{"id":{"repo_id":"mit","oai_identifier":"oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/68187"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/mit/oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/68187","repository":{"repo_id":"mit","name":"MIT","base_url":"https://dspace.mit.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Alternative investment opportunities in real estate for individual investors","abstract":"This thesis will evaluate whether an unsatisfied need to access private commercial market real estate investment opportunities exists on the behalf of individual investors via their Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) and 401(k)s and, if so, what the optimal investment structure is to accommodate that need given certain investment parameters. Institutional Investors, with few exceptions, maintain some percentage of their investment portfolios in commercial real estate assets. That allocation to real estate assets can be achieved in any combination of the following investment vehicles: direct ownership (separate accounts), public real estate investment trusts (REITs), closed and open-ended commingled private equity funds, and joint ventures with local partners or developers. According to the Pension Real Estate Association (PREA), the average institutional investor currently allocates approximately 9% of its investment portfolio to real estate, with public REITs only serving as 5% of that allocation. The remaining 95% is composed of direct investment, closed and open-ended commingled funds, and joint ventures. Institutional investors have a long time horizon and a myriad of resources at their disposal to optimize their asset allocations. But can individual investors with similar long-term liabilities replicate institutional real estate strategies within their own retirement portfolios? Individual investors are increasingly becoming their own fiduciaries through defined contribution programs; defined benefit plans' percentage of total retirement assets in the US has been in significant decline for decades, with no sign of reversal. Real estate is an important asset class for pension plans in terms of providing current yield, inflation protection and diversification; it should be equally important in individual investors' portfolios. This thesis argues that one way for individual investors to efficiently gain private market commercial real estate investment exposure is through a multi-manager core fund held within a collective investment trust.","abstract_html":"This thesis will evaluate whether an unsatisfied need to access private commercial market real estate investment opportunities exists on the behalf of individual investors via their Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) and 401(k)s and, if so, what the optimal investment structure is to accommodate that need given certain investment parameters. Institutional Investors, with few exceptions, maintain some percentage of their investment portfolios in commercial real estate assets. That allocation to real estate assets can be achieved in any combination of the following investment vehicles: direct ownership (separate accounts), public real estate investment trusts (REITs), closed and open-ended commingled private equity funds, and joint ventures with local partners or developers. According to the Pension Real Estate Association (PREA), the average institutional investor currently allocates approximately 9% of its investment portfolio to real estate, with public REITs only serving as 5% of that allocation. The remaining 95% is composed of direct investment, closed and open-ended commingled funds, and joint ventures. Institutional investors have a long time horizon and a myriad of resources at their disposal to optimize their asset allocations. But can individual investors with similar long-term liabilities replicate institutional real estate strategies within their own retirement portfolios? Individual investors are increasingly becoming their own fiduciaries through defined contribution programs; defined benefit plans' percentage of total retirement assets in the US has been in significant decline for decades, with no sign of reversal. Real estate is an important asset class for pension plans in terms of providing current yield, inflation protection and diversification; it should be equally important in individual investors' portfolios. This thesis argues that one way for individual investors to efficiently gain private market commercial real estate investment exposure is through a multi-manager core fund held within a collective investment trust.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Harper, Jeffrey D. (Jeffrey David)"],"institution":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Real Estate. Program in Real Estate Development.","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["W. Tod McGrath."],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2011,"date_issued":"2011","date_published":"2011","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:21:43Z","subjects":["Center for Real Estate. Program in Real Estate Development."],"languages":["eng"],"rights":["M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission."],"rights_urls":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/68187","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["W. 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The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.","Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.","Includes bibliographical references (p. 79-80)."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This thesis will evaluate whether an unsatisfied need to access private commercial market real estate investment opportunities exists on the behalf of individual investors via their Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) and 401(k)s and, if so, what the optimal investment structure is to accommodate that need given certain investment parameters. Institutional Investors, with few exceptions, maintain some percentage of their investment portfolios in commercial real estate assets. That allocation to real estate assets can be achieved in any combination of the following investment vehicles: direct ownership (separate accounts), public real estate investment trusts (REITs), closed and open-ended commingled private equity funds, and joint ventures with local partners or developers. According to the Pension Real Estate Association (PREA), the average institutional investor currently allocates approximately 9% of its investment portfolio to real estate, with public REITs only serving as 5% of that allocation. The remaining 95% is composed of direct investment, closed and open-ended commingled funds, and joint ventures. Institutional investors have a long time horizon and a myriad of resources at their disposal to optimize their asset allocations. But can individual investors with similar long-term liabilities replicate institutional real estate strategies within their own retirement portfolios? Individual investors are increasingly becoming their own fiduciaries through defined contribution programs; defined benefit plans' percentage of total retirement assets in the US has been in significant decline for decades, with no sign of reversal. Real estate is an important asset class for pension plans in terms of providing current yield, inflation protection and diversification; it should be equally important in individual investors' portfolios. This thesis argues that one way for individual investors to efficiently gain private market commercial real estate investment exposure is through a multi-manager core fund held within a collective investment trust."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["S.M.in Real Estate Development"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Alternative investment opportunities in real estate for individual investors"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["W. 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That allocation to real estate assets can be achieved in any combination of the following investment vehicles: direct ownership (separate accounts), public real estate investment trusts (REITs), closed and open-ended commingled private equity funds, and joint ventures with local partners or developers. According to the Pension Real Estate Association (PREA), the average institutional investor currently allocates approximately 9% of its investment portfolio to real estate, with public REITs only serving as 5% of that allocation. The remaining 95% is composed of direct investment, closed and open-ended commingled funds, and joint ventures. Institutional investors have a long time horizon and a myriad of resources at their disposal to optimize their asset allocations. But can individual investors with similar long-term liabilities replicate institutional real estate strategies within their own retirement portfolios? Individual investors are increasingly becoming their own fiduciaries through defined contribution programs; defined benefit plans' percentage of total retirement assets in the US has been in significant decline for decades, with no sign of reversal. Real estate is an important asset class for pension plans in terms of providing current yield, inflation protection and diversification; it should be equally important in individual investors' portfolios. This thesis argues that one way for individual investors to efficiently gain private market commercial real estate investment exposure is through a multi-manager core fund held within a collective investment trust."],"dc:description.degree":["S.M.in Real Estate Development"],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/68187"],"dc:language.iso":["eng"],"dc:publisher":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology"],"dc:rights":["M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission."],"dc:rights.uri":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"],"dc:subject":["Center for Real Estate. Program in Real Estate Development."],"dc:title":["Alternative investment opportunities in real estate for individual investors"],"dc:type":["Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:21:43Z"}