Over the span of two weeks in May, ten students traveled to Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Hanoi, and Singapore. Throughout their journey, they engaged with prominent companies such as CBRE, Lendlease, and Gamuda Land, gaining valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities presented by the Asian market.

Here’s what adjunct professor Brett Lee, with Taylor Derrick, had to say about the trip. “Returning to Asia was a wonderful experience, as I feel a deep personal connection to this region. The professionals we met enlightened us about the dynamics of real estate in their countries, broadening our perspectives and deepening our appreciation for the unique cultural diversity that defines us. We gained valuable insights on applying international best practices to local real estate projects. The trip also offered a meaningful opportunity to spend time together and create lasting memories. The bonds we formed will serve as the foundation for continuing to build upon these relationships, enriching both our personal and professional lives.”

Many of the students shared highlights of the trip, including:

“My main takeaway from the trip was how culturally influenced and dependent all these different projects were, as well as the companies themselves and their investment and decision-making processes,” said Fynn Haldeman.

Ben Hayden commented, “I loved learning how laws/regulations varied from country to country and how those regulations impacted real estate development. Each place had a different way of approaching real estate, based on land availability, economic health, regulations, etc. It was fascinating to see the scale and size of real estate that is developed in other countries as well.”

“In Shanghai we met with Jeff Liu from V Capital. After their presentation, it became more clear that development in other countries is relatively similar to the U.S. There are still stark differences in how you engage with the people involved due to cultural differences or in the regulatory frameworks such as land ownership but they’re still looking at similar metrics and financing projects similarly. While they reported 20% vacancy in office space, they still felt like this was a strong asset class due to the government placing emphasis on it,” shared Eric Durrant.

Finally, from Logan Taggart, “The importance of following the U.S. Federal Reserve monetary policy because many other countries’ economies are affected by those decisions. The fundamental rule that prices of real estate are a function of supply and demand. This can lead to highly populated cities like Tokyo or Ho Chi Min to be fairly affordable and cities like Hong Kong and Singapore to be very unaffordable.”  READ MORE