Firms outsource business functions to focus on core competencies and cut operating expenses. However, companies must consider agency costs in determining the optimal staffing/outsourcing balance. Analysis of the views of corporate real estate managers and real estate service providers indicate...

Buetow and Albert (1998) discuss options embedded in lease contracts. They present a pricing framework, calibrate it using data from the National Real Estate Index and apply it using a numerical method known as the finite difference method with absorbing boundaries. This note extends the...

Several approaches have been used to estimate and adjust for price movements in residential real estate; however, weaknesses remain in current systems. This study incorporates a different way of measuring temporal price patterns. The method involves a time series model, an approach not previously...

The perception of high crime rates in downtowns has hindered the revitalization of downtown shopping districts and adjacent residential areas. This paper presents a better methodology for measuring crime in commercial shopping districts, replacing the conventional method of quoting crimes per...

This study examines the changing diversity of home buyers and the steps brokerage firms are taking to adapt to these changes. The results reveal that larger firms are experiencing a greater increase in customer diversity. This can be partly explained by their efforts to target diverse groups...

This paper develops an option-theoretic model of a retail lease. The standard retail lease contains provisions for a security deposit, a base rent, and a percentage rent or a sharing between landlord and tenant of rent revenue above a preset sales threshold or break point level. The findings...

This study examines various determinants of idiosyncratic risk from the perspective of un-diversified REIT investors, managers holding options, other option holders, and arbitrageurs. Since real estate investment trusts (REITs) enjoy a unique organizational structure and tax status, the relevant...

This study examines the determinants and consequences of price clustering. Real estate list and transaction prices exhibit two price-ending characteristics: even (000-ending) and just-below-even (900-ending). The use of even-ending prices is negatively related to the precision of the price...

This paper examines the expected price appreciation of distressed property and compares it to the prevailing metropolitan area appreciation rate. Whether due to individual property or local area heterogeneity in appreciation, the results show that foreclosed property appreciates less than the...

This paper analyzes the effect of financial advisor-monitors on the valuation of REIT mergers. We analyze advisor choice determinants and the effects of advisors on transaction value using a sample of REIT mergers for the 1981 to 2001 period. We estimate a two stage target firm pricing model:...