Sonntag, 31. August 2008

Berlin: Winters & Hirsch vermittelt Anlageobjekt in Kreuzberg an Oxford University

Das Investmentteam „Capital Markets“ des Berliner Immobiliendienstleisters Winters & Hirsch hat im Auftrag der Wertprojekt Unternehmensgruppe aus Berlin ein Büro- und Geschäftshaus in Berlin-Kreuzberg erfolgreich vermittelt. Käufer des Objektes auf dem Mehringdamm 40 / Ecke Yorkstrasse ist der Pensionsfonds eines in Oxford ansässigen College.

Mit der Vermarktung und Aufarbeitung dieses historischen Gebäudes wurde Winters & Hirsch vom Verkäufer exklusiv beauftragt und hat die Transaktion für den Käufer beratend begleitet und vermittelt. Über Größe und Umfang und der Transaktion wurde Stillschweigen vereinbart.

quelle: http://www.gewerbeimmobilien24.de/gi24-news/newsletter-archiv/newsletter-donnerstag-31-juli-2008/

Montag, 25. August 2008

Buy Berlin—With Strong Rental Yields and Prices Set to Rise

Read more about investing in overseas real estate in International Living Postcards—your daily escape

Dear International Living Reader,

I have been following the property market in Berlin for almost two years, and recently I went on a scouting trip to take a more serious look.

While property prices across Europe and the rest of the world roared ahead in the past decade, the market in Berlin stagnated. In fact, prices slipped by 40% in real terms through the '90s and first part of this decade.

Germany today is seeing strong growth in economic output. With a population of 3.4 million, Berlin is the third biggest tourism city in Europe. The city’s industries include media, IT, music, advertising, design, life sciences, and microtechnologies. (Multinationals such as eBay, Sony, and Daimler Chrysler are choosing Berlin for their European headquarters.) Berlin is strategically positioned at the geographic and infrastructure heart of Europe and is Germany’s administrative center.

With Germany’s top universities, Berlin produces a huge pool of highly skilled workers every year. Employment growth will continue to come from services and tourism and its labor force has increased in the past decade. The city is also attracting highly skilled emigrants. These workers will fuel demand for real estate. That can only mean one thing: Property prices will go up.

In a leafy area in central Berlin, I viewed a 40-square-meter unit…on the market for $63,580. A studio like this would rent for $400 per month.

In one of Berlin’s most desirable addresses, I saw a 66-square-meter, two-bedroom apartment with an asking price of $116,000. This would rent for $675 per month. Both apartments gross you a rental yield in the region of 7%.

Figure on a net yield of 5.5% after expenses...almost double what you would expect in other European capital cities like London or Paris. Furthermore, I expect prices to grow by more than 10% each year in desirable areas like this for the next three years.

A 32-square-meter studio is for sale near the largest park in Berlin comes furnished and has a fitted kitchen and cellar. Price: $59,278. Expected rental income: 9%.

The rental market is strong and stable—85% of Berliners rent. This is set to change, however. When prices were falling there was no incentive to buy; now that prices are on the rise, Berliners are starting to buy property here.

I like anomalies in a market. They tell you a lot. In many parts of Berlin, construction costs (excluding site acquisition) at $2,400 per meter are higher than the price of resale units. This tells me that prices have scope to rise before a new inventory comes on stream.

Ronan McMahon

Editor’s Note: Ronan writes a more in-depth article about buying in Berlin in this month’s issue of International Living magazine. Subscribers can learn exactly where to find these undervalued properties that will bring in high rental yields here. If you are not a subscriber, sign up today to access the August issue.

source: http://www.internationalliving.com/publications/free_e_letters/il_postcards/08_23_08_berlin

Donnerstag, 7. August 2008

In Berlin, a River Runs Through It

by Kimberly Bradley

It’s been an intermittently scorching summer in Berlin and the 30-odd “beaches” and waterfront bars that have cropped up on the banks of the Spree River in the last six or seven years are hopping. What were once desolate industrial areas or Cold War no-man’s lands have morphed into spots for hammock-lounging, casual dining, beach-ball events, swimming or just getting some imported Baltic sand between your toes.

For the hipster set, the urban summer wonderland starts near the Ostbahnhof and heads eastward along the Spree and partially behind the East Side gallery — the longest standing strip of the Berlin wall. On the north bank there’s Oststrand (www.oststrand.de), with expanses of sand, palm trees and a moored-boat platform. Then there’s the wild-west atmosphere of Strandmarkt (strandmarkt.whitetrashfastfood.com), a sister to the American-owned club/restaurant White Trash Fast Food.

A series of wooden docks and a lush garden make for weekend-long partying at the now infamous Bar 25 (www.bar25.de), and an African market and hip-hop parties spice things up at Yaam (www.yaam.de), which began as a youth project in 1996. And while Strandgut’s white leather lounge sofas and wooden walkways (www.strandgut-berlin.de) attract a slightly bridge-and-tunnel crowd, they’re summer-night sultry just the same.

Waterfront amusement continues on the other side of the river, too. At Spindler and Klatt (www.spindlerklatt.com) guests dine al fresco on white couches set on a riverside terrace. At Kiki Blofeld (www.kikiblofeld.de) patrons enjoy finger food and cocktails on both the beach and a grassy lawn. And a bit further is the fabulous Badeschiff (www.arena-berlin.de/badeschiff.aspx), where wooden terraces jut into the river, culminating in a converted-barge floating pool that almost makes you feel like you’re actually swimming in the Spree.

“It’s a bit crazy that something like this could happen in such a central part of the city,” says Matthias Böttger, who not only co-founded an annual beach dodge ball tournament at Oststrand, but is also an architect and urban planner (an aside: Böttger and his partner Friedrich von Börries were chosen to exhibit in the German Pavilion of the Venice Architecture Biennale in September this year). Several of the venues are offshoots of the city’s biggest clubs, and the Badeschiff, which morphs into a sauna in winter, was an art project in 2004.

But the wild-East vibe of these watering holes might not last much longer, at least in this incarnation. A real-estate development group called Media Spree plans to erect a series of office buildings along the river, an idea that’s not been popular with everyone. Locals against the development gathered enough signatures to instigate a referendum that took place on July 13: Nearly 87 percent of neighborhood constituents voted to leave the riverbanks as they are. But now city politicians are getting involved, discussing financial ramifications to the city if the project is indeed halted, and it’s unclear what exactly will happen.

According to Media Spree plans, the “skyscrapers” will not exceed a height of 22 meters and parks, pathways, bridges and playgrounds will be installed. So the beaches could become even more public than they are now (many of the aforementioned venues charge admission).

“From an urban-planning viewpoint, it’s really exciting to see how a dead zone can become a recreation area that people can enjoy, which is really positive,” says Böttger, describing the status quo. “But the Berlin scene keeps moving. You can’t artificially keep a subculture. If you try to conserve things, it turns into Disneyland.”

Either way, those wanting to catch the feel of the independent beach scene in the shadow of Berlin’s TV tower should do so soon, since the summer is slipping away. Or imitate the Berliners and find another huge, empty, unclaimed space: just this year, a new beach-based recreation area called Funkpark (www.funkpark-berlin.de) opened even further east on the riverside grounds of the GDR’s former broadcasting station. It offers beach volleyball, cool DJs, boat rental, a restaurant and club, even camping. So…go east, young hipster.

Samstag, 2. August 2008

Berlin Barracks Now Luxury Real Estate

The US Army’s former McNair barracks in southwest Berlin are in the process of being converted to a luxury housing complex to be called Monroe Park. Berlin property firm S+P Real Estate GmbH and an American investor are investing some €70 million, or approximately $91 million US, to transform the historic premises in the city's Zehlendorf district into upscale apartments.

The US Army occupied the premises from 1945 to 1995, when they moved out after the fall of the Berlin Wall. At that time, the whole set of buildings were protected by Germany’s Historical Preservation Act, and it will be the largest preserved residential building project in the country.

Monroe Park represents a blend of many things for those who are interested in this upscale luxury property development. It is being developed in one of the most sought-after sections of Berlin, and has over 46,000 square meters (approx. 11 acres) in space. The project skillfully links diverse urban amenities with a great quality of life. Located near the former Telefunken building, Monroe Park is emerging as a high-quality housing estate for those who want to live in the city but who also will appreciate and enjoy the advantage of a calm surroundings.

Construction permits for the project were issued earlier this year and the whole renovation is set for the next couple of years. For those who are interested, there are pre-release sales and special pricing available. Apartments range from 60 to 260 square metres in size, with designer kitchens, parquet floors, and other quality features

source: http://germany.homesgofast.com/news/berlin-barracks-now-luxury-real-estate-I820/