Previously, I worked for a listed real estate investment company where I built and oversaw a property portfolio comprising of commercial properties and assets under development.
Overall, I have been in the finance industry for the past 20 years, initially working as an attorney at American law firms focusing on capital markets and corporate acquisitions, before moving inhouse to join Kone Corporation with various executive and specialist roles.
Why should one invest in commercial real estate? Because it is a valuable addition to anyone’s stock and bond portfolios. Besides traditional mutual funds, investors typically don’t have direct access to commercial properties.
CRE has been on offline industry for institutional investors only, and we at Innovestor are making it more online and transparent.
My vision at Innovestor is to bring real estate investment more easily available for our co-investors by combining institutional quality knowledge and real estate opportunities, which typically requires relationships and local expertise.
We also want to be a front-runner in using tech to disrupt real estate, including for example the use of blockchain technology which will soon transform property operations including purchase, financing, leasing, and management transactions.
In terms of selecting good investment properties, “location, location, location” is of course a key investment driver, but I review carefully also many other factors to identify the best markets and properties for growth and rental return.
Some view real estate investing boring and old school. I think, however, that in the real estate business, you learn more about people, businesses, community and life than probably in any other profession.
Besides real estate, I am passionate about new innovations and venture capital investments. I enjoy advising and serving on the boards of startups and growth companies, in particular those that do business in the former Soviet territories.
On a personal side, I enjoy spending time outdoors with my family of four. In order to stay healthy and happy, I try to complete a few sprint-triathlons every year!
If you want to be successful in real estate, you must stay hungry and humble every day and always put your clients interests first. Also, past success stories are not necessarily applicable to new situations. At Innovestor, I seek to continuously reinvent ourselves responding to new business models and changes in market conditions.
This is a feature in our monthly ‘Meet the team’ series, where we hope you get to know us and our team better. Get to know our Director of Properties, Tomi Asanti.
