The Institute

The Real Estate Research Institute is a non-profit organization created to stimulate high quality research on real estate investment performance and market fundamentals that will elevate the quality of real estate decision making. Incorporated in 1987 as the NCREIF Research Institute under the sponsorship of the National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries (NCREIF), it was exempted from federal income taxes in 1988 as a 501(c)(3) corporation. Active program development began in late 1988 and the first research grants were awarded the next year. The name of the organization was changed to the Real Estate Research Institute in 1992 in response to a broadening base of support.

Administrative functions of the Institute are housed at the Pension Real Estate Association

The Mission

Real Estate as an asset class suffers from a limited base of performance and market information and a scarcity of rigorous, objective, analyses of its behavior. Acceptance of the asset class has been hampered as a result.

The Institute is a response to this need. The Institute's mission is to encourage research that applies academic theory and analytic techniques to real estate investment decision-making by:

  • Establishing an agenda of issues critical to a better understanding of real estate markets, investment characteristics and performance.

  • Raising funds to support rigorous, objective and practical research on these key issues.

  • Soliciting, evaluating, and funding specific proposals for research from academics, industry, and the investment community.

  • Communicating the results as broadly as possible.

Accomplishments

Accomplishments of the Real Estate Research Institute to date have been:

  • A research agenda and study priorities, created with participation by academics, real estate industry researchers, pension consultants and pension plan sponsors.

  • Broad participation and growing recognition by top-flight academics, real estate industry researchers, and investment community associations.

  • An active research program and a track record of successfully completed projects.

  • A broadening sponsor base of academic and industry associations as well as individual real estate advisory firms.