Real estate transaction volumes globally set to exceed $1 trillion

The world’s ageing population will drive real estate transaction volumes to surpass $1 trillion globally by 2020, up from $700 billion in 2015, according to a new report.

Institutions are also set to increase their market share, which currently sits at 20per cent, driven by the need to cater for the ageing global population’s investment requirements, says the analysis from international real estate services firm JLL.

The major influencers in this trend are set to be international investors, with cross border activity expected to exceed 50% of all investment activity by 2020 to over $500 billion annually, with the biggest increase coming from capital moving between the regions.

David Green-Morgan, global capital markets research director at JLL, pointed out that by 2050 there will be more people over the age of 55 than the entire population of the world in 1950.

“This demographic impact will have a profound effect on real estate investment strategies with the amount of private equity capital targeting direct real estate set to increase by over 500per cent,” he said.

The report explains that real estate investment markets have witnessed several new trends over the last 10 years as the sector has become global, helped by the asset class’s stable income stream and the attraction of diversified portfolios, lower risk and a hedge against inflation.

The definition of mainstream real estate investment has widened considerably and now includes healthcare, aged care, student housing, residential development, public and private real estate debt and the establishment of a multi-family sector outside of the United States.

The alternative real estate sector has emerged as a bright spot of activity and opportunity in an investment landscape beset by low yields and volatile returns.
Allocations have grown rapidly, with 2015 seeing a record breaking £15 billion in transactions in the UK alone, representing around 25per cent of all commercial real estate investment, up from less than 10per cent five years ago.