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CEE markets should not be screened as a single investment block. Differences in liquidity, financing depth, legal predictability, and operational execution are large enough to change the investment case well before full due diligence begins. A useful screening process starts by asking where a specific city and asset still offer defendable downside protection. Early review should combine several signals: transaction activity, time to sell or lease, funding conditions, new supply, and the durability of occupier demand. A market that looks attractive only on headline yield can still prove weak if buyers are thin, credit is narrow, or execution risk is materially higher than the first pass suggests. Cross-border comparisons in the region also need an operational lens. Permitting timelines, infrastructure constraints, building standards, and local deal practice can alter the real risk more than a simple market ranking implies. If those factors are ignored, screening becomes too theoretical to support capital allocation decisions. The goal is not to produce a long regional narrative. It is to narrow the field to markets and assets that deserve deeper work. That keeps regional exposure more disciplined and prevents time from being spent on opportunities that fail the first serious investment test.