Who we are
A50 Real Assets is a Global Alternative Real Estate Investment specialist dedicated to bring outstanding value proposition for Professional Investors, Ultra High Networth Families and Corporates in Hong Kong, through institutional grade research.
Founded by a top corporate banker with 20+ years of professional credit and wealth management experience, we strive to provide an alternative stable income source to complement clients’ conventional fixed-income investments, as well as portfolio diversification, while seeking capital appreciation opportunity. Among the many asset classes in the Alternative Real Estate space, our focus is on Student Accommodations in the US.
Mission
We had been through a prolonged period of extreme low-interest-rate period. Conventional fixed-income investments that rely on interest coupon incomes from bonds did not yield the desired level of return for many investors unless investors compromise on credit quality. Under an appropriate deal structure, student housing assets generate an annual payout of mid-single-digit return, against very stable credit metrics. At the inflation cycle, Student Housing investments provide a natural hedge as the lease is reset on annual basis.
Student Housing Investments provide stable cashflow streams against solid credit metrics (consistently high occupancy, annual rent escalation, low default rate). Demand for modern and quality student accommodation at top tier universities is strong and the aging on-campus accommodation is not catching up quick enough. Student Housing Investments have become one of the preferred alternative asset classes among top institutional investors.
We are dedicating our research resources into US student housing investments. We target modern student accommodations, managed by top operators, which is close to campuses of top-ranking universities. This niche segment of Student Housing Investments would offer the best growth potential, and is the best defensive play even when market turns tough. (Image showing LightView Apartment in Boston, a property of the American Campus Communities).
Hong Kong Investors have a long and established track record of investing in overseas properties. London and other UK cities by far attract the most of Hong Kong investment moneys in recent years, especially in the commercial properties space. In contrast, very little Hong Kong moneys flow into US CRE investments. The complexity of US laws and taxation rules are the biggest hurdle for Hong Kong Investors. By working with a team of carefully selected professional advisors, we guide investors to navigate the system and strive for the most efficient investment structure for our investors.
Senior Team
Managing Principal
Andy M K Ho
Advisory Panel Member
Christopher Warren
Our Analyst team and Professional Partners
We adopt a comprehensive approach in our meticulous investment screening, evaluation, and monitoring processes, in which we take a 360-view in looking at every single aspect of each individual asset and the city/college town settings. Our analysts come from global top 50 universities, majoring in professional and highly relevant disciplines such as Business Analytics, Urban Studies, Quantitative Finance, Global Business, Surveying, and Law. The team provides data analytics support to complement the Senior Team's investment and industry experience. We are in the process of further expanding our team, particularly in the technical and the green issues of Student Housing assets.
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We take investors' end-to-end needs in our deal structure seriously. We work with top Owners, Funds, Operators, and Asset Managers of Student Housings in the US for deal origination, specialist teams at Big-4 accounting firm, US tax attorney, and US banks for structuring, as well as international and local specialized property firms on other specialized issues like property tax and valuation.
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A50 Real Assets Limited is an Organizational Member of US Green Building Council.