Around 57% of overseas high-net-worth individuals (HNWI) name London real estate as their top target investment class, according to Cluttons, international property consultants and chartered surveyors, in association with VPC Asia Pacific, as it launches the Cluttons International Private Capital Survey 2012. Global appetite for both London residential and commercial real estate assets has seen an upturn in the last 12 months with overseas investors (both institutional and individual) contributing almost 90% in recent commercial asset transactions. However, headline reports of ‘safe haven London throughout the global economic crisis’ although not inaccurate should not be overplayed. According to Cluttons, 86% of HNWI pinpointing London as their top investment city already have strong ties to the UK whether through second homes, children’s education or expansion of existing investment portfolio. London has always been a solid investment choice.
Diverse Investor Preferences
The HNWI survey found that 71% of respondents said they were planning investment activity in the next three to six months in their first choice target city. And at over two-thirds higher than last year, investors stated that the target city will be outside their domestic market. Those well-seasoned Middle Eastern investors interviewed identified London as their first choice city. In particular, HNWI from Dubai and Manama (Bahrain) were continuing to look at prime Central London residential as the obvious target location. Growing demand pressure on this scarce asset class will almost certainly drive values up further, with 57% of HNWI surveyed having cited strong capital growth as the primary appeal; the rapid recovery of Central London residential from the impact of the global credit crunch is a key factor influencing investment decisions.
Asian Investors’ Preferences
Investors surveyed in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore also identified Central London residential as their primary offshore investment target. While HNWI in Bangkok ranked London behind Yangon (Myanmar), Indonesian wealthy private investors were still looking to Singaporean and Australian residential before considering London.
London’s Resilience in Global Financial Context
Bill Siegle, senior partner, Cluttons, said: “This new survey from Cluttons takes a unique insight into the ‘live’ investment intentions of HNWI across the Middle East and Asia Pacific regions. Quite remarkably, 43% of these highly mobile investors state that the global financial crisis has had no impact on their view of London as a top investment target location. In fact, almost a third (29%) goes on to claim that London is better-placed because of the Eurozone difficulties. “Cluttons’ global view is complacency. Private individuals in Dubai felt there would be less outflows of capital from the United Arab Emirates over the next 12 to 18 months as the UAE’s economic recovery gains momentum.
Article courtesy of Property Investor Today“”
