Investing Trends

In the end of 2005, the employees of Moscow's real estate agency Penny Lane Realty encountered the unexpected problem. Daily people called company with the question :

In the end of 2005, the employees of Moscow's real estate agency Penny Lane Realty encountered the unexpected problem. Daily people called company with the question : "I want to purchase an apartment and immediately rent it out to clients, who I can talk to?" The answer was not easy, because sales and rent in Penny Lane Realty are responsibilities of two different departments. As a result for people involved in this type of situation company gave out a special phone number, which did not stop ringing the entire following year. Penny Lane Realty employees they were very proud of the way they resolved this problem, but suddenly bells ceased.

Number of people who desired to become private investors in real estate nowadays are very limited, and many of those, who were involved in this business past years, are now parting with the last properties they own, because the apartments in Moscow for rent are no longer bringing huge and stunning income gains in tens of percent annually as it used to before. Last week for the first time investments into real estate yielded in the plan of profitableness to long-term deposits into the banks.

Real estate market hustlers depart, prices of real estate in Moscow are reducing - even if it just a little, but for a few months in a row. It seemed this was the desired results for Russian government, that this was what most of the Russian middle class wanted, which in had no way to allow themselves to purchase new apartments, after the last year's jump of prices. But real estate experts are calm - in their unanimous opinion, the only consequence of present "stagnation" will be the clearer price separation of the apartments in Moscow into the elite and of the economy-class. The latter will fall in price, but not too much. There was no bubble, therefore, it won't burst. It turns out, "valid" price on the real estate, which is not influenced by the investors, who purchase entire houses, but only by demands of future tenants and the proposal of builders - is not too differed from "invalid", black market price. As one of the salesmen of real estate cynically noted, "Moscow still lags on the average price of the apartments behind New York or London". Principally situation will change only, if many new houses appear on the market - but there are no prerequisites for this.