real estate

A little-known British family has burst onto the country’s property scene in one of the biggest deals of the year so far.

Telereal, the real estate focused investment and services company belonging to family-owned William Pears Group, has purchased Trillium from Land Securities Group for €835 million.

Trillium, the market leader in property partnerships, has been sold for roughly half the price Land Securities was hoping to secure for the asset when it put it up for sale early last year. The two new companies will bring together combined revenues of €1.1billion.

Recent setbacks in the Indian and Chinese stock markets have served as a stark reminder that the region still carries risk and volatility for European families looking to invest heavily in emerging markets, according to Toby Osborne, director of GSL Private Investors and scion of Melbourne's entrepreneurial Osborne family.

Speaking last week at Campden's Family Investment Workshop in London, Osborne said that although there are substantial gains to be had in China and India, private investors should be aware that with high potential gains comes increased risk and volatility.

Luxury real estate is often purchased with the heart, not the head. Constance Gustke analyses how your dream home can also be a lucrative long-term investment

In California, the Hummingbird Nest ranch, which sells for $75 million in rural Simi Valley outside Los Angles, has laid dormant on the market for over a year. The 123-acre ranch comes with in-demand comfort features such as a helipad, solar panel field, water recycling, six guest houses, 10 staff houses, and a 17,000-square foot home. But real estate agents say the ranch won't sell anytime soon.

Once a family has its real estate portfolio in place, it faces the issue of ownership. Should it be owned by the family or the company? James Moore asks how this issue can affect family dynamics and how it can easily be resolved