Emma RadmoreThis Tuesday we hosted the second seminar in our FUNDamentals series in our Edinburgh office. The session was jointly hosted with NCM Fund Services and Aberdeen Standard Investments and focussed on exploring Real Estate funds in more detail. In particular, the delegates explored the various options for setting up and marketing Real Estate funds and how they launch and raise money in practice.
Our Barry Stimpson gave an overview of the relevant law and discussed regulatory factors to consider when setting up Real Estate funds. Kathleen McLeay (NCM Fund Services) explored common pitfalls and gave some practical pointers to ensure effective and efficient funds set-up. Ross McCall and Heather Morrison (Aberdeen Standard Investments) provided insight into fund proposition and development and how funds can acquire external debt financing.
The seminar concluded with a panel Q&A session.
Key takeaways include:
- Property funds are on the increase and it is a good time to buy assets;
- Get the right advisers in place from the outset, particularly in relation to tax advice;
- Get banks on board early during the proposition phase.
The next seminar in the series will take place in spring 2020.