Berlin, Germany – no other German city is linked that tight to the country’s history. Berlin has been and still will be a focal point of Germanys politics and is also becoming an even more important player in the lifestyle world by all world wide metropolises. Berlin’s Mercedes Benz Fashion Week or the international film festival Berlinale have put Germany’s capital into the first row of international interest not only by members of the movie or fashion industry. More and more creative and lifestyle oriented PR, marketing, advertising and media companies made Berlin their global hub and want to profit from the city’s energy. Most foreigners feel set back in times when New York or London radiated this certain and very special flair.

After the wall came down, the city quickly metamorphosed from a more likely working class dominated development into a more lifestyle and quality of life influenced metropolis. Still, there are other German cities such as Hamburg, Munich or Düsseldorf which are better known for their high-end living and luxury lifestyle throughout, but Berlin experienced a higher than average demand for luxury living these days. High end real estate, especially in Berlin’s city center, is rare and much sought-after.

With Yoo Berlin by architect Eike Becker and iconic design star Philippe Starck, this demand should be satisfied to the highest expectations. On a history-charged location, right in the middle of Berlin Mitte and on site of the former and famous Friedrichstadtpalast, the new crystal like solitaire will be home to luxury apartments, penthouses and townhouses as well as a hotel inclusive Wellness-spa, bar and a café.

Thursday, September 16^th 2010, marked another milestone in the developments progress. Representatives of the development like John Hitchcox (co-founder of YOO), Berlins Cabinet Building Director Regula Lüscher, Dr. Thomas Wolfelsberger (CEO of Peach Property Group) and Eike Becker (Architect of Yoo Berlin) (f.l.t.r. at the main photo) executed the groundbreaking ceremony with a symbolic turn of the first spade full of earth.The first phase of construction consists of all the foundation works where more than 350 concrete piles will be brought in the swamp like underground almost 35m deep. The construction of approx. 124 underground parking spaces, special construction is needed due to the Berlin’s typical sandy and hydrated grounds. Once the costly foundation work is completed, the building can go up. Yoo Berlin is scheduled for completion by end of 2012. The sale of all real estate available started already and the first residences are sold. Some of the best units facing the river Spree or some of the penthouses boasting amazing views onto Berlin’s skyline are sold already. With a further increasing interest we are confident that Yoo Berlin is as successful as its predecessors in London, Sydney or Munich just to name a few. The Yoo brand became a much sought-after label for high-end living where pretty much each unit is a unique property for itself. Fans of Yoo watch closely all news about any new developments by the Yoo brand because they know the properties not only feature a much sought-after lifestyle, but also offer quite some appreciation of their investments. Feel free to contact us under info@wetaginternational.com to get to know more about this exciting new development. Just wanted to mention that because of the strength of the Swiss Franc against the Euro, an investment in a stylish city dwelling could be of great interest. Not only for your own use, but also to rent it out since there is also an increasing interest for high-end and furnished apartments in Berlin.

Posted by:  Peter Rabitz

Berlin, Germany’s capital has always been a focus point by the worlds rich and famous as well as some of the most influential people world wide. BUT, the city’s face changed quite a bit and with today, Berlin is one of the most recognized metropolises for fashion, music and the creative scene. Long time, real estate investments in luxury properties weren’t first choice when purchasing in Germany, but with the city’s increasing importance in fashion and also due to the fact Germany being one of the leaders in European politics, Berlin real estate market started to show first signs for increasing demand for luxury properties. Traditional regions for high-end luxurious real estate used to be neighborhoods a bit outside of Berlin’s city centre where sumptuous villas and houses could and still can be found. Neighborhoods like Dahlem, Grunewald and Zehlendorf are amongst the most well-known for luxurious living. Not to forget Potsdam, a near by city in the south of Berlin which always has been a sought-after location for the upper class to own a mansion on one of the many lakes you can find in that region. For a long time, the most preferred neighborhoods for apartments and penthouses used to be Charlottenburg and Tiergarten, but with the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989, the focus on Berlin’s centre and the former east part increased with plenty of opportunities to invest. Now, neighborhood like Prenzlauer Berg and Mitte are the most sought-after locations for a trendy apartment or penthouse.

Berlin is one of the world’s most vibrant cities, and the heartbeat at its centre is Berlin-Mitte. Here, artists, entrepreneurs, politicians and celebrities alike all share centre stage. You’ll find streets lined with the most exclusive shops, as well as the hottest galleries, restaurants, cafés and bars. Mitte is also home to Museum Island, beautiful squares and the new government district. The city is also well-known for being Germany’s event epicenter with glamorous events like Berlin Fashion Week and the Berlinale Film Festival beside many others.

Furthermore, architecture always played a big part in the city’s history. In the past, luminaries such as Richard Neutra, Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe designed houses for clients in Berlin and Potsdam. With all the changes over the last 20 years, Berlin became a center of attraction for architecture enthusiasts. Some of the worlds most famous and leading architects came to Berlin to design many of the new embassies, commercial buildings and residential buildings. Names like Frank Gehry, David Chipperfield, I.M. Pai, Daniel Libeskind and Norman Forster just to name a few who pop up in my mind right now, read like the who’s’ who in architecture and who all designed some more or less iconic buildings.

These days, just another big caliber of the design and architecture scene made his appearance with Berlin’s newest and maybe most glamour’s project. Philippe Starck – the illustrious magician of design – comes to Berlin. Philippe Starck, the man who is not only the most renowned designer of our time, but also the most versatile. His creations are already considered classics. With Yoo Berlin by Philippe Starck, he now draws upon his wide-ranging talents to create something entirely new, designer luxury apartments. Having already garnered accolades in London, New York, Sydney and Miami, as well as in many other cities around the globe, this innovative property developer is now coming to Germany’s capital. Extravagantly luxurious living spaces that would reflect the esprit and individualism of the people who lived there. Today, yoo is a brand sought after like no other. Each apartment or penthouse is unique – as original as the people who live there.

Back in May, right after the ground breaking ceremony, I visited the construction site and the showroom. Without a doubt, Yoo Berlin is located in one of the most historic and sought-after neighborhoods Berlins - a place where the legendary Friedrichstadtpalast once stood and a place that in the 1920’s toasted stars like Marlene Dietrich. To your right, historical façade of the Berliner Ensemble and to your left, Friedrichstrasse with its boutiques and restaurants. With gorgeous view of the Spree River, further attractions like the government district, Museums Island, Gendarmenmarkt and the Hackesche Höfe are all just a stone’s throw away. The showroom already offers the feel of the upcoming lifestyle at Yoo Berlin. All rooms boast the design language of Philippe Starck as well as some of its iconic design features. The showroom is conceived like an apartment with all the bedrooms, baths and living areas. When walking around you will forget that you are in a temporary space and you feel already pretty much at home. Two bathrooms and two bedrooms feature just two of the four interior designs available from where the future owner can choose from. Each of the four styles – Classic, Minimal, Nature and Culture – will inspire you to add your own elegant and stylish details to your home. Of course, the Yoo design team is always happy to help you run with your imagination. The sky is the limit!

Posted By: Peter Rabitz

At this point, I don’t need to stress again how beautiful and exiting Berlin is. I’ve explained this adequately before and most of you know already that this is just true. There is one thing I recently came across that I wasn’t previously aware of – Berlin seem to be a heaven for rental tenants, as I’ve read in “EXBERLINER”, an English-language magazine for and about Berlin.

16 percent of Berliners live in their own property while the the national average is a much higher 52 percent. The story as to why Berlin has so many tenants, lodgers and passers-through starts almost 60 years ago when Berlin had a housing shortage after the Second World War. In addition, German civil code is another detail that supports this trend by giving tenants more rights than in other comparable countries.

While most rental contracts don’t have an expiry date, it is also very hard to get kicked out of your apartment except a few minor specific details (i.e. not paying your rent, landlord’s own use of the apartment) – tenants seem to be in paradise with laws that allow tenants to “feel at home”. So some Berliners have made subletting a profitable business. This model looks interesting if you have to leave town for extended periods because of work. The landlord is not allowed to influence the tenant’s life, so if they need to move to another place for a work-related reason, the landlord has to agree to a subtenant. Imagine, you buy a second home property in Berlin, a nice and well located apartment – you might be able to have covered your mortgage by subletting your flat on a short-term basis even you don’t have to. And all that can be managed by an agency specialized in such business. Feel free to contact us so we can get you a place to buy so you can sublet afterwards. How does that sound?

Source: magazine EXBERLINER, article by Prue Gordema

Posted By: Peter Rabitz