Real Estate
INTERVIEW: Forget "Animal House" - Student Accommodation Makes Investment Sense

Listed real estate
Even discounting the enthusiasm that any manager of such a
REIT can be expected to exhibit ahead of an IPO, Ward has reason
to be in
chipper mood. Recent figures from the European Public Real Estate
Association
shows that demand for real estate securities has surged since the
global
financial crisis. Assets under management of real estate
securities funds grew by
68 per cent to $250 billion from 2007 to 2012, according to
research by
consultancy company Consilia Capital and Property Funds Research
for EPRA.
The research estimates that the number of real estate
securities funds increased by 39 per cent to 677 in the same
period. The most
recent figures show that total assets under management for
exchange-traded funds (ETFs) pegged to FTSE EPRA/NAREIT real
estate indices jumped by 85 per
cent to $8.7 billion in the 12 months through to February this
year.
“Above-average dividend yields and secure long-term
cash-flows
generated by listed real estate companies have an immediate
appeal to
yield-hungry investors. The liquidity, efficient pricing and
transparency
offered by the listed property sector mean it is also attracting
a broader
range of investors from defined contribution pension plans to
long/short hedge
funds,” Philip Charls, chief executive of EPRA, said in a recent
statement.