Despite the stellar performance of the commercial property market last year, Property Unit Trusts (PUTs) – individually listed funds comprising a portfolio of commercial properties – once again outperformed the direct property market, rewarding investors with a total return of 37.5% last year.

The listed property sector is continuing to perform strongly, with the total return for the year at 16,9%, or an annualised 81%, at mid-March.

Market confidence in Property Unit Trusts Keeps bond yield gap tight.

The asset base of property funds registered with the Association of Collective Investments (ACI) had grown to more than R14-billion by end-September 2005, according to the ACI’s most recent statistical release.  This is 83% above January 2005 levels and 253% higher than January 2004.

Listed property unit trust Emira Property Fund reported solid June year-end results with a 15,9% increase in distributions on an annualised basis.

Newly listed property unit trust Emira Property Fund yesterday reported an increase in its distributions for the six months to December of 11% on those of the previous six-month period.

Listed property unit trust Emira Property Fund has committed itself to the purchase of a convenience shopping centre, to be developed in Pretoria.

Property unit trust Emira Property Fund, which listed on the JSE Securities Exchange SA in November last year, has managed to significantly reduce vacancies in its property portfolio, having let about 20552m² of space in the past seven months.

Listed property unit trust Emira Property Fund has named wellknown former property analyst James Templeton new CEO of Strategic Real Estate Asset Managers, the fund's asset managers

Mr. J Templeton has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer/Executive Director on the board of Strategic Real Estate Managers (Proprietary) Limited