Real Estate Market Monitoring, December 2012

The monitoring highlights the results of the residential and commercial real estate market development in Moscow and the Moscow Region in December 2012.

By the results of December 2012 a number of elite flats and apartments exhibited for sale in the primary market declined by 0.8% and constituted approximately 1, 600 units. Since the beginning of the year a number of flats and apartments increased by 44.5%. The share of apartments in the total supply volume amounted to 43.8% at the end of December. A year before, this index did not surpass 28%. In December new properties did not enter open sale. Since the beginning of the year the market saw 10 new complexes. By the results of December 2012 the average prices in the elite market of flats and apartments did not go through tangible changes. Due to the change of the supply structure (delivery of large projects at the initial stage of construction at low prices), the segment of apartments showed the largest growth by the results of 2012 (+6.9%), the average price gained 4.5% in the elite primary market and 3% in the secondary market.  

Less lease transactions of office premises were recorded in December 2012 in comparison with the previous month. The aggregate volume of office areas let for this period amounted to approx 10 thous. sq.m. Several large investment transactions were closed in December.

Landmark events in the development field in December included GC BIN initiative to enter upon the construction of the largest and the most expensive capital MFC “Galaktika” at the intersection of the Varshavskoe highway and MKAD in 2014. The area of a business center in the structure of the MFC would constitute 160 thous. sq.m. Besides, in December it was reported about the change of the surface area of MFC “Russia Tower” in “Moscow-City” MIBC. 

In December no hotel under international operator’s management was opened in Moscow. Therefore, the annual increase of new supply in the segment amounted to 253 rooms due to the opened Mercure Arbat Moscow and Azimut Moscow Tulskaya Hotel, which was the lowest index for the recent years. The main event of December was the sale of the Radisson Slavyanskaya hotel and the land plot under it for 5.27 bln. rub. by Hotel-Invest company. Another important event was the announcement of the project of the Marriott hotel in Novy Arbat for 234 rooms and 153 apartments.

The end of the year was traditionally noted by the burst of delivery of retail centers to the market: developers strived to complete annual plans and be in time for the New Year peak of sales. Thus, in Moscow the opening of REC “Kaleydoskop” took place in Tushino district. The developer of the complex was GC BIN. The increase of professional retail centers supply in regional cities took place due to the delivery of RC “Maxi” to the market in Cherepovets (the total area -35, 000 sq.m.) and RC “RIO” in Nizhny Novgorod (100, 000 sq.m.). Besides, in December three new projects of retail centers of regional and superregional scale were announced. Czech fund PPF Real Estate Russia intends to build a REC, measuring 120, 000 sq.m., in Moscow and a REC, measuring 90, 000 sq.m., in Omsk, and MD Group company announced its plans on the construction of a retail center, measuring 143, 000 sq.m., in Butovo.

The countryside real estate market in December was still characterized by seasonal decline of developers’ and buyers’ activity. The sales of the second stages started in two settlements in December. The settlements belonged to economy class and were located within 50-55 km from MKAD. The sales started in Vitro country and in Ontario settlement located within 50 km of the Kievskoe highway.

A traditional period of sales, promotion actions and gifts started in the pre-new year month: the discounts for land plots in “Istrinskaya dolina” constituted 15%, a land plot with a house in CS “Honka club” was offered for 13.7 mln. rub., 10% discount was offered in CS “Po-rizhskaya mechta”. A large developer of New Moscow GC Masshtab provided 5% discount. Besides, the countryside real estate sellers continued to provide discounts upon the condition of 100% payment. On the whole, the price situation preserved a stable trend and did not show any trends towards growth in any of the segments.