THE THEME

Topics of interest for presentations include reforms relevant to the basic principles for the development of a country’s real estate sector:

  • Establishing an integrated legal framework harmonized with regional/international norms (e.g., security of tenure, civil code, land law, construction code, land use framework, spatial planning, litigation/arbitration, credit recovery, court efficiency and enforcement times)
  • Improving the efficiency of property registration systems to facilitate the property market and minimize the risk of fraud (e.g., access to data, reliability and updating of cadastral data, national coverage percentage, transaction time and costs, fees and charges, information about the buildings/apartments, value, e-services/m-services)
  • Improving the availability of statistical data and developing-regularizing-monitoring of the necessary professional services (e.g., improving the construction sector and other professionals such as brokers, appraisers, asset managers, facility managers; professional standards and ethics/procedures and codes, transparent and competitive services)
  • Converting dead capital (unused or underused land and real estate) into productive capital to increase employment and reduce poverty (e.g., identifying the best use of land with respect to environment, energy efficiency investments, empowerment of legal rights on land and real estate to facilitate access to credit, legalization of informal settlements)
  • Developing national land policy at the highest governmental levels to support a sound business climate and a stable real estate market based on international financial and investment rules (e.g., e-government, transparency, reduction of permitting times and costs, servicing housing mobility, flexibility of contracts, expropriation procedures)
  • Developing sustainable financing to encourage private investment in real estate (e.g., competitive and affordable mortgage rates, easier repayment installments, special tools for the young and first-time buyers or other target groups, micro-credit, access to credit for vulnerable groups, efficient recovery of loans, insurance coverage at competitive rates)
  • Property valuation and transparency in the financial products to facilitate foreign investment (e.g., valuation, harmonization with international valuation standards, publishing transaction data, rating of warranty-backed products, solvency ratio, LTV ratio, publicity of market dynamics)
  • Property TaxationTaxation (e.g., computer assisted mass appraisal systems, annual property taxation to reflect the current property value, decentralized policy implementation, ensure a broad tax base with transparent criteria, fair and equal distribution of the annual tax burden)
  • Social housing/affordable housingas a means to address housing pressure and informal development (e.g., housing policies during the economic crisis, tools for subsidies, grants, construction of new housing, early planning focused on social inclusion, affordable rental housing, PPPs in housing)
  • Developing professional capacity and training(e.g., qualification requirements, training, standardized methodologies, technical aspects, consumer/investor training)

In addition, Country Reports are very much appreciated.

Country Reports

Background

There are several countries in the European region struggling to improve their property markets. The FIG Task Force on Property Markets aims to carry out a study on the developing/frontier real property markets concerning mainly countries in an economic transition process in its different phases. Source: https://www.fig.net/organisation/tf/real_estate/index.asp

Real estate markets are very complex systems with a big number of relevant influencing factors. The study will include country reports presenting the current situation, the good practices and the remaining challenges, as well as recommendations concerning improvement and harmonization. A systematic analysis of a number of “country reports on real estate market” is necessary.

These “country reports” should be conducted and presented by the participants at the High-Level FIG/World Bank Conference, to be held in Greece, 19-20 September 2016.

A standardized pattern of investigation is needed to create comparable information as basis for reasonable recommendations.

Therefore it is suggested that a country report should include information about the “outcome”, the “framework” and the “functioning” of the real estate market. Please read the instructions given below.

Proposed content of country reports

When preparing your “country report” please include information about:

A. The “outcome” of the market (illustrated by relevant figures)

  • Demand and supply in land and property
  • Volume of Transactions
  • Price levels and price development of the last 5 years

B. The “framework” within which the market of urban land and property functions:

  • Trends in population development, trends in economic development (e. g., GDP, wages), trends in spatial development (e. g., differentiated in metropolitan areas, other urban areas and rural areas).
  • The land use determination by the planning system (types, coverage and availability of plans, their binding character, planning and development permitting process (participation), development control, level of informality, affordable housing).
  • Legal tools available for land development (civil law and public law tools).
  • The situation of property registration (e. g. reliability, completeness, openness).
  • The tax and subsidy environment (e. g. main regular property taxes, transaction costs, regular tax reductions).
  • The property financing system (access to credit)

C. The “functioning” of the market, driving forces and relevant stakeholders

  • Price-setting process, property valuation procedures/standards
  • Land and Property ownership (distribution of ownership, % of public and state land ownership, % of private ownership)
  • The role of relevant stakeholders (real estate agents, building industry, regional or local developers/investors, governmental agencies, etc.)
  • Information platforms and tools

“Case studies”

  • Residential property development
  • Commercial property development

Please elaborate your country report with simple examples on the functioning and framework of (a) residential and (b) commercial real estate markets.