Counselling Services

Other Services

We offer a full range of professional real estate counselling services. The following examples illustrate some of the ways our expertise can be harnessed by clients:

• Land Assembly
  We investigate the land ownerships in the area, value the various parcels and negotiate their acquisition. We are cognizant of the need for discretion and the assembly can proceed under our name, or that of another nominee, in trust for the purchaser.
  
  
• Negotiation
  We undertake the valuation and then negotiate on behalf of the client, for a multitude of purposes, e.g. acquisition, rental, tax purposes, assessment, expropriation, etc.
  
  
• Expert Witnesses
  We undertake the valuation and then appear, on behalf of the client, as an expert witness in any Court of Appeal for assessment purposes, expropriation, etc.
  
  
• Expropriations
  We undertake the valuation of the expropriated property and provide advice on the various items of claim under the Expropriation Act. We can also negotiate the claim on behalf of the expropriated party and will act as an expert witness if the matter proceeds to Court or the Appeal Board.
  
  
• Investment Analysis
  We analyse investment opportunities and advise on the projected cash flows and the degree of risk involved for competing investment opportunities.
  
  
• Company Asset Analysis
  We value the property assets of the company both on a "break-up" basis and its value as part of the "going concern". We identify idle capital locked up in property assets that could usefully be employed elsewhere in the business.
  
  
• Portfolio Analysis
  Many property portfolios are the result of investment opportunities taken in response to management objectives at a particular point in time. We value your property portfolio and analyse the degree of risk associated with each type of investment to ensure that the current long-term objectives of the portfolio are being realised.
  
  
• Lease Audits
  We review the lease, determine if the rentable area is correct, and undertake an audit of the operating expenses to ascertain if the tenant is being charged back for its correct proportionate share.
  
  
• Highest and Best Use Analysis
  We undertake an economic analysis of the property to determine if it can be more profitably utilised for a different purpose, for example by redeveloping the site.
  
  
• Forensic Appraisal
  We review the appraisal report which is the subject of the investigation and undertake the necessary valuation work to determine if the probability of fraud exists.
  
  
• Review Appraisal
  Using the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) as our benchmark we review appraisal reports undertaken for expropriation and similar purposes to determine if they can reasonably be relied upon.
  
  
• Due Diligence
  We offer this service to prospective purchasers of commercial properties. We thoroughly inspect the property, measure every tenant space using the appropriate standard method of measurement, calculate the usable and rentable areas, read every lease, review each tenant file and the financial records to verify that the rent is being paid in full, verify and validate the operating expenses and recoveries, interview a sample of tenants, investigate the zoning and ascertain if there are any proposed changes, inspect the assessment records and review them for errors. Although we do not usually search the title, we read the legal descriptions, reconcile them with the survey plans and plot the boundaries, easements and rights of way onto a scale map so that the purchaser can see what they are buying.
  
  
• Strategic Advice
  The market meltdown in 1990 toppled real estate from its pedestal. No longer an icon of corporate stability and wealth, its role has been subsumed to the operational imperatives of the enterprise . it is now just another asset which has to earn its keep every hour of every day. We study real estate: it is our business to know when change is occurring. We advise clients when or if they should be buying, selling or leasing . when it is economic to renovate or redevelop.
  
  
• Mortgage Security Analysis
  We measure the impact of the operating, financial, and total leveraging effects, conduct break-even analysis, review the debt service and value to mortgage ratios, consider downside risk and upside potential for mortgagees and mortgagors.
  
  
• Tenant Mix
  We advise on the optimum tenant mix in retail, office and warehouse space drawing on our marketing, brokerage and valuation expertise, utilising mathematical techniques such as linear programming.