JLL bullish about real estate investments in Asia Pacific

MANILA, Philippines - Global real estate services firm JLL, which was recently ranked the number one real estate investment advisory firm in Asia Pacific in 2013, is bullish about investor interest in the region, including the Philippines.

Stuart Crow, head of Asia Pacific Capital Markets at JLL, said the Asia Pacific region is growing rapidly, with 2013 marking a record year for direct investment in commercial real estate markets. About $220 billion was invested by foreign capital in the region.

JLL Philippine country head David Leechiu observed that some of that capital is already trickling into the Philippines for the first time and is likely to increase in the next few years.

 â€œSoon enough we will see some of that foreign capital enter the Philippines, and that will be a game changer for the economy and country.” Leechiu said.

JLL’s capital markets team in Asia Pacific advised on over $21.5 billion of commercial real estate investment transactions in 2013 in Asia Pacific, equating to 36 percent market share in the region.

Stuart added: “Over the past year, we have grown our team significantly, adding 15 regional experts to meet this increasing demand from cross border investors, as a result.”

“We expect investor interest in 2014 to be even greater than last year; there is a significant continued demand for prime assets in core markets across Asia Pacific, as investors from around the world look to expand their real estate portfolios.”

According to recently released independent data from Real Capital Analytics (RCA), the company which shortened its name from Jones Lang LaSalle to JLL was ranked number one in the office, industrial, hotel, and retail sectors.

JLL has been ranked in overall first place in Asia Pacific since RCA began releasing data in 2011.

The RCA ranking is considered by many as the definitive industry standard which, since starting three years ago, has helped increased transparency in real estate markets across the world.