Commercial property investment beats 2006 rate

Investment in the country’s commercial property market is running at 25% higher than at the sector’s peak in 2006.

New findings from leading commercial property consultant, CBRE show that — when loan sales are excluded — more than €1.37 billion was invested in the first half of 2014; nearly 26% up on the €1.09bn spent in the corresponding period of 2006; a year generally viewed as being the peak for the sector, before the financial crash.

While a large element of the increase can be explained by the wildly diverging price levels from the two years being compared, first half 2014 spend would have been even higher had all recently agreed deals been completed by the end of June.