Electronic Real Estate in Europe
View and Contrast of the Approaches of Germany and United Kingdom
					
	
		©2007
		Masterarbeit
		
			
				78 Seiten
			
		
	
				
				
					
						
					
				
				
				
				
			Zusammenfassung
			
				Inhaltsangabe:Introduction:	
The Internet as a communication medium is integrated in almost every process of todays business. Barely one company can ignore the Internet technology. Hence, it is not astonishing that nowadays the Internet has a great impact on real estate transactions. The question that arises is whether the real estate business is ready for this technology or not. This affects the company side as well as the customer side. Eventually both sides have to be familiar with the technology to accomplish the conclusion of the contract. Although many businesses still work the traditional way, which means the physical trade, the evolution obtains everyone. Still many companies deal their real estate avoiding the Internet. However the reality shows a different picture. More and more people get used to the Internet. Roughly everything is marketable over the Internet, so now people select the Internet likewise for selling or buying online or simply just to get a picture of the market. Hence, the companies have to catch up and adapt to the market change.
The idea of integrating the Internet into real estate business has an important background: it is imperative to increase the number of customers. Technologies like Internet help for instance smaller companies to reach customers all around the globe. An opportunity like this was unimaginable a few years ago. In detail it means that a real estate company needs at most premises an own or public server and is able to create a business on an entire virtual platform. Increasing the number of customers and decreasing the costs through saving time and effort has a huge impact on the business development.
Although the online real estate industry has not reached an optimum level in Europe, several countries are pushing the development forward. Despite all this the process starts slowly. The change from a face-to-face business to a virtual commerce causes different dilemmas. Beside technical issues the whole selling and buying process has to be overworked and this costs vastly money and time. The change of business is influenced by economic resources, technological progress and meeting the customers expectations.
Germany and the United Kingdom both show very active real estate markets. Given a comparative, high and dense population, the total volume of real estate transactions is fairly high. Additionally the residential properties are interesting for both sides and hence the trade among each other is […]
	The Internet as a communication medium is integrated in almost every process of todays business. Barely one company can ignore the Internet technology. Hence, it is not astonishing that nowadays the Internet has a great impact on real estate transactions. The question that arises is whether the real estate business is ready for this technology or not. This affects the company side as well as the customer side. Eventually both sides have to be familiar with the technology to accomplish the conclusion of the contract. Although many businesses still work the traditional way, which means the physical trade, the evolution obtains everyone. Still many companies deal their real estate avoiding the Internet. However the reality shows a different picture. More and more people get used to the Internet. Roughly everything is marketable over the Internet, so now people select the Internet likewise for selling or buying online or simply just to get a picture of the market. Hence, the companies have to catch up and adapt to the market change.
The idea of integrating the Internet into real estate business has an important background: it is imperative to increase the number of customers. Technologies like Internet help for instance smaller companies to reach customers all around the globe. An opportunity like this was unimaginable a few years ago. In detail it means that a real estate company needs at most premises an own or public server and is able to create a business on an entire virtual platform. Increasing the number of customers and decreasing the costs through saving time and effort has a huge impact on the business development.
Although the online real estate industry has not reached an optimum level in Europe, several countries are pushing the development forward. Despite all this the process starts slowly. The change from a face-to-face business to a virtual commerce causes different dilemmas. Beside technical issues the whole selling and buying process has to be overworked and this costs vastly money and time. The change of business is influenced by economic resources, technological progress and meeting the customers expectations.
Germany and the United Kingdom both show very active real estate markets. Given a comparative, high and dense population, the total volume of real estate transactions is fairly high. Additionally the residential properties are interesting for both sides and hence the trade among each other is […]
Leseprobe
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Jan-Philip von Gottberg 
Electronic Real Estate in Europe 
View and Contrast of the Approaches of Germany and United Kingdom 
ISBN: 978-3-8366-2406-0 
Herstellung: Diplomica® Verlag GmbH, Hamburg, 2009 
Zugl. University of Westminster, London, Großbritannien, MA-Thesis / Master, 2007 
Dieses Werk ist urheberrechtlich geschützt. Die dadurch begründeten Rechte, 
insbesondere die der Übersetzung, des Nachdrucks, des Vortrags, der Entnahme von 
Abbildungen und Tabellen, der Funksendung, der Mikroverfilmung oder der 
Vervielfältigung auf anderen Wegen und der Speicherung in Datenverarbeitungsanlagen, 
bleiben, auch bei nur auszugsweiser Verwertung, vorbehalten. Eine Vervielfältigung 
dieses Werkes oder von Teilen dieses Werkes ist auch im Einzelfall nur in den Grenzen 
der gesetzlichen Bestimmungen des Urheberrechtsgesetzes der Bundesrepublik 
Deutschland in der jeweils geltenden Fassung zulässig. Sie ist grundsätzlich 
vergütungspflichtig. Zuwiderhandlungen unterliegen den Strafbestimmungen des 
Urheberrechtes. 
Die Wiedergabe von Gebrauchsnamen, Handelsnamen, Warenbezeichnungen usw. in 
diesem Werk berechtigt auch ohne besondere Kennzeichnung nicht zu der Annahme, 
dass solche Namen im Sinne der Warenzeichen- und Markenschutz-Gesetzgebung als frei 
zu betrachten wären und daher von jedermann benutzt werden dürften. 
Die Informationen in diesem Werk wurden mit Sorgfalt erarbeitet. Dennoch können 
Fehler nicht vollständig ausgeschlossen werden und der Verlag, die Autoren oder 
Übersetzer übernehmen keine juristische Verantwortung oder irgendeine Haftung für evtl. 
verbliebene fehlerhafte Angaben und deren Folgen. 
© Diplomica Verlag GmbH 
http://www.diplomica.de, Hamburg 2009 
Electronic Real Estate in Europe:   Review and Contrast of the Approaches of Germany and United Kingdom
Page 2
Content
List of Tables... 4
List of Figures... 5
Abstract... 8
1. Introduction... 9
1.1 General... 9
1.2. Objectives... 10
2. Preliminary Context ... 12
2.1. Description of the German Territory and basic Characteristics... 12
2.2. The German Real Estate Market Situation and Development ... 12
2.2.1. Market Situation... 12
2.2.2. Price and Transaction Development ... 13
2.2.3. Internet Development and eCommerce... 14
2.3. Description of the United Kingdom Territory and basic Characteristics... 15
2.4. The United Kingdom Real Estate Market Situation and Development ... 17
2.4.1. Market Situation... 17
2.4.2. Price and Transaction Development ... 17
2.4.3. Internet Development and eCommerce... 18
2.5. Online Market Structure in Germany and United Kingdom... 19
3. Methodology ... 20
4. Literature Review... 22
4.1. Internet as a Marketplace... 22
4.2. Online Real Estate Overview... 22
4.3. Online Real Estate in Germany ... 24
4.4. Online Real Estate in United Kingdom ... 25
5. Analysis of the development of online real estate industry in Germany ... 27
5.1. Synopsis on progress of German online real estate market ... 27
Electronic Real Estate in Europe:   Review and Contrast of the Approaches of Germany and United Kingdom
Page 3
5.1.1. Market Development ... 27
5.1.2. Market Leaders ... 30
5.2. Review of real estate websites ... 32
5.3. Web Design evaluation of real estate websites... 40
6. Analysis of the development of online real estate industry in United Kingdom ... 41
6.1. Synopsis on progress of United Kingdom online real estate market ... 41
6.1.1. Market Development ... 41
6.1.2. Market Leaders ... 43
6.2. Review of real estate websites ... 44
6.3. Web Design evaluation of real estate websites... 51
7. Analytical comparison Germany  United Kingdom... 52
7.1. Comparison of procedural and technological backgrounds ... 52
7.1.1. Explicit and implicit disparities of the German and United Kingdom functional real estate market... 52
7.1.2. Explicit and implicit disparities of the German and United Kingdom online real estate market... 55
7.1.3. Cultural Differences and Market Behaviour ... 57
7.2. Comparison of real estate websites and projects... 57
7.2.1.  Contrast  of  German  and  United  Kingdom  real  estate  websites  regarding  Market  Development  and 
Leadership... 57
7.2.2. Contrast of German and United Kingdom real estate websites regarding Web Design Evaluations ... 60
7.3. Ecommerce Adoption and Implementation on the Real Estate Markets ... 62
7.3.1. Advancement and Improvement... 62
7.3.2. Website Marketing... 64
8. Discussion ... 65
9. Conclusion ... 67
10. Reflective Statement ... 71
References... 72
Electronic Real Estate in Europe:   Review and Contrast of the Approaches of Germany and United Kingdom
Page 4
List of Tables
Table 1  Development of the Real Estate Websites as at April 2006 (Obermann, 2006)
... 32
Table 2 - Website Evaluation concerning Web design and Usability ... 40
Table 3  Website Evaluation concerning Web design and Usability (Bradley, 2007)... 51
Table 4  Contrast of German and United Kingdom Market Development & Leadership
... 58
Table 5 - Contrast of German and United Kingdom Market Web Design Evaluations... 60
Table 6  Traditional and Online Marketing in Germany and United Kingdom... 64
Electronic Real Estate in Europe:   Review and Contrast of the Approaches of Germany and United Kingdom
Page 5
List of Figures
Figure 1  Prices in % compared to previous year (Walter & Just, 2006) ... 14
Figure 2 - German Internet User in Millions (ARD, 2005)... 15
Figure 3  House Prices in Europe (Just, 2005)... 18
Figure  4  - Percentages  of  Internet  Users  in  United  Kingdom  (Office  for  National 
Statistics, 2006)... 19
Figure 5  Results of Internet Marketing for Supplier Purposes (Immo Media Consult, 
2002) ... 28
Figure 6  Internet User who moved in the last 12 Months as at May 2006(Hallmann & 
Langer, 2006) ... 28
Figure 7  Number of used Real Estate Websites in 2002(Immo Media Consult, 2002)29
Figure  8   Percentage  of  sales  channels  and  utilised  budget  (Immo  Media  Consult, 
2007) ... 30
Figure  9   Page  Impressions  of  selected  Real  Estate  Websites  (Immo  Media  Consult, 
2002) ... 31
Figure 10  Use of Real Estate Websites (Immo Media Consult, 2002) ... 31
Figure  11  Percentage of  contract  conclusions with  customers  through  the  Internet 
(Immo Media Consult, 2007) ... 32
Figure 12  Homepage of the website immobilienscout24.de ... 34
Figure 13  Homepage of the website immonet.de... 35
Figure 14  Homepage of the website immowelt.de ... 36
Figure 15  Homepage of the website of Engel & Völkers ... 37
Figure 16  Homepage of the Website of LBS ... 38
Electronic Real Estate in Europe:   Review and Contrast of the Approaches of Germany and United Kingdom
Page 6
Figure 17  Homepage of the Website of Atisreal ... 39
Figure 18  Top Websites in United Kingdom based on Visits in 2007 (Hitwise, 2007). 43
Figure 19  Homepage of the Website of Primelocation.co.uk ... 45
Figure 20  Homepage of the Website of Findaproperty.co.uk... 46
Figure 21  Homepage of the Website of Propertyfinder.co.uk ... 47
Figure 22  Homepage of the Website of Homesonview.com... 48
Figure 23  Homepage of the Website of Rightmove.co.uk... 49
Figure 24  Homepage of the Website of Vebra.com ... 50
Figure 25  German Online Real Estate System ... 55
Figure 26  United Kingdom Online Real Estate System ... 56
Figure 27  Internet Readiness Levels (Chaffey, 2006)... 62
Figure 28  Marketplace Channel Structure (Chaffey, 2006) ... 63
Figure 29  Comparison of radical and incremental Improvement (Amin, 2007)... 63
Electronic Real Estate in Europe:   Review and Contrast of the Approaches of Germany and United Kingdom
Page 7
Acknowledgement
I would like to acknowledge the support and guidance of my supervisor Nigel Bradley.
Electronic Real Estate in Europe:   Review and Contrast of the Approaches of Germany and United Kingdom
Page 8
Abstract
Over the last 15 years, the Internet industry has developed at the double. Hence, it is 
hardly surprising that the advancement of Internet caught up with the real estate in-
dustry. Many critics have argued that the Internet is not incorporated yet into the daily 
business of the real estate industry. Moreover, these critics state that the potential is 
not exploited enough and many promises are unused. The analysis of the progress of 
two different countries in Europe may be valuable to provide a summary concerning 
the evolution of the digital environment in the real estate industry.
The purpose of this report is to present the advancement and progress of the online 
real estate markets in Germany and the United Kingdom. Furthermore, it is the aim to 
contrast the consistencies and disparities. Finally, the different approaches of Germany 
and the United Kingdom will be highlighted and evaluated.
In order to secure an adequate methodology being used, a comparative case study is 
integrated and particular elements are shown and contrasted to form a picture of the 
situation of the online real estate market.
The  results  indicate  the  advancement  of  the  German  online  real  estate  market.  Al-
though the online real estate industry was going fine over the last years, a definite lack 
of usability and information aspects is in plain view. Crucial website elements were left 
out all or part on certain online real estate homepages. Due to this characteristic the 
online  advancement  in  Germany  can  be  defined  as  underdeveloped.  Moreover,  the 
real estate market has stagnated over the last years regarding the price development.
This fact is one of the reasons Internet and real estate is not attached the importance 
that it is intended to be.
In  comparison,  the  United  Kingdom  shows  strongly  more  advancement  in  the  last 
years and due to that the level of Internet connected to real estate industry is fairly 
high. Additionally, the prices of real estate increased over the last years and a market 
turnaround is not foreseen yet. Consequently, it is attached more value to the Internet 
technology  and  the  development  is  very  much  supported  by  the  real  estate  compa-
nies.
Electronic Real Estate in Europe:   Review and Contrast of the Approaches of Germany and United Kingdom
Page 9
1. Introduction
1.1 General
The Internet as a communication medium is integrated in almost every process of to-
day's  business.  Barely  one  company  can  ignore the  Internet  technology.  Hence,  it  is 
not astonishing that nowadays the Internet has a great impact on real estate transac-
tions.  The  question  that  arises  is  whether  the  real  estate  business  is  ready  for  this 
technology or not. This affects the company side as well as the customer side. Eventu-
ally both sides have to be familiar with the technology to accomplish the conclusion of 
the contract.  Although  many  businesses  still  work  the  traditional  way,  which  means 
the physical trade, the evolution obtains everyone. Still many companies deal their real 
estate avoiding the Internet. However the reality shows a different picture. More and 
more  people  get  used  to  the  Internet.  Roughly  everything  is  marketable  over  the 
Internet, so now people select the Internet likewise for selling or buying online or sim-
ply  just  to  get  a  picture  of  the  market. Hence,  the  companies  have  to  catch  up  and 
adapt to the market change.
The idea of integrating the Internet into real estate business has an important back-
ground: it is imperative to increase the number of customers. Technologies like Inter-
net help for instance smaller companies to reach customers all around the globe. An 
opportunity like this was unimaginable a few years ago. In detail it means that a real 
estate company needs at most premises an own or public server and is able to create a 
business  on  an  entire  virtual  platform. Increasing  the number  of customers  and  de-
creasing the costs through saving time and effort has a huge impact on the business 
development.
Although the online real estate industry has not reached an optimum level in Europe, 
several  countries  are  pushing  the  development  forward.  Despite  all  this  the  process 
starts  slowly. The  change  from  a face-to-face  business to  a virtual  commerce  causes 
different dilemmas. Beside technical issues the whole selling and buying process has to 
be overworked and this costs vastly money and time. The change of business is influ-
enced by economic resources, technological progress and meeting the customer's ex-
pectations.
Electronic Real Estate in Europe:   Review and Contrast of the Approaches of Germany and United Kingdom
Page 10
Germany and the United Kingdom both show very active real estate markets. Given a 
comparative, high and dense population, the total volume of real estate transactions is 
fairly  high. Additionally  the  residential  properties are  interesting  for  both  sides  and 
hence the trade among each other is very active.
Nevertheless, the online real estate markets of both countries could not differ more. In 
the German market almost every agent makes his own business. In the United King-
dom in contrary most of the agents are incorporated in a combined network. Different 
approaches with different results.
What are the main differences of the online real estate industry and to what extent are 
these diverse approaches effective?
In order to highlight the crucial elements, the research is made up of several successive 
chapters: Firstly, Germany and United Kingdom are evaluated individually according to 
special  criteria  based  on  the  review  and  a  web  design  evaluation  of  the  real  estate 
websites.
Secondly, the results are compared and added with further aspects, in particular the 
disparities of the  market  behaviours  and  the use  of  information  and  communication 
technologies.
1.2. Objectives
The combination of prior mentioned elements contributes to accomplish the following 
objectives:
· To evaluate the advancement of the online real estate industry in Germany
The aim is to assess how far the online real estate industry in Germany is devel-
oped  and  to  what  extent the  user  is  supported  and  benefited when  using  the 
online gateway.
· To investigate the evolution of online real estate industry in United Kingdom
Electronic Real Estate in Europe:   Review and Contrast of the Approaches of Germany and United Kingdom
Page 11
Targeting the United Kingdom online real estate market, it is the purpose to find 
out how the evolution of the market has conducted.
· To  contrast  the  disparities  between  the  German  and  the  United  Kingdom ap-
proaches of online real estate
It is examined how a difference between Germany and United Kingdom exists and 
to what extent.
· To assert the potential of aspects used in the online real estate industry
Finally, it is highlighted if there are certain usability features that are used by the 
real estate companies to support their online business.
In the following chapter a review of the backgrounds of United Kingdom and Germany 
is provided. This component highlights the essential characteristics of both countries 
and additionally illustrates the Internet background and the real estate structures in-
cluding the impact on the market. Further on the methodology explains how the data 
was gathered and evaluated. The report concludes with the presentation of the results 
and observations.
Electronic Real Estate in Europe:   Review and Contrast of the Approaches of Germany and United Kingdom
Page 12
2. Preliminary Context
2.1. Description of the German Territory and basic Characteristics
The country Germany compasses approx. 360,000 square kilometres (Country Watch, 
2007). Situated in the middle of Europe, Germany borders the Baltic Sea and the North 
Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, in the south of Denmark; the other border 
countries  are  Austria,  Belgium,  Switzerland,  Czech  Republic,  France  and Luxembourg 
(Central Intelligence Agency, 2007).
German population ranges around 83 million as of 2006. The capital and simultaneous 
the  largest  city  is  Berlin  with about 3.5  million inhabitants  (Country  Watch,  2007).
Germany is composed of sixteen federal states and with a density of 230hab/km², one 
of  the  most  densely  populated  countries  in  the  world  (Statistisches  Bundesamt 
Deutschland, 2005).
The  German  gross  domestic  product  amounts  almost    2 trillion  in  2006 and  is  the 
third largest economy in the world. The GDP grew 1% in 2005 and 2.2% in 2006. The 
labour market conditions are difficult and creation of new jobs stagnates due to high 
regulatory  hurdles.  The  unemployment  rate is  around  11.7% 2003  and  2004,  and 
12.9% in 2005.
2.2. The German Real Estate Market Situation and Development
2.2.1. Market Situation
In Germany are around 40 million accommodation units. 47% of the gross properties 
of  private  households  are  in  residential  buildings.  The  living  space  per  inhabitant  is 
41m² in West Germany, in East Germany today 38m² after 27m² in 1990. 70% of the 
accommodation  units  were  built  after  the Second  World  War  and  almost  50%  of  all 
flats  are  in  buildings  with  one  or  two  flats.  Just  10.5%  are  located  in  buildings  with 
more than thirteen units. The home ownership rates in Germany are the lowest of all 
industrial countries. 45% in West Germany and 35% in East Germany are among the 
European average (Walter & Just, 2006).
Electronic Real Estate in Europe:   Review and Contrast of the Approaches of Germany and United Kingdom
Page 13
Moreover, Gondring (2006) stresses, that in the international contrast the ownership 
rates are low, even though empiric surveys show that over 57% of the tenants prefer 
home ownership just 42.8% of German households live in ownership.
In comparison  to  other  countries  in  Europe  like  Sweden  the  profitability  of  German 
private  real  estate  remained  constant  while  the  profitably  in  Sweden  explicitly  de-
creased. That acknowledges the stability of the German real estate market.
The  real  estate  stock  in  Germany  increased  about  2%  between  2005  and  2007.  This 
corresponds to the European average (Just, 2005).
2.2.2. Price and Transaction Development
The German real estate market is considered underdeveloped. In comparison to other 
European countries Germany shows backlog demand. Prices of houses and flats have 
decoupled  themselves from  the  international uptrend.  Concerning the EU  states  like 
France  and  Spain  the  price  of  houses  increased  by  double-digit  percentages.  In  Italy 
the  average  increase  of  real  estate  prices  was  9%  p.a.,  while  in  Germany  the  prices 
stagnated on the level of the 90's (Gondring, 2006).
Regarding the transactions Anglo-Saxon buyers are dominating the German real estate 
market. Since 1999 Anglo-Saxon investors bought approximately 650,000 accommoda-
tion units. In most cases they bought huge portfolios.
The depressing price development of the market is shown in Figure 1. Portfolio rentals 
are increasing fractionally and rentals of new buildings are stagnating. Prices for con-
dominiums decreased over the last years (Walter & Just, 2006).
Electronic Real Estate in Europe:   Review and Contrast of the Approaches of Germany and United Kingdom
Page 14
Figure 1  Prices in % compared to previous year (Walter & Just, 2006)
According  to  Walter  &  Just  (2006),  the  prices  will  grow  at  most  moderate.  In  many 
places the market will stagnate. As a result of the new social system Hartz IV, the de-
mand for smaller flats increased. According to the demographic trends in Germany the 
population shrinks. Parallel the demand for new real estate decreases.
2.2.3. Internet Development and eCommerce
Between 1997 and 2005 the people who used Internet in Germany has been multiplied 
by ten (Figure 2). In 2005 from the number of users were 37.5 million older than four-
teen  years.  This  conforms  to  57.9%  of  the  population. The  development  of  Internet 
distribution  increased  continuously strong  between  1997  and  2005.  Averaged  more 
men than women use the Internet but in the younger target groups the rate is almost 
balanced (51% men, 49% women).
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
1991
1994
1997
2000
2003
2006
Price Condo (Portfolio)
Price Condo (New Building)
Rental (Portfolio)
Electronic Real Estate in Europe:   Review and Contrast of the Approaches of Germany and United Kingdom
Page 15
Figure 2 - German Internet User in Millions (ARD, 2005)
Online trade might have high impact on retail trade surfaces on a long-term basis. The 
eCommerce  conversions  in  the  here  relevant  B2C-Business  grow  in  Germany  very 
strong from a very small level (2000: about EUR 2 billion). The clientele and thus the 
offer in the Internet extended substantially, the majority of the Internet users utilize 
however the medium at present mainly to the information search. Long-term it is to be 
expected  that  for  instance  a  tenth  of  the  German  conversions  takes  place  ,,online".
With a just moderate growth in the German retail trade altogether the conversions in 
the  B2C-Geschäft  to  2010  should  have  exceeded  the  border  of  EUR  100  billion
(Mitropoulos, Siegel, & Funk, 2001).
2.3. Description of the United Kingdom Territory and basic Characteristics
The  United  Kingdom  is  the  second  largest  economy of  the  European  Union  and  the 
fourth largest economy in the world. England as a part of the United Kingdom is lo-
cated  in  the  South  East,  bordering  Scotland  and  Wales.  As  an element  of  Western 
Europe, the United Kingdom is 35km north of France, separated by the English Channel 
(Datamonitor, 2006).
United Kingdom has an area of approx. 245,000 sq km. The population is around 61 
million habitants,  whereas  50 million people  live  in  England. The  density  amounts 
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
1997 1998 1999 2000
Electronic Real Estate in Europe:   Review and Contrast of the Approaches of Germany and United Kingdom
Page 15
Figure 2 - German Internet User in Millions (ARD, 2005)
Online trade might have high impact on retail trade surfaces on a long-term basis. The 
eCommerce  conversions  in  the  here  relevant  B2C-Business  grow  in  Germany  very 
strong from a very small level (2000: about EUR 2 billion). The clientele and thus the 
offer in the Internet extended substantially, the majority of the Internet users utilize 
however the medium at present mainly to the information search. Long-term it is to be 
expected  that  for  instance  a  tenth  of  the  German  conversions  takes  place  ,,online".
With a just moderate growth in the German retail trade altogether the conversions in 
the  B2C-Geschäft  to  2010  should  have  exceeded  the  border  of  EUR  100  billion
(Mitropoulos, Siegel, & Funk, 2001).
2.3. Description of the United Kingdom Territory and basic Characteristics
The  United  Kingdom  is  the  second  largest  economy of  the  European  Union  and  the 
fourth largest economy in the world. England as a part of the United Kingdom is lo-
cated  in  the  South  East,  bordering  Scotland  and  Wales.  As  an element  of  Western 
Europe, the United Kingdom is 35km north of France, separated by the English Channel 
(Datamonitor, 2006).
United Kingdom has an area of approx. 245,000 sq km. The population is around 61 
million habitants,  whereas  50 million people  live  in  England. The  density  amounts 
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
Internet User in Millions
Electronic Real Estate in Europe:   Review and Contrast of the Approaches of Germany and United Kingdom
Page 15
Figure 2 - German Internet User in Millions (ARD, 2005)
Online trade might have high impact on retail trade surfaces on a long-term basis. The 
eCommerce  conversions  in  the  here  relevant  B2C-Business  grow  in  Germany  very 
strong from a very small level (2000: about EUR 2 billion). The clientele and thus the 
offer in the Internet extended substantially, the majority of the Internet users utilize 
however the medium at present mainly to the information search. Long-term it is to be 
expected  that  for  instance  a  tenth  of  the  German  conversions  takes  place  ,,online".
With a just moderate growth in the German retail trade altogether the conversions in 
the  B2C-Geschäft  to  2010  should  have  exceeded  the  border  of  EUR  100  billion
(Mitropoulos, Siegel, & Funk, 2001).
2.3. Description of the United Kingdom Territory and basic Characteristics
The  United  Kingdom  is  the  second  largest  economy of  the  European  Union  and  the 
fourth largest economy in the world. England as a part of the United Kingdom is lo-
cated  in  the  South  East,  bordering  Scotland  and  Wales.  As  an element  of  Western 
Europe, the United Kingdom is 35km north of France, separated by the English Channel 
(Datamonitor, 2006).
United Kingdom has an area of approx. 245,000 sq km. The population is around 61 
million habitants,  whereas  50 million people  live  in  England. The  density  amounts 
Internet User in Millions
Electronic Real Estate in Europe:   Review and Contrast of the Approaches of Germany and United Kingdom
Page 16
117hab/km² and  the  population  growth  rate  is  0.275%. Capital  of  England  and  the 
United  Kingdom  is  London  with  7.6  million  inhabitants  (Greater  London)  (Central 
Intelligence Agency, 2007).
Moreover, United Kingdom is an important European economic power. The gross do-
mestic  product  was  almost    1.5 trillion  in  2006  and  the  real  growth  rate  amounts 
2.7%. Regarding the unemployment rate in 2006 it was 2.9% and the export rate was  
351 billion in 2006 (Central Intelligence Agency, 2007).
Electronic Real Estate in Europe:   Review and Contrast of the Approaches of Germany and United Kingdom
Page 17
2.4. The United Kingdom Real Estate Market Situation and Development
2.4.1. Market Situation
The United Kingdom is Europe's largest real estate exchange. The investment market is 
estimated at the end of 2003 at £ 265 billion and it has recently seen its fair share of 
what US Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan called in a different context 
"irrational exuberance" with, for example, record levels of highly leveraged "buy to let" 
residential investment by private investors (Cookson, 2006).
According  to  Dixon  (2005),  the  real  estate  sector  in  the  European  Union  comprised 
about 755,000 companies with 1.7 million employees. In the United Kingdom the sec-
tor has 68,000 enterprises and 371,000 employees and a turnover of £ 31 billion.
The  proprietary  ratio, i.e. the  portion  of  households who  live in  their  own  flats in 
United  Kingdom, is  72%. Therewith  United  Kingdom is  beside  Spain  the  leader  in 
Europe.
Furthermore, the profitability of the British real estate market is explicitly decreased. 
This demonstrates a certain amount of instability of the market (Gondring, 2006).
Regarding the real estate stock, it increased between 2005 and 2007 about 2.2%. This 
figure  matches  almost with  the  German  market  and  the  other  countries  of  Western 
Europe (Just, 2005).
2.4.2. Price and Transaction Development
The real estate prices in United Kingdom increased tremendously since the 90's (Figure 
3). In the beginning of 1995 the average house costs were around £ 51,000. Until the 
beginning of the year 2000 the prices climbed to £ 77,000. Today some middle-sized
houses  are sold  for  £  150,000.  Hence,  the  average  growth  rate  over  the  last  seven 
years was over 17% p.a. One can assume that this development is probably an over-
statement  and  that  therefore  a  heavy  correction  of  the  market  is  the  consequence
(Just & Hunter, 2004). According to Just (2005), many houses are overestimated by 20 
 30%.
Details
- Seiten
- Erscheinungsform
- Originalausgabe
- Erscheinungsjahr
- 2007
- ISBN (eBook)
- 9783836624060
- DOI
- 10.3239/9783836624060
- Dateigröße
- 4.8 MB
- Sprache
- Englisch
- Institution / Hochschule
- University of Westminster – Business Administration
- Erscheinungsdatum
- 2008 (Dezember)
- Note
- bestanden
- Schlagworte
- real estate property immobilien online internet
- Produktsicherheit
- Diplom.de
 
					