Wide and wise eye for opportunity

The creation of a real estate portfolio cannot be achieved from a computer terminal. Unlike financial markets, real estate markets are opaque. It is a commonplace observation that exceptional returns only go to individuals and teams who inspect the buildings, land and surroundings with as much zeal as the numbers - and by looking with experienced eyes, they create value.

Cross border experience

Markets also conceal significant local differences in lease structures, taxation and transaction costs and may hide barriers to entry for new investors. There is no substitute for long-run cross-border experience. But first there must be a flow of information - and that can only come from a network of local contacts in all target countries, between whom and the investing team there is long established mutual respect. The Internos founders have each had 20 years - a combined 40 years - in which to establish such informal networks, build trusted relationships and gain experience of transacting across borders.

Sophisticated debt negotiation

The advantages of cross-border experience are especially relevant when applied to the handling of debt, negotiation or renegotiation. Many local operators and even international fund managers fail to look outside their own countries, or the project- base nation, in seeking finance. For Internos, casting a continent-wide net and, tapping the widest range of high-level contacts in financial and banking sectors is basic to our philosophy. And we apply this not just at project outset, but as a regular discipline to accelerate performance of existing assets. Debt renegotiation is a vital tool for faster recovery.