ERA^® Real Estate, a global franchising leader within the Realogy family of brands, today released a first-of-its-kind report “The COVID-19 Pandemic’s Impact on Real Estate Around the World: An In-Depth Analysis.” 

With a presence in 32 countries and territories with more than 2,200 offices around the world, ERA is uniquely positioned as the first real estate franchise to provide insight into global real estate trends. 

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the real estate industry has been well documented in the United States. Demand outpaced supply with record-low mortgage rates drawing so many buyers in while others took advantage of remote work to vacate urban centers for more affordable locations. 

To learn how COVID-19’s impact was felt in the housing market in countries around the world, ERA surveyed and conducted in-depth interviews with several ERA international leaders from around the world, including ERA South Africa, ERA Japan and ERA Middle East. 

The results of the report found that many nations are experiencing real estate trends similar to the U.S.: 

• Low inventory and increasing prices are prevalent around the world.

• Flight to the suburbs made sense in many countries - but not all.
• The second home market was invigorated by the pandemic.
• The desire to own a home is stronger than ever.

However, some countries reported different trends, such as: 

• Mortgage interest rates hovering at or below 1%.

• Some nations have limited suburban and rural living options making larger and amenity-filled apartments more desired and valuable.
• Safety can have different meanings depending on a country’s political and economic climate.

Quotes:

“Few things transcend cultures and countries like the sentiment ‘there’s no place like home.’ As COVID-19 spread worldwide, the entire global community became more intimately acquainted with their homes as we stayed home to slow the spread of the virus by reducing contact with others. This experience motivated many to rethink their housing situation, which in turn had an impact on housing markets around the world. Through ERA Real Estate’s expansive global network of real estate professionals, we were able to gather insights to help us better understand how different countries fared over the last year and half. What we learned is that while many industries languished during the pandemic, real estate remained ‘open for business,’ underscoring that housing is an essential service no matter where you live.”

-Sherry Chris, President and CEO of ERA® Real Estate

“Overall, the housing industry in Europe is sustainable. The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly heightened the housing shortage greatly because of the pause in construction, however the only thing that would lead to a slowdown would be a rise in interest rates. For agents, their success was dependent on their mindset about change. Agents who stayed connected to their brokers via Zoom had a very successful year.” 

-Francois Gagnon, Master Franchisor, ERA Europe

“People in Singapore are still confident to come into the housing market. We sold more units in 2000 than in 2019. In the first half of 2021, we have sold more units than this time last year – more than double. The market is still hot, and we think the momentum will carry forward. Mortgage rates are still low, and people still consider real estate a good investment.”

-Jack Chua, Master Franchisor, ERA Singapore

“In South Africa, we are seeing a lot of movement away from city centers to smaller towns and coastal areas as a result of being able to work from home. We also saw a significant semi-migration of people to the southern region of the Western Cape province. A large influx of first-time buyers came onto the market as well, thanks to extremely low interest rates, which finally made buying smarter financially than renting.”

-Berna Daly, CEO, ERA South Africa

To learn more about ERA Real Estate’s global presence, visit https://www.era.com/global-hq.

About ERA Real Estate
ERA ®Real Estate knows that real estate is as local as it gets. We believe that our core business values of collaboration, innovation, diversity and growth are needed more than ever. As a global leader in the residential real estate industry for nearly 50 years, ERA features a powerful network of like-minded entrepreneurs supported by the brand’s game-changing technology, products and powerful lead generation.  

The ERA Real Estate network includes more than 39,000 affiliated brokers and independent sales associates and approximately 2,350 offices throughout the United States and 33 other countries and territories. ERA Franchise Systems LLC (www.ERA.com) which operates the ERA Real Estate system, is a subsidiary of Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY), a global provider of real estate services. ERA Real Estate information is available at www.ExploreERA.com.