Although the theme of the fall 2006 PREA conference was “Back to Basics,” delegates found the current state of the real estate industry anything but. By Alison Granito
7 min read · 23 January 2013
In the mid-1990s, Chicago-based Heitman became one of the first major property players to invest in Central Europe. The firm formed a JV in 1996 to develop the Warsaw Financial Center, a 32-story office building that was the tallest building in Eastern Europe. In 2000, the firm launched Heitman Central Europe Property Partners to focus on Poland and the Czech Republic, which closed on $125 million. Slovakia and Hungary were added to the mandate for the second fund, which closed on €175 million in 2002. By the time Heitman launched its third vehicle on €350 million in 2005, it was also looking for opportunities in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Romania and Bulgaria. Otis Spencer, the firm's Warsaw-based portfolio manager, spoke with PERE about the evolution of Heitman's strategy in the region and where the firm is looking for value as competition grows.
4 min read · 23 January 2013
A social phenomenon is taking place in Poland as residents trade up from Soviet-style homes to Western apartments. Private equity real estate investors are following the trend, in Warsaw and beyond. By Robin Marriott
8 min read · 23 January 2013
Last month, PERE hosted its inaugural US real estate forum, which showcased the diverse array of strategies and markets currently being pursued by investors. Kazakhstan anyone? By Paul Fruchbom
3 min read · 23 January 2013
THE 4 FOOD GROUPS 2006-12-01 Staff Writer <strong>RESIDENTIAL<br /> No Paris jokes</strong><br /> Last month Hilton Hotels announced its first residential project in Dubai, the Hilton Jumeirah Beach Residence, in yet another sign that the building boom in the Middle Eastern emirate
3 min read · 01 December 2006
If the investment bank hits its target it would surpass the current high-water mark, the $5.3 billion fund raised by The Blackstone Group this summer.
2 min read · 23 January 2013
China's property markets are luring investors from around the world, but corruption and kickbacks can make any real estate a tricky proposition. By Robin Marriott
5 min read · 23 January 2013
Influencing history 2006-11-01 Staff Writer Last month, alongside new memoirs by such well-known names as US Senator Barack Obama, <italic>The Corrections</italic> author Jonathan Franzen and humorist and travel writer Bill Bryson, another less-anticipated book hit the shelves at Barnes & Nob
2 min read · 23 January 2013
The warrior 2006-11-01 Staff Writer As the son of an Iraqi Jew who settled his family in Iran before fleeing the country after the Shah fell, Robert Tchenguiz has seen his fair share of ups and downs. But with a last name that means Genghis in Persian, Tchenguiz may be able to handle such setbacks better tha
2 min read · 23 January 2013
At a gathering in New York today, delegates at PERE’s North American Private Equity Real Estate Forum heard frontline accounts of the globalization of the industry from Morgan Stanley’s Jay Mantz and Starwood’s Barry Sternlicht.
3 min read · 23 January 2013
