A new website has been launched to give investors access to information on the both non-listed and listed real estate funds in Europe. Jurg La Fors, the founder of the internet platform - www.compire.info - says the concept is so simple he is surprised it didn't already exist. 'In my last job with Dutch pension funds for print workers it struck me that there was no free, easily accessible overview of funds, particularly private funds, on the internet. This is due to a combination of the in-transparency of the market and the specific laws from country to country.'
A new website has been launched to give investors access to information on the both non-listed and listed real estate funds in Europe. Jurg La Fors, the founder of the internet platform - www.compire.info - says the concept is so simple he is surprised it didn't already exist. 'In my last job with Dutch pension funds for print workers it struck me that there was no free, easily accessible overview of funds, particularly private funds, on the internet. This is due to a combination of the in-transparency of the market and the specific laws from country to country.'
Compire (Commercial Platform Indirect Real Estate), part of which is subscription-based, is aimed at European institutional and professional investors. The site will provide an overview of both listed and non-listed real estate funds. La Fors says Compire will have factsheets on non-listed real estate funds, providing the fund managers of these vehicles with a 'unique opportunity' to reach 3,000 professional investors. This argument seems to have convinced several major fund managers such as ING Real estate, Henderson Global Investors and Aberdeen Property Investors. They have all signed up as Compire's premium partners. Henderson:
'We believe the Compire website offers a valuable service to professional investors. It is relatively simple with this platform to find information about real estate products and compare the data.' Compire will have financial data on 185 listed real estate companies and funds - something La Fors says is unique. 'Not all European investors have access to Bloomberg or Reuters. How then do you get a quick rundown on the last share prices of European listed property companies?'
Fund units cannot be traded directly through Compire, but La Fors says the site is a first step in the investment process, enabling investors to create a shortlist of funds. 'I am convinced Compire will be a boon for the indirect property market. Naturally there is Inrev, the European association of non-listed real estate funds. Inrev carries out brilliant work, but it is not a promotion platform for individual funds. Inrev's database of funds is only available to paying members.' La Fors emphasises that Compire, in contrast, is free. 'I mean I don't have to pay to look at the house-for-sale adverts in the window of an estate agent's office, do I?'
CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO GO TO COMPIRE.INFO
