Breaking News
Transactions-Based Index (TBI):
2008 Q1 Update
May 6 , 2008
Results for the 1st quarter of 2008 show a 2.1% capital return for the properties sold in the NCREIF database. The demand-side index continued to fall, by 4.6 percent, which is the third straight quarterly drop, for a cumulative decline of more than 14 percent versus the mid-2007 peak. However, the supply side of the market raised its reservation prices by 9.2 percent in the first quarter.
Click here for the latest Press Release
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Moodys/REAL Commercial Property Index (CPPI): April Update
April 22, 2008
The latest results of the Moodys/REAL CPPI show an increase of 2% in February for the all properties national index. Click here for Press Release on MIT-RCA index launch
Getting a Fix on Derivatives: Geltner Speaks at Institutional Investor Conference
April 22, 2008
If fully realized, the value of the US real estate derivatives market could eclipse $1 trillion. To equip investors with knowledge and tools essential to actively trade property derivatives, Professor David Geltner joined other experts in NYC for a 2-day Institutional Investor intensive. Learn more!
WSJ Focuses on Wheaton, Who Suggests Fears of Housing Slump May Be Seriously Overdone
March 24, 2008
The Wall Street Journal spotlighted analysis by MIT/CRE Professor Bill Wheaton, who offered a brighter view of market conditions than the gloomy one now in vogue. The Journal noted Wheaton's successful record of independent thinking, reminding readers that "Mr. Wheaton is no perma-bull. Quite the reverse: he was warning about the coming real estate crash back when the usual hallelujah chorus were singing and clapping their hands." Download article (pdf, 23K) or visit WSJ online.
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Fellowship Honors Industry Icon
Blake Eagle has been called the father of the real estate investment industry. He has also been praised for greatly expanding the Center's reach in his tenure as Chairman, meanwhile serving as a devoted mentor to its students. To honor his contributions and to establish a living legacy that supports students of the Center, the Blake Eagle Fellowship Fund has been created to provide tuition support to a candidate for MIT's Master of Science in Real Estate Development. Full story.
Highlights
Real Estate Capital Markets: Learn Strategies for Uncertain Times
Coming Friday, May 16, 2008
Real estate capital markets have sailed headfirst into rough seas of softening economic fundamentals, greater risk premiums, and tightening credit. How can capital providers and users thrive? On Friday, May 16th, the MIT Spring Real Estate Symposium will present some of the region's biggest stakeholders as they offer strategies for 2008 and beyond. Register now!
Pioneering Team Shows Real Options in Action
April 17, 2008
The vertical expansion of Blue Cross/Blue Shield headquarters in downtown Chicago is arguably the most iconic implementation of real options theory in the world. Designed and built in the mid-1990s to extend vertically while in full operation, the expansion from 36 to 60 floors is now underway. Hear a talk on April 17th by Andrew Pini and the team making it real!
Download Overview (pdf, 146K)
Building to Build Community — Lessons from Global Development

Posted March 11, 2008
Few can dispute how profoundly developers and communities affect each other. In different parts of the world, that interplay varies dramatically, as seen by MSRED students in a travel course that took them to Dubai, Istanbul, and London. On February 26th, students presented highlights from that trip with lessons of interest to developers everywhere.
- Read about student presentation
- See travelogue from United Arab Emirates
- See travelogue from Turkey & England
- Read media coverage of trip by the UAE's Khaleej Times and zawya.com
Featured Alumni Project: Grad and His Banker Team Up to Teach
May 11 , 2008

Entrepreneur Roberto Arista '96 and his banker Janet Spencer established a remarkably rewarding and successful business partnership — so much so that they regularly visit the Center to give students an inside look at its day-to-day workings. Their presentation series "The Entrepreneur and His Banker" is now in its 4th year, and details the evolution of their working relationship, the growth of his companies, and the mechanics of financing in good markets and bad. Learn more.
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