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Discusses the attractions of property to institutional investors. Describes the evolution of future markets from forward contracts in commodity markets and financial and stock market index futures to the current UK proposal for property index futures. Concludes that property professionals should make every effort to understand and develop the proposed market in a way which will benefit property investors most effectively.

Assesses the relationship between Hong Kong property company and commercial property market performance over 1984‐94. Finds that property companies provide a useful source of transaction‐based information about changing property market fundamentals. The unique property market characteristics in Hong Kong mean that information is impounded into direct property series quickly, within one quarter of being impounded into indirect property company stock prices. Finds a common “pure” property element that influences both property company and property market returns. This results in investors capturing some portion of Hong Kong property market returns by investing in property companies, as well as achieving liquidity and portfolio diversification.

The lack of portfolio‐based property indices in European property markets has led researchers to consider the use of notional property indices to determine the risk and return rewards of investing in these markets. Owing to the computation assumptions underlying notional indices, in particular their inability to capture the prevalent lease structure in a market, they are unsuitable for this purpose, and investors devising European investment strategies around them need to be wary. This paper demonstrates the differences in property investment return delivery between notional and portfolio‐based indices, concentrating particularly on lease structures, and utilises data from the UK for this purpose. German lease structures are then considered in this context.

Developing a successful strategy for investment in property is not easy. Research shows that abnormal returns, net of transactions costs, are difficult to achieve even though there is a widespread belief amongst valuers that property markets are inefficient. This is compounded by the fact that reliable data on property performance is usually difficult to obtain. It is possible, however, to make use of publicly available data and use it in a way which may help investors guide their decisions. If abnormal returns are difficult to achieve on a consistent basis then the use of methods of analysis which give the investor some competitive advantage are worth pursuing. Although high returns have been achieved in the Hong Kong commercial property market this does not imply that those returns are abnormal in an economic sense; they may merely offer compensation for risk. By extracting equilibrium market values and implied prices from market data this paper examines abnormal returns earned by Hong Kong commercial property over the period 1985‐95 and shows that, in general, the market exhibits a high degree of efficiency. The least efficient sector was offices, which showed an average abnormal return of 1.73 per cent per quarter, although this was statistically indistinguishable from zero. Identifying when the market is under‐ and overpriced may improve the negotiating position of the investor. It may also be possible to develop similar buy‐sell strategies to exploit informational inefficiencies at the individual property level.

This paper aims to test the predictability of the three asset classes, namely direct property, bond and property stocks in Singapore.

Using the generalized method of moment (GMM) estimation methodology, the authors first estimate the excess returns of assets on five instrumental variables and a constant term. Next the common risk factors are tested in three parts involving different portfolio of sample assets.

The empirical results shows that there are at most three common risk factors that can be used to predict the excess returns of six asset classes, that include four direct property assets, bonds and property stocks. The results also indicate that there are separate common risk premia that are priced in property stock and direct property markets, which indirectly reject the hypothesis that the two property markets are integrated.

The empirical results that reject the market integration between property and property stock markets imply that there are significant diversification benefits for holding both assets in investors' portfolios. The two property assets capture different risk premia in the markets.

The GMM specifications that include five instrumental variables may not fully capture all risk information. Omission of other variables is, however, traded‐off against the parsimony of the model specification. More independent variables could be included in the future studies, and more asset classes could also be added to the tests.

The study provides alternative evidence to the test of market integration between property and property stocks in Singapore. It also verifies the earlier study in the USA that property and stock market effects could be separately priced by the market.

Investigates the investment performance of listed Singapore property companies over the past 21 years. Risk‐adjusted performance for the companies remained inferior to stock market performance. There is some evidence that the companies’ investment performance was not consistent over time. Also finds that property companies’ performance is tied to the stock and property markets. Finally, property stocks failed to provide hedges against observed, expected and unanticipated inflation.

This paper aims to identify different organisation modes for international property investments and analyse the rationales for selecting each mode.

The paper reports the findings of an interview study conducted among international investors in the Finnish property market.

The study identifies four main organisation modes for international property investments, the selection of each mode being dependent of the investors' perception of the informational barriers and local nature of the property market. Most of the interviewed investors also apply the same strategy in other markets they invest in, and thus the selection of the organisation mode seems not to be very dependent on the characteristics of the investment market.

The paper analyses the organisation modes and their selection criteria only in the Finnish market.

The study indicates that informational barriers are still of major concern for the investors entering foreign markets. Thus, activities contributing to lowering these barriers would be beneficial for those markets wanting to attract international property investments.

The study is the first to analyse the organisation modes of international property investors.

Considers the important ways in which property is different from other investments and the problems associated with measurement of investment performance in the property market. Outlines the features of the difference of property investment as providing a medium‐level ′secure′ income, a different performance cycle, and a lower level of risk. Discusses the issues creating concern over the pricing of property and the ability to measure its performance, and looks at recent developments in the market. Suggests that the processes of evaluation and performance measurement are providing data on a more comparable basis as the property market itself becomes more efficient.

The rising concern for the accuracy of residential valuations in Nigeria has created the need for key stakeholders in the residential property markets in the study areas to know the level of accuracy of valuations in order to make rational residential property transactions, amongst other purposes.

A blend of descriptive and causal designs was adopted for the study. Data were collected via structured questionnaire administered to 179 estate surveying and valuation (ESV) firms in the study areas using census sampling technique. Analytical techniques such as median percentage error (PE), mean and relative importance index (RII) analysis were employed in the analysis of data collected for the study.

The study found that valuation accuracy is greater in the residential property market in Abuja than in Minna, with inappropriate valuation methodology as the most significant cause of valuation inaccuracy.

The practical implication of this study is that a reliable databank should be established for the property market to provide credible transaction data for valuers to conduct accurate valuations in these cities. Strict enforcement of national and international valuation standards by the regulatory authorities as well as retraining of valuers on appropriate application of valuation approaches and methods are the recommended corrective measures.

No study has comparatively examined the accuracy of valuations in two extremely different residential property markets in the country using actual valuation and transaction prices.

The paper is motivated by the paucity of empirical research on the determinants of capitalisation rates/yield in the commercial property market. Compared to property price determinants, the capitalisation rate has received significantly less attention. This is somewhat surprising given that the capitalisation rate is a more insightful indicator for investors on commercial property market performance than merely price changes or trends. The capitalisation rate, measured as the ratio of net operating income to the property’s capital value, captures the asset’s overall ability to generate income which is crucial for investors who typically invest in property for their income-generating capacity. The purpose of this paper is to address these issues.

To evaluate the determinants of capitalisation rates, time series analysis was used. The data capture performance in the Australian commercial property market between 2005 and 2018. All macroeconomic and financial data are freely available from official sources such as the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the nation’s central bank. Methodology wise, given the problematic nature of the data such as a mixed order of integration and the possibility of cointegration amongst some of the I (1) variables, the autoregressive distributed lag model was selected given its flexibility and relative lack of assumptions.

Bond rates, market risk premiums, stock market excess returns and other macroeconomic variables were found to drive capitalisation rates of Australian commercial properties. A 1% increase in the bond rate results in approximately 0.3–2.4% increase in capitalisation rates depending on the sub-market. Further, a 1% increase in excess market returns results in a 0.01–0.02% increase in capitalisation rates. Regarding risk premiums, a 100 basis point increase in the BBB spread results in approximately 0.92–1.27% reduction in cap rates in certain markets.

Asset managers will find these results useful in asset allocation strategies. Commercial properties offer attractive investment qualities such as yield stability in periods of economic uncertainty while allowing for the possibility of capital growth through appreciation of the underlying asset. By understanding the factors that affect the capitalisation rate, practitioners may predict emerging trends and identify threats to portfolio return and stability. This allows better integration of commercial property in the construction of portfolios that remain robust in a variety of market conditions.

The contribution to literature is significant given the lack of similar studies in the Australian market. The performance of real estate assets using cap rates as a comparative measure to equities and bonds influences decisions in asset allocation strategies. It provides crucial information for investors to estimate the performance of commercial property. This research supports the notion that both space and capital market indicators jointly affect capitalisation rates. The findings expand the knowledge base relating to commercial properties and validate the assessments of investors, developers and valuers who utilise yield as a performance benchmark for asset allocation strategies.