Start of the year and market outlook in Neuchâtel

Michele Giambonini, the 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.

MR The new FIABCI-SUISSE President Michele Giambonini, who was elected at the General Assembly in Lausanne in December 2021, presented the new Board members and the new structures within the Board at the "Kick-off 2022" event to kick off the year. Responsibilities in the areas of marketing and sponsors, communication and finance as well as administration and representation are now shared across several shoulders. In addition to the new Vice-President Vitali Bekker (SWISS AIM SA), Teresa Astorina, Anne-Marie Loeillet (PCM Opérateur Urbain SA) and Romedio Corazzolla(Stempfle Consulting) and Paul-Alexandre Goumaz (Régie Marmillod) to the Swiss Executive Board team.

Market recovery "according to plan" expected

Stefan Fahrländer (FPRE) then presented the recently published Real Estate Almanac 2022 and presented a wide range of forecasts and details about the Swiss real estate market over the next twelve months and beyond. One focus was on the recovery trends in the Swiss economy following the pandemic-related slump. In his baseline scenario, Fahrländer assumes a "recovery according to plan" and expects a return to the originally expected GDP level by mid-2022. This scenario is based on the assumption that the sharp rise in inflation rates in many countries around the world will recede again 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, albeit 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 apartment buildings will continue to rise in the medium term, at least in locations that are in high demand. According to Fahrländer, investment pressure could also lead to price increases in more peripheral regions of Switzerland. 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 properties for sale. Here, he does not expect a substantial increase in demand for retail space. In the saturated Swiss retail market, supply is increasing while new construction activity remains high. As a result, rents in this segment are only expected to remain stable or even fall.

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 head of the national association, for his extraordinary and valuable commitment over the past three years. He also outlined the next important milestones and events within and outside the real estate association. These include 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 Zurich region. This will be followed by the General Assembly of the Swiss chapter at the end of May and the FIABCI World Congress in Paris/France from June 7 to 10, 2022.