In this article, we are going to list the 15 biggest real estate companies in the world. Click to skip ahead and jump to the 5 biggest real estate companies in the world. The real estate industry is a big business that generates hundreds of billions of dollars of revenue annually, and there are plenty of opportunities for investors to make a profit. The real estate industry includes many aspects of a property, including all the development, valuation, marketing, sale, leasing, and management of commercial, industrial, residential, and agricultural properties.
If we come to think of it, real estate is a cyclical industry that responds to macroeconomic trends such as interest rates, population growth, and economic strength. Today, the real estate industry is one of the most highly profitable sectors of the U.S. economy and remains to provide opportunities for interested and motivated investors. But before that, the industry experienced a rollercoaster of events that marked the history of real estate in the country. Real estate rose in the post-World War II economic boom of the 1950s, plunged in the inflation-ridden 1970s, soared again in the early 1980s until the depression at the end of that decade, and became prosperous again by the end of the century.
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The global value of the real estate industry was rated at $6.9 trillion in 2018 and is expected to reach $8.7 trillion by 2026, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.8% from 2019 to 2026. COVID-19 pandemic has had a sudden impact on all aspects of people’s lives. The government-mandated lockdowns have directly impacted commercial real estate as offices and retail stores have closed down yet gave way to boost the tech and e-commerce industries during the pandemic. Check out the 15 best e-commerce stocks to buy now to include in your portfolio. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the residential sector has established its position for resilience and stable operating cash flows.
Factors driving the growth of the real estate market include the growth of corporate outsourcing; rising capital investments to real estate; rapid urbanization and urban construction; the development of new technologies; and the need to build a more sustainable environment and to take immediate and effective measures to combat climate change. Our ‘new normal’ will take time to progress, yet promises a better future for the real estate industry.
The real estate industry transformed as the United States switched from an agricultural society to an industrial one. Check out the top 10 largest agricultural companies by revenue in the US for a detailed analysis of the agriculture market in the US. In 2019, the US was the largest market for real estate with market size of $3.41 trillion followed by Japan, the UK, and China. This explains why most of the real estate companies on our list are from the US. We created a list of the top real estate companies in the world and ranked them by their total revenue, market cap, assets, and the number of employees that we sourced from Forbes. Let’s check out the biggest real estate companies in the world starting at number 15:
15. Link REIT
Revenue: $1.3 billion
Market Cap: $18.5 billion
Assets: $29.6 billion
Number of Employees: 955
Headquarters: Hong Kong, HK
Link Real Estate Investment Trust operates a diversified portfolio of assets including shopping centers, parking spaces, offices, and retail real estate amounting to HK$195 billion. The company owns approximately 131 assets whereas 87% are in Hong Kong and 13% in four key Chinese first-tier cities. In 2020, Link REIT stepped its foot in the European market and announced its deal of purchase of 25 Cabot Square in London for $475 million. This deal was announced seven months after Link REIT’s first acquisition outside Hong Kong and Mainland China where the company purchased a 10-story A-grade office tower at 100 Market Street in Sydney, Australia for AU$683 million. The company will increase its exposure in Mainland China and the gateway cities of other major developed markets, such as Australia, Singapore, Japan, and the United Kingdom, due to their relative economic stability and liquidity, as well as transparent regulatory environments.
Covivio SA, which used to be known as Fonciere des Régions SA, is a French real estate investment trust company with a diversified portfolio of office real estate assets. Covivio specializes in designing and developing attractive offices (3.3 million m² of office space in France, Italy, and Germany), multi-service hotels (350 hotels), and residentials (41,000 residences).
Healthpeak Properties, Inc. is a real estate company that invests primarily in commercial property that serves the health care industry in the United States. The company acquires, develops, leases, sells, and manages healthcare real estate and provides mortgages and other financings to health care providers. Healthpeak’s consolidated investment portfolio consists of approximately 615 properties.
AvalonBay Communities is one of the biggest real estate companies in the world engaged in the development, acquisition, ownership, and operation of multi-family communities. In 2020, AvalonBay Communities owned or held a direct or indirect ownership stake in 294 commercial properties with 86,676 apartment properties in 11 states, primarily New England, New York/New Jersey, Mid-Atlantic, Pacific Northwest, Northern and Southern California, and the District of Columbia.
AvalonBay Communities Inc (NYSE:AVB)
11. Lundbergs
Revenue: $2.7 billion
Market Cap: $10.5 billion
Assets: $18.7 billion
Number of Employees: 3,259
Headquarters: Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm-based real estate tycoon Lundbergs AB operates as a parent company and a contractor for other commercial enterprises, including real estate leasing. The company also offers equity and securities trading, as well as forestry and paper manufacturing. The real estate sector is consists of approximately one million square meters of the leasable area across 132 properties. The area consists of approximately 50% of the residential units and the rest of the premises are commercial premises which are mainly office and retail space, but also educational facilities, gyms, film theaters, warehouses, and industrial premises.
Public storage is one of the world’s largest real estate companies engaged in the acquisition, development, ownership, and operation of self-storage facilities. The self-storage company started offering its facilities in 1972 and since then Public Storage has grown with thousands of locations in the US and Europe. The company also provides more than 170 million net, profitable square feet of real estate.
Boston Properties is one of the largest owners, managers, and investors of Class A office properties in the United States, with a major presence in five markets: Boston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. The firm operates a diverse portfolio of primarily Class A office spaces totaling approximately 48.4 million square feet and consisting of 164 office properties, 5 retail properties, 5 residential properties, and a hotel. The Company has a record in developing premium Central Business District office buildings, new suburban centers, and construction projects for the U.S. government and a diverse array of highly leveraged tenants.
Digital Realty Trust is the 8th largest data center provider in the world. Digital Realty Trust, Inc. works as a real estate investment trust engaged in the provision of the data center, placement, and interconnection solutions. Digital Realty supports the network infrastructure, configuration, and interconnection strategies of customers around the world, ranging from cloud and information technology services, communications and social networking, financial services, manufacturing, energy, healthcare, and consumer products. Digital Realty Trust owns over 280 data centers in over 20 countries around the world.
Prologis runs as an industrial real estate investment trust and operates and develops storage services as well as logistics facilities. The company is involved in the ownership and development of logistics properties and also includes rental income, recoveries, and expenses recognized from its consolidated properties. Prologis also operates a strategic capital segment, which represents the management of co-investment undertakings and other unconsolidated entities. The company owns 976 million square meters of modern logistics space and 4,679 facilities in 19 counties.
Welltower, Inc. is committed to providing health care infrastructure and investing in senior housing operators, post-acute providers, and health systems. The company also offers assisted living facilities, independent living/continuing care retirement communities, care homes, self-supporting living facilities, nursing care homes in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
TORONTO – The Toronto Regional Real Estate Board says home sales in October surged as buyers continued moving off the sidelines amid lower interest rates.
The board said 6,658 homes changed hands last month in the Greater Toronto Area, up 44.4 per cent compared with 4,611 in the same month last year. Sales were up 14 per cent from September on a seasonally adjusted basis.
The average selling price was up 1.1 per cent compared with a year earlier at $1,135,215. The composite benchmark price, meant to represent the typical home, was down 3.3 per cent year-over-year.
“While we are still early in the Bank of Canada’s rate cutting cycle, it definitely does appear that an increasing number of buyers moved off the sidelines and back into the marketplace in October,” said TRREB president Jennifer Pearce in a news release.
“The positive affordability picture brought about by lower borrowing costs and relatively flat home prices prompted this improvement in market activity.”
The Bank of Canada has slashed its key interest rate four times since June, including a half-percentage point cut on Oct. 23. The rate now stands at 3.75 per cent, down from the high of five per cent that deterred many would-be buyers from the housing market.
New listings last month totalled 15,328, up 4.3 per cent from a year earlier.
In the City of Toronto, there were 2,509 sales last month, a 37.6 per cent jump from October 2023. Throughout the rest of the GTA, home sales rose 48.9 per cent to 4,149.
The sales uptick is encouraging, said Cameron Forbes, general manager and broker for Re/Max Realtron Realty Inc., who added the figures for October were stronger than he anticipated.
“I thought they’d be up for sure, but not necessarily that much,” said Forbes.
“Obviously, the 50 basis points was certainly a great move in the right direction. I just thought it would take more to get things going.”
He said it shows confidence in the market is returning faster than expected, especially among existing homeowners looking for a new property.
“The average consumer who’s employed and may have been able to get some increases in their wages over the last little bit to make up some ground with inflation, I think they’re confident, so they’re looking in the market.
“The conditions are nice because you’ve got a little more time, you’ve got more choice, you’ve got fewer other buyers to compete against.”
All property types saw more sales in October compared with a year ago throughout the GTA.
Townhouses led the surge with 56.8 per cent more sales, followed by detached homes at 46.6 per cent and semi-detached homes at 44 per cent. There were 33.4 per cent more condos that changed hands year-over-year.
“Market conditions did tighten in October, but there is still a lot of inventory and therefore choice for homebuyers,” said TRREB chief market analyst Jason Mercer.
“This choice will keep home price growth moderate over the next few months. However, as inventory is absorbed and home construction continues to lag population growth, selling price growth will accelerate, likely as we move through the spring of 2025.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
HALIFAX – A village of tiny homes is set to open next month in a Halifax suburb, the latest project by the provincial government to address homelessness.
Located in Lower Sackville, N.S., the tiny home community will house up to 34 people when the first 26 units open Nov. 4.
Another 35 people are scheduled to move in when construction on another 29 units should be complete in December, under a partnership between the province, the Halifax Regional Municipality, United Way Halifax, The Shaw Group and Dexter Construction.
The province invested $9.4 million to build the village and will contribute $935,000 annually for operating costs.
Residents have been chosen from a list of people experiencing homelessness maintained by the Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia.
They will pay rent that is tied to their income for a unit that is fully furnished with a private bathroom, shower and a kitchen equipped with a cooktop, small fridge and microwave.
The Atlantic Community Shelters Society will also provide support to residents, ranging from counselling and mental health supports to employment and educational services.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 24, 2024.
Housing affordability is a key issue in the provincial election campaign in British Columbia, particularly in major centres.
Here are some statistics about housing in B.C. from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s 2024 Rental Market Report, issued in January, and the B.C. Real Estate Association’s August 2024 report.
Average residential home price in B.C.: $938,500
Average price in greater Vancouver (2024 year to date): $1,304,438
Average price in greater Victoria (2024 year to date): $979,103
Average price in the Okanagan (2024 year to date): $748,015
Average two-bedroom purpose-built rental in Vancouver: $2,181
Average two-bedroom purpose-built rental in Victoria: $1,839
Average two-bedroom purpose-built rental in Canada: $1,359
Rental vacancy rate in Vancouver: 0.9 per cent
How much more do new renters in Vancouver pay compared with renters who have occupied their home for at least a year: 27 per cent
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.
