Strategic

Question 1

What have you learnt about strategic real estate consultancy from your training in this area?

Answer 1

The Importance of Understanding Business Objectives
Tailoring Solutions to Client Needs
Long-Term Thinking and Future-Proofing Assets

Question 2

How have you gained an understanding of your client’s organisation and its strategy?

Answer 2

talking to the client and staff, visiting sites, background research.

Question 2

Provide an example of an on-going instruction which you have been involved with relating to the provision of strategic advice. What was your role in the project?

Answer 2

Dexters- advice over whole portfolio for a few years. advising on mcc, tone.

Question 3

How did you convince your client that your advice offered the ‘best’ solution to meet their needs?- Industrial

Answer 3

through scoring matrix- showed them what i came to and explaining the process

Question 4

How do you measure organisational/real estate/financial performance for a client?

Answer 4

look at staff retention, KPI turnover, sales revenue, footfall traffic if retail operator

Question 5

How has real estate been used to facilitate organisational change?

Answer 5

Corporate Restructuring and Cost Efficiency
Workplace Transformation and Flexibility

Question 6

what have you learnt from attending your economic outlook CPD?

Answer 6

interest rates- mortgages- stable for the time being at 5%.
labour market- brexit harder to come to uk, vacancies high, wage growth increasing

Question 7

How might a business use real estate in different ways?

Answer 7

as a marketing tool
investment
selling goods

Question 8

What is a real estate strategy?

Answer 8

To help a business reach long term objectives and goals
improve performance, encourage collaboration

Question 9

How can a business measure performance?
How can real estate strategies improve business performance?

Answer 9

KPI

Question 10

How does real estate impact business performance?

Answer 10

real estate footprint- free up capital to use elsewhere in business

employee retention

Question 11

What have you learned about strategic real estate consultancy from your experience?

Answer 11

understand clients short term and long term goals in order to provide strategic advice

Question 12

What is a topical trend that is impacting real estate currently?

Answer 12

hybrid working- escalated from covid, office space decreasing as too much footprint
ecommerce causing death of the high street

Question 13

How might the economic climate impact real estate strategies?

Answer 13

low interest rates- borrow money for cheaper- increase fluidity in market, aquire more sites/expand

Question 14

Broadly speaking, what are some ways businesses can mitigate costs with regards to real estate?

Answer 14

service charge audit
look into reducing rent
install renewable energy especially with fluctuating energy market

Question 14

Do you think real estate strategies might differ depending on their geographical location, thinking internationally?

Answer 14

politically, tax, ESG credentials

Question 15

Traffic Light Report- What did you learn from this research? Why is it important to understand your client’s business and the market they operate in?

Answer 15

researched company and found only recently acquired new sites

understand where there market comes from. e.g. restaurant operator- aware need to have sites near high footfall areas with similar competitors

Question 16

How might real estate strategies differ across asset classes? i.e. restaurant / retail versus offices

Answer 16

different locations- industrial- transport links,
retail/restaurants- closer to high footfall areas to increase business

Question 17

Analysing Data- How did you input structure to your clients portfolio?

Answer 17

excel sheet showing all the properties in a user friendly format

Question 18

Rates Mitigation Communication- What is your understanding of your clients organisation and its strategy?

Answer 18

estate agent 170 retail units in london, strategy to expand and be the dominant real estate agent in london

Question 19

Rates Mitigation Communication- What is the impact of this growth on identifying cost savings or mitigating liability?

Answer 19

broader search, more team involved to send out flyer and answer queries

Question 20

Option Analysis- North London- What made it low specification?

Answer 20

no 3 phased power
no rolling shutter
no office space

Question 21

Option Analysis- Why did your client want to relocate?

Answer 21

expand the business, to a bigger site

Question 22

Option Analysis- What DD did you investigate?

Answer 22

site location
my client’s requirements
gathered data- other locations, the occupiers’ use, and their general specifications.

Question 23

Option Analysis- What metrics were you looking at to compare the options?

Answer 23

metrics included spec, cost, employee satisfaction

Question 23

Option Analysis- why did your client lease another unit?

Answer 23

less flexibility with leased sites, occupation of a long term, bespoke fitout

Question 24

Option Analysis-Provide an example for each element of the SWOT analysis.

Answer 24

strength- owner occupied
weakness- low specification and small
opportunity- planning, or move sites
threat- current market with moving sites potentially costly, timely loose employees if move.

Question 25

Option Analysis- Why couldn’t a brand new modern building improve employee satisfaction?

Answer 25

moving sites, relocate people increases journey time, needed skilled labour which would of decreased with move.

Question 26

Option Analysis-What was the outcome of your advice?

Answer 26

advised to stay on site to undertake the works. improve employee satisfaction, and specification whilst expanding site.

Question 27

Option Analysis-Talk me through the presentation

Answer 27

i didn’t present to the client personally however i collated the data and gave to a senior member of my team who presented.

Question 28

what are KPIs

Answer 28

Key Performance Indicators
quantifiable measure of performance over time for a specific objective