Real estate is more than the buildings we see and use daily. Behind the façade, there is a vast network of companies and professionals that make the industry possible. Just like any other industry, real estate evolves and faces constant changes. Digitalization and proptech have begun revolutionizing the sector by reshaping business processes and making new services and products possible. With the rise in popularity of coworking and coliving, the concept of space as a service has been changing not only commercial and residential properties but also the way we live and do business.
Coming up with an estimated size of the global real estate market is not an easy task. In 2020, public real estate companies worldwide were worth nearly 3.2 trillion U.S. dollars. Over 44 percent were companies in the Asia Pacific region making it the industry leader. In Europe, the sector was valued at almost 0.5 trillion U.S. dollars with Germany accounting for 25 percent.
Value of listed real estate market in Europe, by countryThe role of the real estate agent is to assists both sellers and buyers in making the right decision when purchasing a property. Agents not only market the properties and find buyers, but also prepare the paperwork for the transaction. Approximately 1.4 million people in the United States were registered in the National Association of Realtors in 2019, which was the highest number on record. A similar trend was observed in other countries as well such as the Netherlands and Belgium.
Commission rate of real estate agents in the U.S.As Artificial Intelligence (AI), blockchain, and big data analytics advance, the real estate industry has a real opportunity to embrace new concepts and products, as well as disrupt and improve existing processes. Naturally, this is not possible without major investment. In 2019, Wafra Capital Partners invested 400 million U.S. dollars in Knotel, a technology-driven flexible workspace provider based in New York, which was the largest proptech investment globally in 2019.
Annual number of proptech funding rounds globallyWorldwide, trillions of U.S. dollars are invested in real estate through various investment vehicles such as stocks, trusts, funds, and direct investments. Real estate asset managers specialize in managing properties with commercial purposes: developing a marketing strategy, finding and liaising with lenders, managing budgets and cash flows, and hiring property staff. Brookfield Asset Management, The Blackstone Group, and PGIM are just a few of the titans setting the direction for the sector.
Leading REITs worldwide by market capProperty services is an umbrella term for services that facilitate the real estate sector. This includes various institutions specializing in residential and commercial real estate investment, sales, and management. Furthermore, it includes property technology innovation companies that develop and optimize real estate services and products. Naturally, there are many activities that are vital to the sector but are excluded from this section and can be found elsewhere on our platform:
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