Volume 29 (2021): Issue 1 (March 2021)

The sales comparison is the most common and universally accepted method in valuation. Although the theoretical entry point of the method is the same across most continents, its application in practice is varied and often determined by local circumstances. This often necessitates the modification of the method. For instance, while Zambian valuation practice uses this method in residential valuation, its application goes beyond the basic valuation model, incorporating a less known technique called the “reduced floor area (RFA)” technique. The RFA technique is a form of relative importance (weight) concept which assesses ancillary buildings on site relative to the main use; for residential properties this is the main house on site. Despite its obscurity in valuation literature, practitioners find its use acceptable within the dictates of local circumstances. Nonetheless, the lack of documentation means knowledge on the technique is transmitted verbally from senior valuers to graduates, and its application is not consistent across the profession, contributing to variances in the assessed values. This necessitates detailed scrutiny of the technique. Data for the study was collected from the Valuation Surveyors Registration Board (VSRB), a statutory body responsible for licensing valuers and regulating valuation practice. This is the first time the RFA technique is being discussed in a scholarly article.

The subject of this article is the still relevant issue of the adequate choice of comparables in evaluation procedures within the sales comparison approach. The text features the results of an experiment that makes it possible to validate the dependence of the accuracy of the final estimation of the price of valued objects in relation to the criteria of significance of similarity as a determinant of accepting individual objects as sufficiently similar, and the dissimilarity coefficients describing the created reference sets. Based on the example of simulated data, it has been shown that there is a clear relationship between the accuracy of the estimates made and the selection of comparables. In a set of all possible calculation variations, estimations based on selected data are characterized by more accurate calculations relative to parallel calculations carried out on the widest possible sets of comparables.

This paper provides an overview of the challenges of management of facilities at public universities in Africa. Results reveal that: poor condition and the overcrowding of facilities, limited skills and capabilities of facility management departments, and lack of financial resources are the main challenges which the management of facilities at public universities in Africa faces. In worse situations, these problems have adversely affected the quality of the learning and teaching environment at the institutions and also threatened their existence. Prioritization of funding for the provision and improvement of quality facilities at public universities by governments, employment of well qualified and trained staff in the facility management departments at the public universities, and creation of innovative and smarter public-private partnerships aimed at the improvement of existing facilities and provision of new ones were identified as the key solutions that can be implemented to address the challenges that public universities in Africa are facing in relation to facilities. Findings will support public universities in Africa to address challenges of management of their facilities so that they can continue to achieve their intended objectives of offering high quality higher education, research and community engagement in order to accelerate socio-economic development of their countries on the continent in the future.

This paper presents the perceptions of academics on real estate topics offered in Bachelors Real Estate (BRE) curricula in Africa. In order to understand the perceptions of academics on real estate topics, a survey of seven selected BRE curricula offered in different regions of Africa was conducted to determine important real estate topics academics included in the curricula. After analyzing the curricula, sorting and re-grouping the topics: Real estate management, Real estate valuation, Real estate economics, Real estate finance and investment, Real estate development, Real estate law, Real estate planning, Real estate research, Real estate industrial training and Real estate electives emerged to be important topics the academics considered to include in the curricula. The topics are in line with those expected in a real estate curriculum. In addition, results revealed that BRE curricula follow the interdisciplinary approach to real estate education. Findings will encourage universities in Africa and elsewhere to develop comprehensive real estate curricula or improve existing ones to accommodate the interdisciplinary approach and the international perspective of real estate education because of their benefits. The study will also support the harmonization of real estate education, practice, investment and business in Africa, hence contributing towards the economic development of the continent.

The study aims to explore the effect of behavioral biases on financial decision making in the real estate sector of Pakistan. The data of a sample of 244 real estate investors are collected through a survey carried out using different sources. The findings of the study show the relationship of different biases, including overconfidence, herding effect, gambler’s fallacy, and regret aversion on prices of real estate. Real estate prices are more affected by overconfidence and gambler’s fallacy than herding effect and regrets aversion bias in Pakistan. The findings furthermore reveal that these biases do not depend on gender, education, and demographics. It is recommended to carefully consider the market factors while making decisions in real estate, as the prices do not always show the real value of the property.

The Paper discusses the derivation of the Ellwood formula on the basis of the Transactional Asset Pricing approach to valuation (TAPA) and proceeding from the dynamic principle of transactional equity-in-exchange.

Discussing the notion of leverage, it introduces a formulation, in capitalized value terms, and measurement, for leverage benefits to a property purchaser. It is found that such a measure for the Ellwood formula is always zero, essentially obviating any-gains-from-trade to the purchasers of property to be had on account of leveraged transactions. To address this weakness in the Ellwood formula, a modified formula is proposed, which accounts for the requirement of positivity of leverage benefits to the purchaser of property.

Investment in REITs has become significant in recent years due to the stability and sustainable performance of the investment. A study on the management perspective is very important but this perspective is very limited. Asset management will derive from the profit optimization of the investment. Therefore, it is important to assess asset management strategies to ensure the sustainable performance of the assets. This paper aims to assess asset management strategies among matured REIT companies in developed countries in comparison with Malaysian REIT companies from the perspective of the managers. This research employed qualitative analyses by using content analysis techniques. A total of 41 REIT companies from the United States (US), Japan, Singapore, Australia and Malaysia were assessed. The analyses focused on the similarities and differences between the strategy framework identified in the literature review and the strategies adopted by global REITs and Malaysian REITs under review. The study will enable all REIT stakeholders to become well-informed on global REIT asset management that will derive the maximum profit from the investment. The success of developed countries’ REITs will provide guidelines for Malaysian REITs to adopt the best practice of strategic asset management from REITs in mature markets. Furthermore, this study is one of few papers that have discussed the issue of strategic property investment, particularly focusing on REITs.

The subject of the thesis concerns the application of selected statistical methods searching for outliers in the process of determining the value of real estate, based on a functional model adjusted to market data.

The collected research material consisted of data on land properties, which were the subject of transactions on local markets, for which there was no information regarding the specific conditions of concluding the sale agreement. After the initial selection of data regarding the purpose of the property in the local plan, the type of property rights being sold and the size of the shares sold - a functional model was adjusted to the obtained data, showing the relationship between the price being the dependent variable and the features of the property being the independent variables. Then, two statistical methods of searching for outliers which are significantly different in their algorithms, i.e. Cook’s distance and robust estimation method called Pope’s method, were applied to each model. The last stage was to determine the model values of selected properties and to compare the obtained results with the known transaction prices of the parcels being the subject of the valuation.

The conducted research allowed for the verification of the influence of significantly different statistical methods searching for outliers on the property valuation result and its accuracy.