This is a sponsored event by the Harvard Graduate School of Design Executive Education.

2020 has been a year full of surprises. Business investment plans created at the beginning of this year have been changed by the pandemic. We know that the world will not be the same once the effects of COVID-19 start to fade, but we do not know how it will look. Real Estate developers and investors always seek certainties. We hate the risks of an uncertain world. On the other hand, during a crisis we can also find opportunities like those that emerged after the 2008 market crash.

How can we start planning our next steps? Can we create our new investment strategies now, even when we do not know what the market will look like? In this program, we will probe how to anticipate future directions in the real estate market.

By studying the logic behind real estate cycles, we will learn about local variance, not only by country, but by city, and how each real estate asset type has its own distinct cycle, affected differently by the pandemic. We will examine the specific drivers for all five asset types (retail, lodging, office, industrial, and residential markets); the difference between physical and financial cycles; and the factors that drive competitors to enter or exit a particular market. Through business cases and exercises, we will explore how to take advantage of both expansions and recessions, bullet proof our projects for the next cycle, anticipate and outmaneuver competitors, and assess, measure, and mitigate risks.

We will further address best practices for negotiating real estate deals, with a special focus on cross-border international negotiation. We will discuss different negotiation tactics and strategies, how to avoid common mistakes, understanding your counterpart’s position and BATNA, and the unique challenges that cross-border negotiations pose. Participants will engage in several negotiation exercises where they will be able to practice new skills.

Instructor

Fernando Levy Hara
Principal and Co-founder, Unico Developers; Principal and CEO, Moon Key Realty, LLC.
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