A report just published by Ernst & Young points to a continuing confidence on the part of international real estate professionals for the Belgian market.
Drawn up in conjunction with the Economist Intelligence Unit, the survey entitled "Trend Indicator Real Estate Assets Investment 2012" indicates that 84% of those questioned believe Belgium to be an interesting market for real estate investments. This is the first time that Belgium has appeared in this survey covering 12 European countries, coming in at eighth place. Explaining that this positive attitude will not necessarily lead to an increase in activity in 2012, Ernst & Young associate Tristan Dhondt says: "Only 19% of those taking part in the enquiry expect an increase in transaction volumes in 2012 compared to 2011. And it is in Belgium that respondents are the most negative where this point is concerned. But despite the decrease in the number of transactions, numerous investors consider real estate as a reliable investment not impacted by inflation".
Investors are expected to continue to be attracted by the office market (even though this now only accounts for a half of all investment volumes). This segment is forecast to see a rise in values over the coming year, along with retail space, while residential is expected to remain stable. In figures, Brussels dominates the office investment sector, at 58% of respondents, followed by Antwerp at 34%. For residential property, Ghent, at 30%, records twice as many respondents as the 15% of Brussels. Residential property in Antwerp, by contrast, is only of interest to 4% of those questioned.
Source: http://www.pro-realestate.be/news-view.asp?ID=74631&L=uk&ccc=&rrr=&channel=&rubr=&V=title&TXT=Belgium%20still%20of%20interest%20to%20investors