Commercial real estate continues to rank high on the list of acquisitions for investors around the world as preliminary global real estate investment volumes in the first quarter of this year reached $94 billion, according to Jones Lang LaSalle capital markets research from 60 countries. The real estate investment volumes in the first quarter represented an 8% increase over the same quarter in 2012.
According to Jones Lang LaSalle, all regions show increases over a year ago. Growth in the Americas was driven by increases in the U.S. and Canada, at 20% and 6% growth, respectively. The Asia Pacific region's volumes were driven higher by a 30% increase in Japan year over year and stronger investment volumes in Singapore and Hong Kong. Germany was the driving factor in Europe, recording investment volumes almost 40% higher than a year ago.
‘Volumes of almost $100 billion in the first quarter of the year – in what is historically a quieter period – demonstrates the desire investors continue to have for direct real estate investments,’ says Arthur de Haast, head of the international capital group at Jones Lang LaSalle. ‘Encouraged by a slowly improving global economic environment and rising property values, especially in core cities, the number of assets for sale continues to increase.’Â
