Eva Poon

Despite the credit crunch, the global office markets are still on an “upward trend,” according to a report by real estate services firm, Colliers International. The emerging markets continued to record strong growth in the sector.

The country’s recent investment-grade status and robust domestic demand for residential and office properties are continuing to fuel development in Brazil’s real estate market.

San Diego, California-based private equity real estate firm Equity Based Services has picked up 1,563 storage units in Texas.

The Singapore-based firm will invest $200m over the next year in the Indian property market, including real estate developments such as mixed-use complexes, IT parks and residential and commercial projects.

The joint venture between New York-based Och-Ziff and Florida-based real estate developer The Kolter Group is targeting residential investments in the southeast region of the US.

The private real estate investment firm has acquired nine multifamily properties in the Austin, Texas market, betting on the area’s strong demographics.

The private equity real estate firm has partnered with US-based real estate investment firm ConAm to acquire a 456-unit apartment complex in Sacramento, California. The pair plan to upgrade the property and increase rents.

The Miami, Florida-based firm has launched its fourth real estate vehicle to target distressed or under-managed office properties in the southern US region. The vehicle will also consider multifamily investments with ‘extreme distress.’

Joseph Azrack, the former president and CEO of Citi Property Investors, will join Leon Black’s new real estate arm, a separate entity from the veteran real estate firm named Apollo Real Estate. Apollo Global's operation will focus, initially, on distressed debt and recapitalizations.

Thompson National Properties, the private equity real estate firm founded by former Grubb and Ellis chairman Anthony Thompson, has opened an office in New York adding a former Wachovia Securities director as managing director to target real estate debt.