NEW YORK – Jan. 21, 2011 – Global direct property investment is expected to rise 20 percent in 2011 to $380 billion, led by a sharp rise from the United States.

Commercial real estate investments – such as malls, offices and industrial properties – reached $316 billion in 2010. That represented a 50 percent increase from an eight-year low in 2009 of $209 billion.

“Barring further sovereign debt crises or financial shocks, the momentum of 2010 is expected to continue over the next 12 months, and we predict global volumes for 2011 should increase by 20 to 25 percent,” Arthur de Haast, head of Jones Lang LaSalle’s International Capital Group, told Reuters News.

The property consultancy company expects volumes in the Americas to jump 40 percent to $135 billion this year. Investor interests in New York, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco have spurred U.S. recovery.

The Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA) and Asia-Pacific regions are expected to rise by between 10 and 15 percent to $150 billion and $95 billion, respectively, according to Jones Lang LaSalle.

Source: “Global Property Investments to Hit $380 Billion in 2011,” Reuters News (Jan. 19, 2011)

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