"We will be living in a different world when this crisis is over", according to Yuval Noah Harari, one of the best known historians of our time, in a recent interview. Nobody knows what this world will look like. It will certainly not be substantially different from our world today, only very slightly. However, in the real estate industry, a sector characterized by decisions that are effective in the long term, these nuances can mean the difference between success and failure, between profit and loss. It is therefore particularly important for real estate market players to address the long-term implications of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to track down those nuances.

Together with EBS University, we have also gone in search of evidence. Five authors have each formulated a personal hypothesis of what the post-COVID-19 real estate world might look like. We would like to give them a forum here. Not because we believe that their version of the future hits the mark, but we are convinced that only an intensive and often contradictory debate will produce the best arguments and help us all to sharpen our vision of the future. Contradiction is therefore not only allowed, but desired.

However, first and foremost, we wish you an inspiring reading. Our authors are looking forward to discussing with you afterwards.

Prof. Dr. Kerstin Hennig - Head of Real Estate Management Institute EBS Universität für Wirtschaft und Recht

Matthias Pink - Director / Head of Research Savills Germany