PurposeAgainst the background of initiatives, which have taken place to foster real estate research in Europe, this article seeks to analyse important dimensions of that research.Design/methodology/approachThe article investigates the evolution from 2000 to 2015 in the proportion of papers published by authors with a European affiliation in the three main international real estate journals (Real Estate Economics,Journal of Real Estate Finance and EconomicsandJournal of Real Estate Research). Then, focusing on papers with at least one European author and/or concentrating on Europe, the article analyses papers published from 2008 to 2015 in the two main European real estate journals (Journal of European Real Estate ResearchandJournal of Property Research) by authors’ country of affiliation, by country of study and by theme. Finally, we analyse links between author’s country of affiliation and country of study and theme, respectively.FindingsThe results show that the proportion of papers published by European authors in the three main international real estate journals has increased during the 2000-2015 period. The author's analyses of papers published in the two European real estate journals suggest that UK-based researchers are the most prolific. There is also a strong “home bias” in that authors largely focus on the country in which they are based. The interest in housing and valuation increased markedly during the period. Finally, the article reports linkages between country of affiliation and theme.Originality/valueThis paper should provide a much clearer understanding of several aspects of real estate research in Europe.