International Diversification of Real Estate Assets - Is it Worth It? Evidence from the Literature

This paper examines the literature to date on the benefits of diversifying property assets internationally. Currently, there is no consensus on how much benefit can be derived from diversifying property portfolios globally. This is contrary to other financial assets where there seems to be common ground supporting holding international assets. In the real estate literature, there are two contrasting opinions as to the level of integration global property markets have and the advantages there are from holding international property assets. Specifically, this paper shows there are mixed outcomes irrespective of whether direct or indirect property assets are being examined, and this often depends on what type of statistical procedures are being applied. This study also provides some insights into more recent developments in the literature that might explain some of the diverse opinions that have been formed, these primarily being the inter-temporal instability of correlation coefficients and the impact that structural breaks can have upon statistical analysis.