Opinion
REFIRE
You don’t really own those assets - they’re for the next generation, of course
With all the macro-economic turmoil about to engulf the world and send it plunging into recession, it’s legitimate to ask, have we reached peak real estate, and is this the moment when the clever money starts sidling towards the exits? Read more
28 Aug 2019
REFIRE
Success of Greens heralds wake-up call for rivals of all parties
The dust hasn’t fully settled yet after last week’s European elections, but the consequences of the messages sent out by electorates will be far-reaching, and in many instances, fairly immediate. The Greens can be seen as the big winners... Read more
24 Jun 2019
REFIRE
If “Co-Working” makes your eyes glaze over, you have to read this
Among its many claims to fame, Berlin is recognized as the home of the Currywurst and the Döner Kebab. These culinary delicacies have fanned out across the world, and their provenance as originating in Germany’s capital is not disputed. Read more
30 May 2019
REFIRE
Who could believe we’d be talking about expropriation in 2019?
We’re glad to see that listed housing company Deutsche Wohnen is still on the acquisition trail, having just this month bagged a further 2,840 German apartments from Swedish group Akelius for €685m. Read more
17 Apr 2019
REFIRE
Der Eigentumsskandal – Book Review: Why are Germans so averse to property ownership?
Waiting for a clear-headed analysis of Germany’s housing market is like waiting for the 46A bus in my home town of Dublin. You wait ages, and nothing happens. Then along come two together, all at once. What a waste - the first bus gets all the... Read more
22 Mar 2019
REFIRE
Offices come to the rescue of struggling shopping centres
Ten years ago we wrote (rather excitedly, if memory serves) about the purchase by Europa Capital of the Forum Steglitz shopping centre, on one of Berlin’s premier shopping drags, the Schlossstrasse in the south-west of the city. Read more
19 Mar 2019
REFIRE
Tenants to the left of me, trade wars to the right, here I am, stuck in the middle...
The news this week that Caterpillar, often viewed as a bellwether industrial group, reported a sharp slow down in sales in China will have been widely noted in Germany, many of whose leading exporters will shortly be perusing their own results for... Read more
25 Feb 2019
REFIRE
This is why German residential prices will keep going up and up
Roland Koch knows his way around politics. Or at least, he did, when he was the prime minister of Hesse and a close colleague of party boss Angela Merkel, back in the day. Read more
24 Dec 2018
REFIRE
Know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em
Last weekend’s elections in the state of Hesse brought the result that most people expected, and with it a further nail in the coffin of the remarkable career of Angela Merkel. Read more
21 Nov 2018
REFIRE
Berlin, and the Sodom and Gomorrah of the Golden Twenties
Chaos in Berlin, with numerous political parties vying for power, each following its own agenda with nothing but contempt for the others. Thousands of people flooding into the city, driven to explore the arts, humanities... Read more
25 Oct 2018
