#tmcworldcup match of the day: belgium vs russia
Click here to see larger version - or here for an explanation of the figures.
Following our World Cup predictions, which forecast an overall victory for the USA, TheMoveChannel.com follows the FIFA tournament through every stage, highlighting a property Match of the Day.
Another pair of overlooked property markets line up to swap shots in today's match: Belgium and Russia.
Russian investors have been a major force in global property trends thanks to a growing middle class and a desire for holiday homes in Eastern European countries and further afield. With the Ukraine crisis affecting economic confidence around the world, though, foreign demand for Russian property has dropped, according to agents.
They only account for about 3 per cent of real estate transactions in Moscow, though, according to IntermarkSavills, so interest was never that high in the first place. Indeed, Russia accounted for a mere 0.01 per cent of enquiries on TheMoveChannel.com in 2013.
Belgium, on the other hand, received three times as many enquiries, accounting for 0.03 per cent of activity last year. Combined with more searches in Google (80 vs 50) in May 2014, Belgium is evidently the most popular of the two. Russia may have stronger price growth year-on-year, with house prices up 2.3 per cent against Belgium's 1.7 per cent, but in the short-term, West beats East, 1.1 per cent versus 0 per cent.
2014, then, appears to be a stronger year for Belgian property. The most telling statistic of all is that Belgium has just 1 listing on TheMoveChannel.con for sale, compared to Russia's 10. Even with one-tenth of Russia's inventory on TheMoveChannel.com's international market, Belgium still manages to be the most sought-after; an advantage that Sees them edge ahead 3-2 to secure a place in the final 16.
Who will win the Property World Cup? See our full infographic here - or keep up to date with the latest results on Twitter by following the #TMCWorldCup hashtag.
Enquiries = % of enquiries received on TheMoveChannel.com in 2013
Searches = Number of searches for "property in X" on Google in the month leading up the World Cup
Listings = Number of properties currently listed for sale on TheMoveChannel.com
Price (12m/6m) = House price movement in the last 12 or 6 months, according to the Knight Frank Global House Price Index Q1 2014
Click here for the full statistics.