Property loan stock company has unveiled a hostile takeover bid for competitor SA Retail Properties, saying it intended to acquire all the linked units in the company.

Speculation that listed property loan stock company SA Retail Properties could be the target of a hostile takeover bid by another listed property fund has set the market abuzz for the past two weeks.

Listed property unit trust Martprop Property Fund announced interim distributions on Friday that were below the listed property sector average.

The SA property index, which represents property unit trusts and property loan stock companies on the JSE Securities Exchange, produced a negative return in January of minus 0.74 percent

Investors in the listed property sector can expect lower, more stable total returns of 13% in 2005 - says First South Securities property analyst Leon Allison

With privately owned funds offering stiff competition for assets, many listed funds are turning to development option

A STRONG performance from its industrial property portfolio boosted the total distributions to unitholders 3,1% to 24,75c from the previous year, at listed unit trust Martprop Property Fund.

Mortgage securitisation likely to be the next big thing in listed property sector

Demand for units will push up prices

If funds in the listed property unit trust and property loan stock sectorwant to be rated as a preferred stock by asset managers, they need to deliverdistributable earnings growth in the region of 5%.