Proprietary Research Group

Hines Proprietary Research Group combines real-time information generated by Hines’ local offices with top-down macroeconomic trends and proprietary pricing models to inform investment decisions.

Proprietary Research at Hines

The integration of internal and external research is critical to every stage of the investment process including the development of investment strategies, transaction underwriting and execution, portfolio construction and capital allocation strategies. Hines Proprietary Research is also deeply involved in client advisory and strategy analysis as we seek to optimize investment and fiduciary objectives for our partners.

How Research Informs Investment Decisions

One of the most important parts of our investment process is initial research. Whether it is scouting emerging markets or assessing fund opportunities, our proprietary research lays the groundwork for sound investment decisions.

Uncovering Investment Opportunity

We use advanced research models to assess markets, risk, and track global trends in pricing. Our in-depth modeling and real estate outlook play a fundamental role in determining our investment opportunities and strategies.

Global Analysis Backed by Local Expertise

Our presence in 314 cities and 28 countries sources invaluable insights and local expertise that we align with our investment strategies. This process creates a strong foundation for executing successful investment strategies and ongoing property investment.

Research Areas

  • Capital Markets Cycles

    We have found that pricing is a key driver of future performance. Based on this insight, the capital markets cycle is a critical area of analysis for Hines Proprietary Research. Using historical data from a range of global data sources – including CoStar and PMA among others – we create proprietary pricing models. Our forecasts, which cover more than 300 global markets, inform deal underwriting and are shared in every Investment Committee package.

  • Real Estate Fundamentals Cycles

    Hines Proprietary Research analyzes historical data on supply, demand, vacancy and rents from leading research firms. These data points are used as inputs for our proprietary models. We publish rental growth forecasts for hundreds of global markets accompanied with possibilities and confidence intervals. With this unbiased and comprehensive perspective, Hines’ regional teams can make informed and strategic underwriting decisions.

  • Tactical Opportunities

    Our models seek to identify untapped yet advantageous cities and property types on a five-year basis. These tactical investment opportunities are driven by the investment cycle unique to a city. The breadth of Hines Proprietary Research puts the data in context to identify relative value across hundreds of global markets.

  • Strategic Targets

    Our tools identify the local sub-market and micro-market locations that potentially can provide a high-performing, long-term, strategic investment for our partners. Complemented by demographic data and local supply and demand characteristics, our proprietary research aims to uncover crucial variables for out-performance.

  • Alternative Real Estate Strategies

    When we study niche strategies, like medical offices, self-storage spaces and manufactured housing, we look for attractive risk-adjusted returns at various points in the cycle. Local acquisition and development experts turn to Hines Proprietary Research to evaluate the opportunities within niche strategies against the traditional areas of office, retail, industrial and multifamily.

Leadership

Photo of Joshua Scoville, CFA

Joshua Scoville, CFA

Head of Global Research   |   Boston, MA

​Mr. Scoville heads the firm’s proprietary research group which identifies how market forces, including macroeconomics, commercial real estate fundamentals, and capital markets influence investments and returns. He is also a member of the firm's global Investment Committee.

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