Invest in real estate with Qasabo

Qasabo's founder Staffan Tast has managed investments of 200 million euros in institutional and private capital into residential market over more than a decade. At Qasabo we always look at the overall return and the risk profile when advising on investments. This means we consider not only the immediate rental yield, but also the expected value effect and the potential for current or future financial leverage to increase the return on equity, as well as the risks and opportunities related to locations, concepts, and developers. Qasabo's team members have an average of 5-10 years of diverse professional experience in residential real estate investment management.

As an operator of the properties we buy, we are involved in the entire life cycle of our properties – from pre-completion purchase, to management, to exit. This gives us a natural touch for how an investment will perform in the market allowing us to make realistic forecasts. We perform regular valuations of the properties we manage and forecast future return scenarios to help our investors decide whether to keep or exit an asset.

For the busyest investors we manage most aspects of owning the property - from investment analysis and property acquisition to turnkey interior design and finishing to letting and tenant management to contacts with authorities and maintenance companies, coordinating necessary repairs and dealing with insurance cases and making sure the property is kept in good shape. Our aim at every stage is to maximize the lifetime investment value of the property for the investor.

One of the most spectacular cities in Europe, and by far the largest city in Northern Europe, St Petersburg is a magnet for students, career professionals, artists, and tourists from across the globe. Over the decade 2010-2020 the city's population grew by half a million people from 4.9m to 5.4m. The total metro population of St Petersburg including suburbs immediately outside the city limits had by 2021 reached 7.2m people, making St Petersburg the seventh largest urban agglomeration in Europe. Built on a Finnish swamp on the site of the former Swedish city of Nyenskans, St Petersburg has since its foundation been Russia's window to Europe, a cosmopolitan melting pot of ideas, creativity, and culture.

Compared to cities like Helsinki, Berlin, or New York, the St Petersburg apartment rental market is at a formative stage in terms of depth, product, and services. Whereas in New York 70% of people rent a place to live, in Berlin up to 90%, and in Helsinki over 50%, the share of rented apartments in St Petersburg is only 20-30%, and the professionally operated share is negligible. Due to a low presence of institutional investors and real estate funds, most investment in this asset class is by private investors investing independently in individual apartments. As the city keeps attracting new residents and the sharing culture of mobility and flexibility is taking hold, the demand for modern rental apartments will keep growing.

With still attractive price levels, a deep rental demand, a low correlation to global markets, and a good hedge against ruble volatility, the St Peterburg apartment market is now attractive moderate-risk investment case for local and global investors alike.