Northwood Securities Finds Big Investor Opportunities in Indian REITs

Jim Rehlaender, CEO of Northwood Securities said that the Indian REITs offer big opportunities for real estate investors. Rehlaender made the statement as he joined the NAREIT Podcast to discuss some of the latest trends in international real estate markets.

Northwood Securities invests in listed real estate companies around the world. Rehlaender offered his thoughts on some of the latest happenings in the developing markets of India, China and Brazil.

India’s government recently approved REITs. Rehlaender said it’s a market he has been watching for years. He said he has declined to invest in India, however, “due to a lot of complications.”

Despite the government’s proclaimed enthusiasm for building up the REIT market in India, progress has been slow, according to Rehlaender. He speculated that the government would likely pass new legislation to formally create a REIT structure in 2015. Yet, he also cautioned against going overboard with real estate investment in the coutry.

“It could open a massive amount of real estate investment in a market that sorely needs it,” he said. “The excitement about the new government has fed into the real estate stock prices as well. For the moment they look a bit expensive; and, yet, on the ground, these companies are really struggling with regulatory issues, with lack of demand, with what’s essentially an economic slowdown.”

China is also setting the foundation for the creation of REITs. Rehlaender noted that the Chinese government looks at REITs as a savings vehicle.

“The opportunity now, though, in China right now is to buy really well-managed companies that don’t have a lot of leverage that are taking market share and are trading at 40 to 60 percent below the value of their assets,” Rehlaender said.

Brazil is another market attracting attention from investors. Brazilian companies are facing the same infrastructure issues as India, according to Rehlaender. However, whereas India is on an “upward trajectory,” Rehlaender said Brazil’s current economic situation is giving him pause.

“From our perspective, we want to see that downward slope priced into the stocks,” he said. “It’s getting there, but not quite yet.”

With more countries finalizing their REITs rule, investor opportunities in the portfolio are also on the rise. Real estate agents who would like to explore opportunities in the REITs segment can build their commercial property listings’ visibility using disruptive video marketing platforms. Realbiz Media Group, Inc. RBIZ is a Florida-based digital media company that develops proprietary video marketing software that agents and their brokers can use to promote their virtual tour listings online. The company offers a Virtual Tour Program that allows real estate sellers to create virtual tours and presentations that are optimized for mobile viewing and could be syndicated through social media for only $29.95 a month.

The program is equipped with a video search engine optimization (VSEO) tool that automatically generate meta tags and descriptions for virtual tours and listings agents have uploaded to the platform so that they would be found easily by consumers online.

The program also has tools for creating QR codes, e-flyers, and seller reports as bonus features.

For agents on the go, the company has also recently launched a mobile app called EzFlix, which makes creating listings and virtual tours on mobile phones easier. The app also utilizes Realbiz Media’s patented technology, which allows agents to create local community content, real-time videos, and add personalized messages to these items. 

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