Thesis (S.M. in Real Estate Development)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Real Estate Development in Conjunction with the Center for Real Estate, 2011. / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 53-54). / Over the last decade, Morocco has witnessed an accelerated process of political, economic and social reforms aimed at improving the business climate and solidifying the economic indicators. Morocco's structural reforms share the objective of positioning the country as an attractive investment destination. The impact of these reforms has been felt in many sectors particularly real estate which has been developing at phenomenal rates in recent years. Aware of the great strides that Morocco has taken to position the country as an attractive investment destination, many foreign real estate developers expressed their interest to participate in the real estate sector. However, the financial crisis forced these developers to revise their business plans and put their projects on hold. Structured into three sections, the thesis aims to answer the question of: Is Morocco an attractive destination for foreign investors looking to invest in the residential real estate segment? The first chapter introduces the country and highlights key social and economic reforms which establish Morocco as a growing emerging economy whose government is proactively introducing investor-friendly reforms, incentives and programs. The second chapter presents an analysis of the housing sector, its demand drivers and supply indicators. A market segmentation is then performed which coupled with a market analysis, case studies and interviews, reveals that the low income segment is the best segment to target for investment. The third chapter sheds light on the evolution of foreign direct investments in the real estate sector. It proceeds to identify the differences between the local and foreign developers in terms of focus, strategy and profitability as well as outline key measures that the Moroccan government should take in order to encourage foreign participation in the sector. The paper concludes with a summary of findings and an investment framework for future developers looking to participate in what seems to be a lucrative and rewarding sector. / by Khadija Oubala. / S.M.in Real Estate Development

Thesis: S.M. in Real Estate Development, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Real Estate Development in conjunction with the Center for Real Estate, 2014. / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 75-76). / A central consideration in real estate is how value is created in real estate development and investment deals. A biomass power plant is not only an asset which generates revenues, but from a real estate perspective, it also creates additional value to the owners' existing farmlands. Biomass energy assets are similar to traditional real estate and infrastructure in a lot of ways. On the other hand, biomass energy assets are characterized by the feedstock fuel and multiple revenue generators such as sale of power, carbon credits and biomass ash. Furthermore, favorable regulatory policies make biomass energy assets more distinct and attractive. The current biomass investment market is a relatively young and evolving market. Southeast Asia has a huge potential for biomass investment. The market players are mostly dominated by investors and firms with specialized technical knowledge about renewable energy and/or traditional power production, and private equity and venture capital firms are not very active in this market. The lack of technical insight and information transparency are stopping these financial institutions from entering the market. Therefore the Biomass Valuation Model (BVM), developed in Excel®, allow the critical technical and financial components to communicate effectively, which would help to determine the viability of the biomass investment projects with greater certainty. The BVM would be able to generate financial outputs from the perspectives of real estate development, financial and economic conditions, and the biomass power generation technical process. This valuation model (BVM) would be helpful to investors, considering the amount of time and effort required in overcoming the technical barrier, hence providing investors the "first-mover" advantage in tapping into the biomass investment market. / by Chester Ren Jie Foo. / S.M. in Real Estate Development

Thesis: S.M. in Real Estate Development, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Real Estate Development in conjunction with the Center for Real Estate, 2016. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 57-58). / Since 2000, the population structure has been rapidly changing in Korea. Especially, with the trends of delayed marriage, low fertility rate, high divorce rate, separated family due to jobs and education, and the growth of the senior population, the number of single or two-person households is expected to increase despite the decline in population. The government has recognized the importance of the small-sized rental housing market, and it introduced various policies to satisfy the increased demand. However, the supply market has not yet been boosted, because many big companies hesitated to execute their business concerning their profitability, and small companies and individuals suffered from lack of expertise while operating and managing their land and properties. In this situation, this study develops some strategies to increase the supply of small-sized rental housing and to improve the quality of living environments by reviewing the diverse cases and business models in Korea and in other countries. To understand the characteristics and needs of single and two-person households, they can be classified into 4 groups. This classification will be a base for developers and construction companies when they supply housing units and when the government provides subsidies and tax benefits. The biggest problem with the supply is the lack of land because of its high price. To solve this problem, a sub-lease business model is suggested, and using existing multi-family and multiplex housing is another way. With the sub-lease business model, the introduction of professional lease management services will help satisfy all the needs of landowners, tenants, developers and construction companies. For development projects, project financing is a common method to raise funds in Korea. As in the United States, various funding sources, such as asset-backed securities, Real Estate Investment Trusts, and a portfolio, are required. For construction, the modular method can be an option to save construction cost and time. / by Jung Mi Lee. / S.M. in Real Estate Development

Thesis: S.M. in Real Estate Development, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Real Estate Development in conjunction with the Center for Real Estate, 2018. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 49-50). / Since 2010, China has put forward ample efforts to liberalize its currency and financial systems to transition into an economy with sustainable growth. However, the severe capital flight in these past two years prompted the government to place capital control regulations on both retail (individual) and institutional investors engaged in cross-border investments. These regulations include temporary halts of various programs such as the Qualified Domestic Institutional Investor Scheme and the Qualified Domestic Limited Partner initially devised to facilitate a smooth capital flow in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone, while promoting new initiatives such as the Stock Connect and One Belt One Road. The action of the government has since stabilized a continuously devaluated Renminbi and increased the alarmingly low level of foreign reserve. On the negative note, however, the regulations also dramatically suppressed the volume of cross-border transactions and subsequently caused changes in Chinese investors' profile, partnership structure and preference for overseas markets. The fast change of the investment dynamics prompts questions including if there is still strong demand for foreign assets by Asian investors, what are the channels to continue to engage with China-based investors and their capital, how to build a sustainable business strategy with a policy-driven economy, and what the potential future risks would be. To answer these questions, it is important to distinguish between channels that are temporally closed but in the long term will continue to play a significant role in liberalizing the Renminbi and channels that are still viable even under the capital control regulations. Hong Kong plays a strategic role in this discussion. This thesis is based on rigorous research combined with an in-depth analysis of the strategies of local market players who have established business relationships with Chinese investors and formed insights into future developments based on the current investment dynamics. The thesis attempts to provide an idea of the gradually changing landscape of global investments and propose more sustainable business strategies with investors domiciled in policy-driven economies such as China's. / by Chang Zhao. / S.M. in Real Estate Development

Thesis (S.M. in Real Estate Development)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Real Estate Development in Conjunction with the Center for Real Estate, 2012. / Cataloged from department-submitted PDF version of thesis. This electronic version was submitted and approved by the author's academic department as part of an electronic thesis pilot project. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 81-83). / This paper discusses possible optimal corporate portfolio composition for Japanese trading and investment firms from stakeholders' (specifically shareholders and employees) value maximization perspective. Based on the historical returns of diversified business units of 4 subject companies, performances of individual business units and three portfolios (current, tangency, and "suboptimal") are analyzed and compared. The study suggests adjusting suboptimal portfolio composition based on each business unit's systematic risk and excess market return relative to its systematic risk and industry average. A firm also needs consideration on how the composition adjustment would affect diversification benefits the firm now enjoys and also on its overall management strategy. Key words: corporate portfolio management, diversification, stakeholder theory, portfolio theory, CAPM, Index model, accounting beta, Jensen's Alpha, Treynor ratio, multi-factor model. / by Takanori Ono. / S.M.in Real Estate Development

Thesis: S.M. in Real Estate Development, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Real Estate Development in conjunction with the Center for Real Estate, 2015. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 69-73). / Two tall residential towers in midtown Manhattan were under construction in 2014, prominently setting records for both height and for the early sale prices of their condominium units. These are to be followed in the next several years by at least five more such luxury skyscrapers in the same district. This phenomenon has renewed public interest in the use of air rights in New York City. Despite widespread media attention and studies by community groups, examination of transferable development rights usage in New York has not included the application of rigorous financial analysis. This paper first provides a comprehensive account of the history of various forms of air rights in New York City, particularly chronicling how such air rights have developed and changed over time to the present day. Following on this understanding, and using these two recently-constructed residential towers as examples, this paper provides detailed narratives describing how these projects assembled their development rights, and how this spatial envelope was used. The paper concludes with a canonical comparison of the acquisition prices of these development rights with their final sales prices and a regression of the price on floor height and size. / by Matthew McNelly Jones. / S.M. in Real Estate Development

Thesis: S.M. in Real Estate Development, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Real Estate Development in conjunction with the Center for Real Estate, 2017. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (page 65). / When it comes to financial innovations, Mortgage Backed Security (MBS) has the advantages of scattering risk, increasing liquidity, and lowering the financing costs. However, there are a few obstacles to developing a mature MBS market, among which the pricing of MBS is the vital one. Reasonable pricing will not only lead to the success of MBS issuance, but also pave the way for the China's MBS development in the future. This paper first introduced the definitions and development of MBS, and reviewed studies on the Subprime Crisis from the MBS prospective. This paper then discussed the MBS products, issuance procedures, and pricing principles. In particular, it analyzed the key factors of MBS pricing which affected the cash flow of MBS, and the methods to calculate the cash flow considering prepayment behavior. Based on China's capital market and the differences between Chinese and American capital markets and residential loan markets, this paper explored the appropriate pricing model for China's MBS market, and selected Static Cash Flow Yield method to price the MBS products in China. A simulation case was priced using SCFY. In the final section, the author gave some predictions about the development of MBS in China, including improving the primary and secondary mortgage market and the intermediary service system, and furthering interest rates liberalization. / by Shalin Chen. / S.M. in Real Estate Development

Thesis: S.M. in Real Estate Development, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Real Estate Development in conjunction with the Center for Real Estate, 2018. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 71-72). / New York City is projected to add nearly one million residents by the year 2040. At a time when housing supply and affordability are a significant factor for global competitiveness, the city has implemented a variety of regulations and incentives to encourage new development. Current Mayor Bill de Blasio's housing strategy includes an initiative to rezone several neighborhoods to accommodate higher density, encouraging the private real estate development industry to build more units while requiring that a portion of those units be made permanently affordable. While rezoning actions are often studied years later in order to provide enough time to measure their success, the city's plan calls for as many as 15 neighborhoods to be rezoned within 10 years. A real-time analysis of an individual neighborhood rezoning proposal, approved during the time of this thesis, provides the ability to evaluate research questions related to how rezoning is being carried out now and how participants may alter their strategies going forward. The neighborhood of East Harlem, the third area in the city to undergo this rezoning process, is thus used as a case study for how rezoning is carried out, compromised and ultimately approved. The analysis reveals that the total amount of new residential development made possible through rezoning is limited compared to a "no action" scenario. Thus, the most significant impacts of rezoning are not to dramatically increase the number of new residential units to be built, but rather to require that a portion of those new units are made affordable through the introduction of the city's mandatory inclusionary housing program. Additionally, the rezoning process resulted in significant city commitments to public investments in the neighborhood. Yet, these commitments are not guaranteed within a specific timeframe and are almost entirely the responsibility of the public sector to implement. While the ability of rezoning to produce a significant number of new residential units is limited, rezoning will continue to serve as a primary means for the city to attempt to house its growing population. / by Midori Wong. / S.M. in Real Estate Development

Thesis: S.M. in Real Estate Development, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Real Estate Development in conjunction with the Center for Real Estate, June 2017. / "September 2016." Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (page 94). / The built environment consumes more than 40% of the energy used around the world and nearly 70% of the electricity used in the United States. These same buildings use 25% of the world's fresh water resources and contribute 50% of global waste. In order to make the buildings we inhabit more resource-efficient, strategies are being employed through the use of technology, materials, and design in order to achieve a new standard of environmental impact, called net-zero buildings. To date, only a few dozen buildings in the United States have achieved net-zero or net-positive energy and water status, where they capture as much or more energy and water through renewable energy resources and water collection and reuse mechanisms as they use on an annual basis. This thesis examines the many energy- and water-efficient systems, design solutions, and materials that work together to create more sustainable structures and presents case studies for two highly-efficient developments. These net-zero interventions are then compared to the highest-scoring Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) buildings across the United States in an attempt to detail the similarities and differences in the goals of each system. Research of the top 10 highest-rated investor-owned buildings shows a significant gap in performance between the systems and design elements used to achieve LEED Platinum status and the energy and water interventions that are necessary to reach net-zero consumption goals. The gap in performance between LEED and net-zero design is related to regulatory hurdles, technological advancements, and the sophistication of design teams. Combined, these influence the commercial diffusion of net-zero development projects and can be used to understand how the built environment can start to meet sustainability goals. / by Kevin M. Murphy. / S.M. in Real Estate Development

Thesis: S.M. in Real Estate Development, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Real Estate Development in conjunction with the Center for Real Estate, February 2018. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 54-56). / There are neighborhoods right in the heart of a city that seem dead and forgotten. The inhabitants of the city steer clear of these neighborhoods. I believe many people perceive these places to be beyond repair. Yet, there are a few individuals who have seen potential in the forgotten neighborhood and were able to revive them. In most cases they did it with minimal investment coupled with a belief that it could be done. A true underdog story. The questions I aim to answer are: How were these neighborhoods turned around? What are the attributes and characteristics they all share? Essentially, what is the secret sauce to reviving a beat up neighborhood? I believe it is important to study those people that have successfully revived more than one neighborhood, because, if you have done it more than once then it is not a fluke and we should pay special attention. We focus on two men, Tony Goldman and Joe Englert. They are responsible for the successful rejuvenation of seven neighborhoods. My goal in writing this is to give others confidence that a neighborhood can be revived and give them a path to do so. / by Alberto R. Vadia. / S.M. in Real Estate Development