Expo Real 2025 - European Real Estate Fair Launches in Munich
EXPO REAL 2025 - International Trade Fair for Property and Investment in Munich, Europe's largest trade fair for real estate and investment, kicked off today.
October 6-8, 2025 (daily from 9 a.m.) at the Trade Fair Center Messe München (link to the major real estate fair exporeal.net) (English, Italiano, Français, Deutsch)
Munich. The International Trade Fair for Real Estate and Investment begins today at the Trade Fair Center Messe München. EXPO REAL is all about housing – because without housing, there is no growth in Germany. The shortage of housing is becoming a brake on the growth of the German economy, and growth requires, among other things, broad support for housing construction and a manageable range of favorable financing conditions. A recent study entitled "Living in the Life Cycle" was prepared by EXPO REAL before the fair and was published at the start of the international trade fair for real estate and investment on October 6. In the study, commissioned by the renowned Pestel Institute in Hanover, the current census data on household sizes, age groups and disposable income are linked for the first time and important conclusions for housing policy are drawn.
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| München: Rathaus und Frauenkirchtüme, Foto: Helga Waess (Pressearchiv) |
Claudia Boymanns, Exhibition Director of EXPO REAL, on this current study
"Our study shows that sufficient available living space and functioning housing markets are greatly underestimated as growth factors for the economy. Shaping the housing market more actively is not only a social issue, but also an urgent economic policy imperative. Solving the housing issue is a vital prerequisite for the German economy to regain momentum – without housing, there will be no growth..."
With this scientific study, EXPO REAL is providing a targeted impetus to the debate on solving the acute housing shortage:
The trade fair is considered the highlight of the real estate year in the industry. At EXPO REAL, the most important players in the real estate industry, investors, and high-ranking representatives from politics and academia meet to set the course for the coming years.
"The housing market, and in particular the acute shortage of affordable housing, are currently the central topics of conversation in the real estate industry. This is also reflected in the many lectures and panel discussions in our conference program this year, as well as our new Flexible Housing format," Boymanns continued.
Lack of affordable housing blocks access to the labor market
Matthias Günther, Managing Director of the Pestel Institute and author of the study, diagnoses a paralyzed housing market in his study, which is increasingly causing the labor market to "freeze":
"In deficit regions, where demand massively exceeds housing supply, low-income households can effectively no longer move because the difference between asking and existing rents has reached a level that is no longer affordable for this income group. And the urgently needed skilled immigration from abroad is also severely hampered by the massive undersupply of housing. This will not close the large labor gap in many industrial and service sectors," explains the housing market researcher with many years of experience.
Inequality in the housing market is increasing
Additionally, the homeownership rate in Germany has been steadily declining across all age groups for years. The consequences for wealth distribution are disastrous, according to the housing market expert. The EXPO REAL Housing Study clearly shows that housing inequality in Germany as a whole is continuing to grow. The available living space per capita has never been as high as it is today, and at the same time, there is a housing shortage in many regions.
According to the EXPO REAL Housing Study, there is currently a shortage of approximately 1.2 million apartments in western Germany alone, assuming that long-term vacancies are no longer offered. This housing shortage must be resolved to stimulate mobility in the labor market again.
"The situation is becoming more critical. It is no longer sufficient to subsidize individual segments. Housing construction as a whole must be stimulated if the housing problem is to be solved," says Günther.
Both social housing construction and housing construction by project developers, as well as owner-occupied housing, must be stimulated across the board. A major step could be taken if the government were to pass on its refinancing advantages to housing construction, both to rental housing construction and to the construction of condominiums, the study states.
Energy-efficient renovation remains important, construction of apartments is a priority
Quality-oriented subsidy programs alone cannot solve the problem. Subsidies that allow for the construction of 'even better' housing than the already very high standards in Germany are not effective in this situation.
"It shouldn't matter whether the buildings are made of concrete, steel, or wood – the main thing is that the apartments are built. Otherwise, there will be no positive economic development in Germany," explains study author Günther. "A key component of the transformation of the building sector lies in meeting the remaining energy demand after renovation through renewable sources. The cost-effectiveness of switching to alternative heat supply systems – heat pumps in particular – is far greater than very demanding energy-efficient renovations. The renovation of existing buildings must not be abandoned, but the standards to be achieved regarding heat demand must be questioned."
About EXPO REAL
EXPO REAL is Europe's largest trade fair for real estate and investment. It serves as a central platform for exchange and business development between international market participants.
The trade fair covers all segments of the real estate industry – including office, retail, hotel, logistics, and residential – and explores the entire real estate life cycle: from project development to financing and marketing to operation.
Particular emphasis is placed on sustainability, digitalization, and the transformation of the industry. The next EXPO REAL will take place in Munich from October 6 to 8, 2025.
EXPO REAL 2025
Europe's largest trade fair for real estate and investments
October 6 to 8, 2025
Opening Hours
- Monday, October 6 to Tuesday, October 7: 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, October 8: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
LOCATION
Trade Fair Center Messe München
Am Messesee 2, 81829 Munich
Source: Organizer press release dated October 6, 2025
