Estonia – world champion in housing price growth
Of the 40 countries surveyed annually by specialists of the Global Property Guide (GPG) website, prices rose the most in 2006 in Estonia. Over the year, housing in this Baltic country increased by 54%. At the same time, in 2006, housing price growth in the country slowed slightly compared to 2005, when real estate in Estonia rose by 56%.
Second place in the ranking went to Denmark, where prices rose by 23%, and third place was Norway, where housing prices increased by 14%. Overall, real estate prices grew most strongly in 2006 in Northern Europe.
The lowest real estate prices were recorded in Israel. There, housing prices not only did not increase, but on the contrary – decreased by almost 4%.
The ranking of the most luxurious cities included 40 capitals
Moscow did not make it into the top five cities with the most expensive "super-luxury" apartments, taking only sixth place in the ranking compiled by researchers of the Global Property Guide publication. Moscow's "super-luxury" of 120 square meters costs €751,920.
In this regard, Moscow was surpassed by Monaco, London, Paris, Amsterdam, and the capital of Liechtenstein, Vaduz.
In Monaco, the said apartments will cost almost three million euros, and in central London – €1.7 million (€24,900 and €14,522 per square meter). It is worth noting that in other areas of London, prices are much lower – the cost of luxurious 120 square meters there will be approximately €863,000. Following London are Paris and Amsterdam, where apartments cost €800,000 each. For €40,000 less, one can buy top-class housing in Vaduz.
A total of 40 cities participated in the ranking. The cheapest luxury apartments are in the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia (?125 thousand) and in the capital of Moldova, Chișinău (?110 thousand). Besides Moldova, the list includes cities from three other former Soviet republics – Estonia (Tallinn, €286 thousand), Latvia (Riga, €362 thousand), and Lithuania (Vilnius, €455 thousand).
New York homeowners to save on taxes
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, against the backdrop of the nationwide housing crisis, proposed reducing property taxes by approximately 5%. If all tax changes are approved, this measure will cost the New York budget $750 million.
Bloomberg will present his proposals soon, reports The New York Times. It is expected that if the property tax rate change does occur, it will be no earlier than the next fiscal year. According to preliminary estimates, homeowners will be able to save about $400 per year from this measure. According to Bloomberg's representatives, the new measure became possible because New York's revenues grew significantly last year. The city's economic successes, in the mayor's opinion, should be shared among all taxpayers.
Based on materials from Lenta.ru