharest at 40 Euro per square meter. That land today is now fetching an estimated 200 Euro per square meter.
I was cautioned by colleagues to refrain from quoting the above figures as they seem quite sensational. Indeed, they are representative of unique successes and do not represent the average gain to be expected on property held in the Bucharest area for less then one year. However, such gains are possible and it is not uncommon to hear of such success stories occurring from transactions made on the current market.
These exceptional cases serve as an indicator of the general trend of rapid growth in value of raw land in what is known as "the new suburbs of Bucharest."
The price of land has gone up by 60-70% over the past several months, due to the high level of demand on the market triggered by the high profitability of investing in land, a report by CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) shows.
In a previous article for Escape Artist (http://www.escapeartist.com/efam/72/Real_Estate_In_Romania.html), I indicated land as potentially the best investment for the average investor in Romania. It poses the least hassles and headaches and tends to generate the most profit-growth in the shortest time. The verified rate of growth of property values between the time that I made this suggestion to readers and the publication of this article, given further credibility to my speculations.
I am not alone in my view; Razvan Camuescu of RHR, a Bucharest property services firm in his interview for the aforementioned recent Irish Times article further comments, "Outside Bucharest we have seen the price for some land double over the course of two months." He adds that investments in apartments in the center of the city no longer necessarily represent a part of a good investment strategy.
Yes, all of this growth could be considered astronomical, daunting, magnificent, maybe even a little scary if not properly managed. This, however, is exactly why Romania has become the next big target of the international investor.
"It is the next big location in this part of the world, with many people looking to get involved here having moved on from Budapest or missed the property train there". "The big guns are already getting involved alongside the private investors." (source The Irish Times, September 2005)
The key to raw land investment in Romania is a) knowing where to invest and b) when and how to sell.
Bucharest as the capitol of Romania and soon EU capitol city is the the star attraction of all Romanian land investment opportunities.
Prices in the downtown area of the city may have all but peaked after years of significant growth but the trend of high growth in a short-time frame has just begun in the area outside of the city limits which is pegged as the new Bucharest suburban district.
Bucharest is inhabited by more then 2.5 million people and that number is expected by many authorities to more then double to over 5 million by 2010 by the rapid development of new housing complexes inside of the city and the expansion of city limits with the introduction of new American-style suburban living there - now available to the average Bucharest-ian who is experiencing higher earning power coupled with increase access to credit.
Northrop Grumman, the large American construction firm is already in the market constructing new homes along with scores of other European and international building firms of reputation. As leaders in their industry, they are fully convinced that the projections for suburban Bucharest will become a current reality.
The savvy world investor, according to surveys, now identifies Romania as one of the top three investment locations in the world (along with China and Brazil) and the number one opportunity in Europe. Foreign Direct Investment in Romania is at roughly 3.5 billion dollars currently tied only with Czech Republic for the number one spot in Central & Eastern Europe. Decreasing investment rates there and expected investments in Romania will most likely push Romania on top.
Tesco and Walmart have already announced plans to follow in the footsteps of European giant Carefour to enter this thriving market.
Unemployment here is at just 6%, one of the lowest rates in all of Europe. Combined with a low per-head personal debt, more spending cash, and the introduction of credit an amazing new consumer based society is being built.
Statistics show that inflation is low and GDP is high (three times higher in many cases then in Western Europe) in Romania.
The vision of the Bucharest metropolitan area is quickly becoming a reality. Farmland near Bucharest will soon resemble suburban Detroit or Chicago, complete with modern family homes, shopping complexes, and modern highways. This phenomenon has already occurred in some areas outside of the city limits.
2,000 square meters plots of land can now be purchased in the new suburban district of Bucharest for 40,000 Euro (That about $48,000 USD). That' s about $20 per square meter in a city where downtown prime real estate is going for as much as $2,000 a square meter and property in the currently developed suburban region goes for between $150 and $350 a square meter. Between now and the years proceeding the EU ascension of Romania (analyst predict Romania will join in 2007 -2008 and growth will continue at impressive rates up to about 2010) property prices in the new suburbs should increase at least 30% per year.
The key to realizing profit is to buy land in an area where developers are looking to build in a strategic location, where other like-minded investors have also invested in land. This is where a reputable estate agency comes into the picture. As they usually have direct relationships with developers and have a keen understanding of where to buy, they more then earn their 5% or so commissions.
New structures have now been put in place to allow foreign investors to invest in land without formation of private companies (foreign citizens may not own raw land as private individuals) and the process of forming a company for such a purpose is now a relatively expedited one - when you are working with someone who knows what they are doing.
Deals most absolutely exist outside of Bucharest as well. The long term investor should also consider naturally stunning land located in proximity to up-and-coming ski resorts in Transylvania and incredible bargains at the excellent vineyards located between Bucharest and the aforementioned ski resorts. These opportunities represent excellent investment opportunities but often requires a longer "hold time" on the investment to reap full potential returns.
More details on those properties, as well as on opportunities in Bucharest are available for readers by contacting me directly.
One final piece of advise - the majority of North American investors who have contacted me come with a sound American mentality related to real estate investment. No doubt, this mentality is tried and proven in America and represents a very successful model for property investment on that continent. Europe and Eastern Europe in particular represent dynamically different markets that require the investor to approach an investment in this region with an open and teachable mind.
This has caused a much higher success rate among European and International investors to date in Romania then for American ones.
The tried and true model for cashing in on the amazing changing face of Romania and particularly metropolitan Bucharest, tweaked and perfected by professionals from the West operating in this region, has proved to be the best model to follow.
Perhaps the Irish Times article, summed it up best ".... the key thing is to have good contacts, local knowledge, and someone here who you can trust."
Romania presents the opportunity to make extremely profitable investments in a future superstate of the European Union. It represents the transformation of a nation where 30% of the population has never turned on a light, into a Western cosmopolitan nation at a maddening pace. Under control, this chaos can be extremely profitable for the savvy investor.
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