Annual kick-off and market outlook in Neuchâtel

Jan 21, 2022 Latest News

Michele Giambonini, new President of the Swiss Chapter of the global association of real estate professionals FIABCI (Fédération Internationale des Administrateurs de Biens Conseils et Agent Immobiliers), welcomed around 30 FIABCI-Suisse members and friends to the kick-off event at the Hotel Beau Rivage in Neuchâtel in the first half of January.

The new FIABCI-Suisse President Michele Giambonini, elected at the General Assembly in Geneva in December 2021, presented the new Board Members and the new structures in the Board at the annual kick-off event "Kick-off 2022". Thus, the responsibilities for the areas of marketing and sponsors, communication and finance as well as administration and representation are now distributed on several shoulders. In addition to the new Vice President Vitali Bekker (SWISS AIM SA), the Swiss board team now includes Teresa Astorina as well as Anne-Marie Loeillet (PCM Opérateur Urbain SA) and Romedio Corazzolla (Stempfle Consulting) as well as Paul-Alexandre Goumaz (Régie Marmillod).

Market recovery expected «according to plan»

Stefan Fahrländer (FPRE) then introduced the recently published Real Estate Almanac 2022 and presented a variety of forecasts and details about the Swiss real estate market in the coming twelve months and beyond. One focus was on the recovery trends in the Swiss economy after the pandemic-related slump. In his baseline scenario, Fahrländer assumes a "recovery according to plan" and expects a return to the GDP level originally anticipated in mid-2022. This scenario is based on the assumption that the inflation rates, which have risen sharply in many countries around the world, will return to normal and that interest rate hikes by the central banks will not be necessary - at least for the time being. Fahrländer then expects prices in the owner-occupied housing segment to continue to rise, but at a much more moderate rate than in 2021.

Under the conditions of the base scenario, there is no reason to doubt that market values for multi-family houses will continue to rise in the medium term either, at least in locations where demand is strong. Investment pressure could also lead to price increases in more peripheral regions of Switzerland, Fahrländer said. While no distortions can be seen in office properties due to the pandemic and stable market rents are forecast here in the medium term, the situation is somewhat different for sales properties. There, he does not expect any substantial increase in demand for retail space. In the saturated Swiss retail market, supply is increasing while new construction activity remains high. Therefore, only stable and, at best, declining rents are to be expected in this segment.

Lunch in April, World Congress in June

In his closing statement, FIABCI-Suisse President Michele Giambonini once again expressly thanked Thomas Henle, his predecessor at the helm of the national association, for his extraordinary and valuable commitment over the past three years. At the same time, he outlined the next important stations and events within and outside the real estate association. These include, first of all, the appearance at the MIPIM international real estate trade fair in Cannes/France from March 15 to 18, 2022, as well as a FIABCI-Suisse lunch on April 28, 2022, in the region of Zurich. This will be followed by the General Assembly of the Swiss Chapter at the end of May and then the FIABCI World Congress in Paris/France from June 7-10, 2022.

Mathias Rinka

Editor in Chief at DOMBLICK