Portfolio Strategy and Structure Take Center Stage:
“How, What, Where, and When?” Replace “Why?”

Abstract

Real estate has become more accepted as a basic building block of a well-diversified institutional portfolio over the past decade. The debate around the question “Why Real Estate?” has largely been put to rest. The most relevant research questions about the asset class now revolve around more detailed issues in optimal allocations under different situations and in light of new trends, and also around details of how implementation of a real estate allocation (i.e. the actual investments made) should be done and how it affects the risk/return characteristics of the final portfolio. The relevant new trends in the industry and the associated research questions are discussed.