Professional/Short Course Real Estate Investment and Development

Content

Real Estate Investment

This part of the module will focus on commercial real estate investment. The starting point will be to examine real estate investment at the asset level then the emphasis will move to the portfolio level. Even though real estate is at the heart of this module, mainstream financial investments will also be referred to in the quest of enhancing understanding and also because real estate often forms part of much wider portfolios. The importance of diversification will, therefore, be examined and developed. The core areas that this part will cover are performance measurement, portfolio theory, capital asset pricing model, alternative real estate vehicles, international real estate investment and risk management. 

Lastly, you will also be involved in an investment game that will be handed to you on the first day. While this is not mandatory and will not be assessed, you are encouraged to participate. A league table will be run every investment week to see how your selected portfolio will perform. 

Real Estate Development (and Planning) 

The development part of the module provides a course of study with an explicit planning and property development process focus. Emphasis will be placed on linking and applying economic concepts and planning instruments to development processes, particularly appraisal techniques used in land, residential and property development decision-making in the UK. It will develop an understanding of economic and other relationships between markets, the key actors in development, as well as some fiscal and planning policies. In short, it seeks to integrate concepts and techniques to provide a thorough understanding of the planning and property development process from inception to disposal.

What will the course outcome be? 

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to:  

• Discuss and evaluate the position of real estate as an investment asset in the national and global investment market.  
• Identify and analyse risk in investment and critically evaluate portfolio strategies and techniques to manage such risk.  
• Critically discuss, evaluate and apply different asset pricing theories to real estate, and alternative ways of investing in real estate.  
• Apply the economics of land value creation through development activity and evaluate the economic constraints under which development decisions are taken. Critically discuss conceptual models of the planning and development process including the activities, elements, skills and research intelligence involved.  
• Identify and appraise potential development opportunities and propose optimum development strategy through the utilisation of economic concepts and planning policy; and the critical application of a range of practical development appraisal techniques. 
• Compare the UK and international fiscal instruments and examine their impact on the development process and how associated risks can be managed. 

Learning and Teaching

This course will be delivered as on-campus seminars with resources available online to support your studies. You will have the flexibility to fit your studies around personal and professional commitments, with access to our learning resources any time. Studying while you work also provides valuable opportunities to apply what you have learned directly to your role.

Our comprehensive learning platform provides your entire course content, and puts you in contact with your tutor and fellow students.

Assessment

We assess your work through a variety of coursework assignments, including essays, reports, surveys and presentations. We also encourage you to do 'formative work' to prepare for assessment. This does not count towards final marks, but the feedback you receive helps improve your performance.

The assignment is based around three elements: Economic data analysis (2,000 words), a valuation report (3,000 words) and a valuation viva of 10 mins.