Property finance and investment

Overview

What is property finance and investment?

Property finance and investment is a specialism of real estate and surveying and has its own RICS APC pathway.

An investment and property manager manages their clients’ property portfolios to maximise returns through asset management and buying or selling. It includes services relating to property finance advice or provision, or indirect property investment.

Although your focus is on the financial attributes of property, rather than its physical attributes, you also require experience such as inspecting buildings.

Skills

What’s required for the role?

Numeracy
Financial modelling
Analytical skills
Excellent communication skills and the ability to work well with clients and other professionals
Report writing
Commercial awareness

The details

Learn more about the role

What's the role like in practice?

Investment Surveyors may work for banks, other financial institutions or for specialist consultancies working for clients.

The work can involve sourcing and managing deals, providing expert consultancy, collecting and analysing data, working with clients and other professionals.

Drive and motivation are important to work in this very client focused arena.

Usual office hours with some domestic or international travel sometimes needed. A driving licence may be required.

What's the work environment like?

Mainly office-based with some site work.

What qualifications are required?

Employers may require a RICS accredited (or other relevant) degree, with graduates working towards MRICS or AssocRICS status.

Is it for you?

Other useful skills to have:

Using a wide range of data such as verbal, written, numerical and perceptual information
Analysing and identifying patterns in data
Working with different people such as clients and specialists

Sustainability

How are agents responding to the need for sustainability?

The growth in investment in sustainable property is driven by client demand – as landlords and occupiers’ commitments to reducing their ecological footprint increase, (driven by ethics, customer demand or increased legislation) fewer green buildings are expected to fall behind when competing for customers and high returns. Understanding market and societal trends, Investment Surveyors anticipate and understand the risks and impact of demand, and that sustainable property investment has grown from a niche activity to a mainstream product.

There are challenges, including the high one-off costs of making buildings energy efficient, and of measuring sustainable buildings in terms of monetary returns and whilst transparent green credentials and certification are popular with clients, different standards across the world can be difficult to compare.

However according to RICS, “Research has illustrated that property pricing is increasingly distinguishing between properties and portfolios that exhibit different sustainability-related features and resulting performance”, and Investment Surveyors strategies are driven by the desire to move towards sustainable, future proofed property portfolios.

Employment opportunities

Where will it take you?

Employers often look for graduates with transactional experience, analytical skills and some relevant experience so you could build on previous experience through a graduate development programme or real estate experience.

Whilst many students have an RICS accredited degree, there are opportunities for non-cognate graduates to join a firm and study for a property qualification whilst working.