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Real Estate

Pears family cleans up in big property deal

January 9, 2009

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.

Safe as houses?

October 6, 2008

With property markets in freefall, where does this leave the family estate asks James Moore

With the global economy in a pronounced downswing, the seemingly never-ending rise in real estate values across the world has, in many economies, come to a juddering halt and gone into reverse.

Luxury green buildings boom

June 26, 2008

Environmentally friendly homes are gaining increasing popularity in the Southern states of the US, where many American families maintain holiday homes and estates.

Throughout West Virginia, Georgia, North and South Carolina and Florida, developers are finding increasing demand for retrofitting homes with green appliances, while many new estates are offering completely green neighbourhoods.

Luxury real estate brokers DPS Sporting Club Development Co says it has received a wave of new demand specifically for green properties on its range of exclusive estates.

Australia offers smooth growth amid regional volatility

June 12, 2008

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.

Building a green future

May 1, 2008

Green is the new black with investors looking to play their part in fighting climate change – all while making a hot profit. The real estate sector is no different discovers Michael Fischer, who analyses how green property can also be an investment worth making

Investing in luxury

May 1, 2008

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.

Crunch time for family portfolios

May 1, 2008

With the current credit crunch shaking up the global economy, it is a tricky time for families who are looking to divest real estate. James Phillipps looks at some of those who are selling parts of their portfolio and offers some advice on the best way to do it

Family businesses can accumulate considerable amounts of real estate over generations and divesting properties has often been extremely lucrative. But with the credit crunch biting hard, choosing which properties to sell and when is becoming an increasingly difficult decision.

Real estate ownership: the company vs the family

May 1, 2008

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

BoS takes stake in family-owned Miller Group

April 7, 2008

The Bank of Scotland has taken a minority equity investment in The Miller Group, the UK’s largest privately-owned property business.

The Bank of Scotland has taken a minority equity investment in The Miller Group, the UK's largest privately-owned property business.

The investment is the most significant financial transaction in the group's 74-year history and is a combination of both equity and debt.

Opening the door to real estate investment

November 2, 2007

The real estate sector has experienced bull market conditions in the first half of 2007.
Stuart Beevor examines how the savvy investor can profit from the sector’s strong diversification characteristics and reap the returns

Stuart Beevor is managing director of Grosvenor Fund Management.

The real estate sector has experienced bull market conditions in the first half of 2007. Stuart Beevor examines how the savvy investor can profit from the sector's strong diversification characteristics and reap the returns