_Prime global cities: Who's buying where?

Each year we ask our global research teams for their outlook for the year ahead, to help us assess the current landscape for prime residential purchasers, be they investors or owner-occupiers. Covering 13 cities from Vancouver to Sydney and from Los Angeles to Hong Kong, we highlight the key responses below.

Kate Everett-Allen December 11, 2017

In this chart we have been interested to understand which buyers are more active in prime residential markets compared with 12 months ago. For this reason, Latin American buyers are linked with Madrid but not Miami. Latin American buyers continue to account for a key segment of demand in Miami but their market share has largely plateaued in the last year, due in part to the strength of the US dollar.

Berlin is high on most global buyer wish lists. From US to UK buyers, and from Turkish to Chinese buyers, the German capital has piqued the interest of multiple nationalities attracted to its dynamic and youthful profile, its robust economy and expanding tenant demand - only 15% of properties are owner-occupied in the city.

Across all the markets tracked, Chinese and US buyers were reported to be amongst the most active applicants globally but for different reasons. In China’s case, the strength of interest comes despite the ramping up of capital controls and amid tighter macroprudential measures at home. In contrast, for US buyers, rising employment, an upbeat economic outlook and the strength of the US dollar are behind the growing appetite for international real estate.

Read more in our series of Prime Residential City Forecasts

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