Trends and facts about the real estate markets of Düsseldorf, Essen, Krefeld, Mönchengladbach and Ratingen. Where is it worth buying? The real estate experts of Porta Mondial give tips for investors.
Ratingen – Düsseldorf’s green lung
Thanks to its excellent transport connections and its proximity to Düsseldorf airport, Ratingen is one of the most popular medium-sized towns in the catchment area of Düsseldorf. The Catella house market ranking confirms the extraordinarily high location potential of this town of approximately 90,000 inhabitants. Carolyn Bingenheimer, owner of Porta Mondial Ratingen, notes that young Düsseldorf families are attracted to Ratingen as they find a perfect inner-city infrastructure with a lot of green, and Düsseldorf is only a short distance away. Although prices have risen by at least 20%, Ratingen remains a cost-effective alternative to Düsseldorf.
Carolyn Bingenheimer, Porta Mondial Ratingen:
“Ratingen has a very fresh emerging real estate market that attracts not only Ratinger, but also many customers from the Düsseldorf area. The Ratingen location will continue to be interesting in the future, which is why we are assuming that property prices will continue to rise. “
Düsseldorf – coveted capital
Anyone who bought in the Rhein metropolis five years ago can be satisfied as the prices have increased by at least 20% and only this year, for the first time, has the situation eased. According to Stephan Bruns of Porta Mondial Duesseldorf, prices in the uper segment are currently stabilizing, but now the middle and lower segment locations are catching up. Top locations include Ober- und Niederkassel, the old town, Düsseltal, Zooviertel and Golzheim, and Pempelfort and Unterbilk are popular as trendy urban districts, especially amongst younger buyers. Derendorf and Friedrichstadt are currently experiencing a very positive development, and Stephan Bruns sees there potential for the future.
Stephan Bruns, Porta Mondial Düsseldorf:
“Düsseldorf is still the most desirable location in NRW. As a result of the short supply of properties investors are turning increasingly to the surrounding areas, where there are still attractive entry possibilities in the real estate market.”
Essen – Pearl on the Ruhr
After Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund, Essen, with a population of around 540,000 is the fourth largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia. Known in the past for its industry, the Ruhr metropolis has also made a name for itself as a university location. While the north is densely populated, the southern part of the town scores with many green areas and a small-scale development and particularly Essen-Kettwig offers a high quality of life at the same time as excellent communications in all directions. The idyllic river location, the dreamy historic old town core as well as numerous recreational areas in the immediate vicinity make Kettwig an attractive place to live with a high demand-potential for all ages.
Hans Dieter Eickenberg, Porta Mondial Essen:
“The south of Essen is one of the most popular locations in the Ruhr region. Prices have already risen, but the price-performance ratio is still attractive in relation to other cities.”
Krefeld – affordable future for young families
The high demand in the Düsseldorf area has also had an impact on Krefeld, located 25 km away to the northwest and here too prices have risen consistently in the last few years. The price level is, however, still below the level of Düsseldorf. The city, which has around 220,000 inhabitants, does not need to shy away from the comparison with the state capital – with a total of 40 secondary and high schools, the Niederrhein university and a base for the open university of Hagen, Krefeld offers excellent educational facilities. The town has a lot of recreation areas (for example, the Krefeld town forest or the Hülser Bruch) and, compared to Düsseldorf, is very family friendly due to its manageable size.
Markus Schreurs, Porta Mondial Krefeld:
“Although the Krefeld real estate market has undergone a certain renaissance in recent years, it still offers properties at reasonable prices which have not been attainable for years in the large centres.”
Mönchengladbach – quality of life on the Lower Rhine
“Mönchengladbach still has the greatest potential for increase in value compared to all major urban centres in North Rhine-Westphalia”
, confirms David Dimmers, office manager of Porta Mondial Mönchengladbach. Indeed, the town of approximately 255,000 inhabitants to the south-west of Düsseldorf is defying the price rules – from all five locations examined Mönchengladbach has the lowest average prices. Amongst its top locations are Buntergarten, Windberg and Großheide, where although prices are far above the city average they are still under those of comparable locations in neighbouring Krefeld.
David Dimmers, Porta Mondial Mönchengladbach:
“Mönchengladbach has a strategic proximity to Düsseldorf, Cologne and the Netherlands. Due to the attractive price-performance ratio, we are seeing a constantly growing demand on the residential property market which will have an impact on the general price level in the medium term.”