Called COVID-19 the crisis has made investors in all countries to wait and see: at the end of the first half of the volume of investment in commercial property in the Asian countries fell by more than 40%. Major local trends turned out to be similar to the Russian. The most stable segment of warehouse real estate, and large companies are considering selling their offices to improve financial performance.The volume of transactions with commercial real estate in the Asia-Pacific region in the first half of the year decreased by 41%, to $55 billion a year. Such data led analysts Knight Frank. A significant decline in the company associated with quarantine restrictions against which many investors prefer to wait and see: now they prefer to look for discounts before you enter the market.”Their aim usually is to preserve capital for which the chosen rental assets in European countries such as UK, Germany. These States are more understandable for Russians from the point of view of the legal system and networking,” he says. According to experts, Asian countries can consider investors seeking higher returns. “But to make investments without understanding the peculiarities of local laws, tax systems, traditions impossible. At the same time may experience a language barrier, because not everyone in the region speak English,” continues Mr. Novikov.Nevertheless, the market will actively recover at the expense of internal reserves. Estimated to Knight Frank, trust funds, direct investment in the Asia-Pacific region have $38 billion, while during the crisis of 2007-2008, the allowance was estimated at $5 billion recovery in investment demand, according to analysts, could begin in the third quarter. One of the possible areas for investment, according to Knight Frank, could become office space. Feels confident and warehouse sector where the investment volume has fallen by only 11%, not 44% as in other segments of commercial real estate.In Russia in the first half, analysts have not observed a sharp decline in volume of commercial real estate investment. According to Colliers International, the figure is even increased by 74%, to $820,7 million year-on-year. But most trends were similar. Russian investors have also started to invest in warehouse real estate, and large corporations are considering the possibility to sell or rent a private office for sublease in an effort to reduce operating costs.Alexandra Mertsalova
