Review: 64th Swiss Real Estate Conference
"International investments as a way out of the investment pressure in Switzerland?" was the question at the 64th event of the Swiss Real Estate Talks in the event hall of Zurich's Metropol restaurant. The event featured four speakers and was moderated by Prof. Dr. John Davidson from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, and there was once again a heated discussion on the podium and among the numerous guests who attended the event.
As Boris Schran, Founding Partner of Peakside Capital Advisors AG, noted as the first speaker of the evening, it is important to learn from the past real estate bubble in Europe and not to repeat mistakes. In his opinion, this includes choosing a calculable investment horizon when buying real estate and focusing on regional markets in which one has sufficient professional expertise. "Local expertise helps you avoid the Red Riding Hood syndrome," says Schran.
Dr. Rainer Suter, Head of Real Estate Funds at AXA Investment Managers Schweiz AG, then explained how diversification into real estate investments abroad can be sensible and strategically valuable, above all to reduce dependence on the domestic market. In this context, the focus on high-quality core real estate in liquid growth markets and in excellent locations is the most successful in the long term. At the same time, however, Suter pointed out that the phase of low interest rates will continue in the coming years and thus continue to shape the real estate market in Europe.
