Working Paper #605
Real Estate Transparency
Jacques N. Gordon
Commercial real estate has recently become more transparent in many parts of the world. As the industry becomes more international, stakeholders—owners, investors, lenders, occupiers, developers and service providers—demand more information, consistent regulatory treatment and higher ethical standards. In many countries, the industry still struggles to provide the expected, basic market data, reporting standards and governance. Major markets tend to have much higher levels of transparency than second- and third-tier markets. Nonetheless, the Jones Lang LaSalle Real Estate Transparency Index (RETI) indicates that the overall trend toward greater transparency is unmistakable, with new investment performance benchmarks, more financial disclosure by listed real estate companies, and heightened external governance of these listed companies. This article provides a global analysis of the 2006 RETI, in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific.