Head Of Research
Our Heads of Research look up from their data and shed light on the direct property investment universe
Latest Article
24th June 2021
Originally published 16 March 2021.
Being a child in the 1960s was Utterly Brilliant. It was all so exciting – because we all knew we were going to space. The theme music from “Apollo” still resonates. Late at night peering at the Moon, and my father waking me up to watch the landing. My bedroom full of books about space, walls decorated with cut-aways of rockets. Like every child, I knew the “Thunderbirds” pilots were named after the first five American astronauts; Scott (Carpenter),... Read More >
Recent Articles:
22nd June 2021
Originally published January 2021.
The European real estate universe grows ever move diverse by the year, with the constant geographical expansion of previous times now replaced by a push into new sectors and, more fundamentally, new ways of Read More >
21st June 2021
Originally published February 2021.
For investors, the recent decline in retail property performance might suggest opportunity for acquiring property at distressed pricing. The challenge for such investors is to identify discounts associated Read More >
26th May 2021
Originally published in February 2021.
The pandemic has been with us for over a year, infecting more than 100 million people. Although vaccinations have begun around the world, the damage to the global economy is done. According to the Read More >
20th April 2021
Some of you may remember Steven Bradbury, the Australian short-track speed skater, in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. The unlikely finalist – he’d snuck through the semi-final after the defending champion fell three bends Read More >
3rd February 2021
Commercial real estate is priced to produce superior risk-adjusted returns compared with investments in both fixed income and public equities in coming years. This article will present two different frameworks to assess and validate this Read More >
25th January 2021
I read with interest the recent piece in the Property Chronicle entitled “Universal Basic Income Decimates Big Cities”. The thought of UBI as a modern-day Godzilla stomping across our city landscapes decimating all in his path is one that I Read More >
20th January 2021
The research department behind this piece is run by Steen Jacobsen. A million years ago I worked with Steen Jacobsen on the trading floor of a large US investment bank. Steen was then, and still is, a brilliant, polemic mind. For 30+ years he Read More >
2nd December 2020
Historically, political party control of the US government has not had much bearing on investment performance of commercial real estate. However, NCREIF data (since its 1978 inception) shows that Democratic administrations produced somewhat Read More >
19th October 2020
US home sales are soaring, and even renters now favour suburban units with ample space for home-working. Should urban landlords be worried?
A growing trend in the US housing market is the search for more space, light and air. It is evidenced Read More >
14th May 2020
(Article originally published Summer 2018)
Why agility is key for investors in dealing with new uncertainties
Seattle is the only market I’ve ever seen advance from secondary to primary market status. There are a few other secondary Read More >
25th April 2019
Some managers of physical stores are getting paid for online sales too – and landlords want a slice of the action
While in Downtown Los Angeles a few weeks ago, I saw a large sign – like an oasis in the desert – for Dunkin’ Donuts Read More >
17th January 2019
This morning’s report from the Resolution Foundation on the employment surge since the financial crisis is a healthy rejoinder to those who are pessimistic about the state of the British economy.
The Conservatives make great play of their Read More >
29th October 2018
The population of our big cities is projected to increase significantly by 2040. But physical growth is constrained by green belt, and these boundaries are unlikely to change significantly by 2040, given current political commitments. That Read More >
25th October 2018
Business parks have come a long way since the creation of the B1 office use class in 1987 (Class 4 in Scotland) which allowed office, industrial and research and development premises to shift between uses more freely than ever before, bringing Read More >
22nd October 2018
‘High rents and prices’, ‘foul air’, ‘excessive hours’, ‘closing out of nature’. These phrases might well define some of the urban issues of today, but they were, in fact, written in 1898 by the urban planner Ebenezer Howard to Read More >
5th September 2018
The matter of succession planning is something that gets a lot of focus from family businesses, and for good reason – it is one of the hardest things for both the business and the family to go through.
To give some context, people often Read More >
The Wall of Equity ‘WACCs’ Cap Rates Perhaps it’s time for us to stop relying on conventional wisdom
16th August 2018
Higher Interest Rates + Late Cycle = Lower Cap Rates. Huh? For the 22+ years I’ve been in this business, investors have relied on the relationship between cap rates and interest rates. But perhaps it’s time for us to stop relying on Read More >
15th May 2018
Those of you that have invested in the equity markets might remember the late Richard Crossley. Prior to his untimely death almost seven years ago, Richard was an “old school” technical analyst; always at his desk by 6.30am, he spent the Read More >
26th February 2018
Seattle is the only market I’ve ever seen advance from secondary to primary market status. There are a few other secondary cities that are nipping at its heels, led by Austin, Denver and Nashville in the U.S., and Sao Paolo, Brazil and Read More >
18th January 2018
“Liberty, freedom, justice. Now things have changed. Now everything comes to us on a platter. Man’s got nothing left to fight for.” — Logan’s Run
In the classic 1967 novel Logan’s Run the world of 2116 is an idyllic place where Read More >
11th December 2017
I am a big infrastructure guy. Everywhere I go, I tell local investors that their city’s growth potential is limited unless it has good transportation infrastructure (roads, airports and mass transit). Based on my experience, 'old school' Read More >
8th June 2017
With yet another general election upon us it seems like a good time to look back and see which government has presided over the best returns for homeowners during the past forty years or so. The starting point is a good one, coming just after the Read More >
9th May 2017
The other day I met an intelligent and successful property developer (not always the same), who told me that back in 1997 he had sold a business and used the proceeds to move into buy to lets. He explained that he had built up a geographically Read More >
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