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Real Estate Investors Rediscover Risk

This article is more than 10 years old.

The tide has changed in real estate investments. Until last year, wealthy buyers were primarily looking at property as a safe haven for their capital, a trend that had started after the credit crunch and ensuing real estate market crashes.

In 2013, however, analysts spotted the first signs of a renewed interest in riskier but more rewarding investments, and this more aggressive approach has truly come into its own this year, according to the Wealth Report 2014, a study on global private wealth and investments published today by real estate advisor Knight Frank.

“The big news is the return of appetite for risk—wealthy buyers are now looking for a bit of income,” says Liam Bailey, Head of Residential Research at Knight Frank. “It’s a real step change.”

Bailey explains that, although the flight to safe assets remains a driving force in top real estate markets such as London—as well as secondary ones such as Munich, which attracts substantial capital from Southern Europeans looking to ring fence their wealth from the potential collapse of the euro—many among the global wealthy are now looking to capitalise on new opportunities.

This, coupled with a continued expansion in wealth generation across the world, means that international demand has widened to include cities that were hit hard by the downturn, where returns on investment are expected to be more appealing in the near future.

According to Knight Frank this new approach to real estate investment is most likely to benefit ‘distressed’ countries in the Eurozone periphery, "especially Ireland, Spain and Portugal.” The company also expects investors to look closely at France and Italy this year.

"Recovering European property markets, which were firmly off the radar two years ago, are seen by many as a key opportunity for this year and next," explains Bailey. He quotes Dublin as a prime example—after some tentative growth in 2012, the Irish capital saw values grow by 18% in 2013. The most unexpected success story, however, is perhaps Madrid.  After years in the doldrums, the Spanish property market is showing renewed vitality and nowhere more so than in its capital, where values have climbed by 5% over the course of last year.

Interestingly, notes Bailey, the increase in opportunistic interest for secondary cities and embattled countries isn't just limited to residential property—commercial real estate is also high on investors' radars. Buyers are now taking a fresh look at Spain, Ireland and Italy, where the biggest commercial deal in Europe, excluding the UK, was achieved last year when Qatar Holdings bought a 40% stake in a mixed use property in Milan's Porta Nuova for an estimated $1,039 million (source: Knight Frank).

However, adds Bailey, while investors are becoming more adventurous in terms of location, they are still focusing on prime real estate: "The enduring appeal of luxury property ensures that it will remain a central part of the wealth portfolio."