Real Estate & Investment News in Germany from Propertyshowrooms.com

Berlin Tourism Passes its Peak

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Recent years saw Berlin emerge as the third most-visited tourist destination in the EU after London and Paris. But its new-found popularity is still far from guaranteed, with visitor numbers starting to flag...

Drive-in apartments on sale in Berlin

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Car fanatics can now buy drive-in apartments in Berlin, offering a unique property investment opportunity. A team of architects has designed a building where a heavy duty lift brings your car directly up to the loft-style apartment.

The Berlin drive-in apartment has been designed to make the car a feature of the interior decoration, reports The Times. "Cars have become design statements, an expression of your lifestyle. So why not integrate them properly into your life," Johannes Kauka of Topos, the company behind the apartment block, told the paper.

A stylish but heavy-duty lift hoists the car directly up to the apartment. It is then parked in a kind of conservatory, which is separated from the living space by just a glass wall.

Six of the eleven drive-in loft apartments have been sold so far and the smallest - 224 square metres - costs €468,000 (£373,000). The sixth floor penthouse costs €1.6m. Each apartment has a garden with an optional putting green. It takes just two minutes from approaching the building to enter the apartment and park the car.

The Berlin model is likely to be exported to other cities - St Petersburg and Cape Town have already expressed an interest. If it proves successful it could also be taken to Brussels, Mexico City and Abu Dhabi.

"The customers all have a special relationship to cars," said Kauka. "They have petrol in their veins."

This story was brought to you by holidaylettings.co.uk, the UK's No.1 holiday home website.

Migrant influx 'an opportunity in Germany'

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Germanys new laws on migrant workers that make it easier for people to enter the country from new European Union members and get a work permit could offer big opportunities for overseas property investors, it has been stated...

Berlin luxury property market booming

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The Berlin property market remains healthy despite the global credit crunch. Luxury property developments are being constructed in some parts of Berlin, and demand is strong.

A new property trend is emerging in Berlin, according to Property Wire. Once known for its Soviet-style concrete buildings, East Berlin is now home to an increasing number of luxury lofts with swimming pools, spas and concierge services.

Roman Heidrich, from Jones Lang LaSalle, said: "The whole concept is new for Berlin. All of a sudden we are seeing a large number of high-end projects being built or in the pipeline." The firm opened a Berlin office earlier this year in response to changes in the property market. Luxury developments such as 'Felini' and 'Oxford have asking prices of more than double the cost of similar property in Berlin just two years ago.

According to property developer Maik Uwe Hinkel, Berlin is now very much in demand: "We have Spanish, Italian, Polish and French buyers."

There are approximately 30 new developments in the Mitte area (between the German foreign ministry and the picturesque Gendarmenmarkt square) and more are in the pipe-line. Construction is due to start on a large residential and commercial complex next year, inspired by the iconic Dakota building in New York.

This story was brought to you by holidaylettings.co.uk, the UK's No.1 holiday home website.

Price conscious property investors can find bargains at German auctions

Tue, 8 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

German auctions are proving a popular source of bargain properties with detached houses, barns, mills and guesthouses selling for incredibly low prices...