Released on = May 16, 2007, 10:44 am

Press Release Author = Jimwatson

Industry = Real Estate

Press Release Summary = In recent months, international property pundits have been
widely tipping Germany as a place to watch - and it seems that investors are
listening to them. Last year, nearly £7 billion was spent on German property by
foreign buyers, spread across both the commercial and residential sectors, but
mostly concentrated in the latter due to the fact that a very high proportion of the
German population rent their homes.

Press Release Body = In recent months, international property pundits have been
widely tipping Germany as a place to watch - and it seems that investors are
listening to them. Last year, nearly £7 billion was spent on German property by
foreign buyers, spread across both the commercial and residential sectors, but
mostly concentrated in the latter due to the fact that a very high proportion of the
German population rent their homes.

According to Dominic Farrell of Jet to Let magazine, Germany represents a \"sleeping
giant\", with excellent opportunities for the medium to long-term investor. The
domestic financial services industry is opening up to foreign investors, for
instance by increasing loan-to-value mortgage lending. In addition the interest
rate, at 5.2 per cent, is below the current base rate in the UK. According to Mr
Farrell, a German investment \"will bear fruit for those looking to add solid
blue-chip performance to their portfolio.\"

As the capital city, and cultural and economic centre of the country, Berlin
attracts much of the outside investor interest. Compared to other capital cities in
Europe, Berlin has very cheap property prices. For example, a one bedroom apartment
is available for around £53,000, while a three bedroom version will cost somewhere
in the region of £127,000. One German property developer was recently advertising
Berlin apartments that already had sitting tenants for between £35,500 and £43,750.

These are the kind of prices that have not been seen for a decade or more in London.
The UK department of Communities and Local Government yesterday announced that the
average semi-detached house in Britain now costs £206,000, something which places
Berlin property prices into perspective. And it isn\'t just British investors that
are becoming increasingly interested in Germany. Capital is flowing in from all
around Europe, while American buyers are also being prompted to give consideration
to the market.

For example, a recent article in the Boston Globe told readers of a \"hyper active\"
property market in the city. One local property auctioneer, Hans Peter Plettner, was
quoted as saying: \"The scent is out to buy in Berlin. The real estate prices in the
city are lower than in Budapest and Prague. That\'s strange but true. Berlin is being
marketed and it\'s on everyone\'s tongue - it\'s the talk of the west\".

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