Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa October 2015

FINANCE Investments through the Global Market Why property portfolios continue to remain an attractive investment BY KELLY HOOK D iversification in the South African context used to mean a mix of properties across three sectors, namely retail, office and industrial spread across the main metropolitan areas. Today, diversification includes property investments across various global markets, including Europe, United Kingdom and Africa, as well as exposure to Australian real estate through shareholdings in offshore property companies. Investors face a new reality when buying SA listed property shares. Investments in locally listed property offer investors exposure to property investments outside of South Africa. On average, SA-listed property portfolios have diversified so much so, that more than 25% of investments in the sector are situated beyond SA’s borders. Property companies such as New Europe Property Investments (NEPI) and Rockcastle have portfolios that are entirely invested outside of SA, while the local diversified portfolios of

Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa October 2015 | Page 50