When the housing market pancaked in 2008, homeowners and builders fretted the market would turn to molasses as mortgage lenders started requiring significant down payments for loan approvals. Who could afford $50,000 down payments, especially when so many people were out of work or absorbing pay cuts?

Bribery and corruption remain pervasive business problems, and not just in developing countries. According to the 12th global fraud survey from EY, 29 percent of the survey’s 2,700 respondents from around the world reported that bribery or corrupt practices occur “frequently” in their countries.

DTZ, the Australia-based global property services firm, is expressing itself with a new accent these days with the opening of a Latin America regional headquarters in Mexico City.

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said it eloquently and poignantly: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Life in the 21st century, for many, is extremely fragile, and in some instances a large number of families are getting crushed economically. These are the tortured souls. A hostile environment populated by tortured souls is dangerous to society.

Data compiled by McGraw Hill Construction shows that its Dodge Momentum Index gained 2.0 percent in May following April’s strong rebound, when the index advanced 8.4 percent after having retreated in February and March. 

The commercial real estate debt market is in a very healthy state today as borrowers benefit from high capital availability because of favorable market fundamentals supporting lender demand. A large but responsible level of capital, available from a variety of sources and across an array of structures, has been supporting refinancing of quality properties and new acquisition financing of equity transactions.

With the welcomed arrival of summer, receding memories of 2008 and the ongoing recovery, we are filled with excitement and hope for the future. Now, maybe, is the time to review what we may not know, or may have forgotten, about real estate, and revisit its place within a multi-asset portfolio.

Some rock stars write hit songs about mythical places, such as a kingdom hidden somewhere in Inner Asia. Others are elected presidents of great nations and promise to turn the mythological into reality. The smashing election of new India president Narendra Modi is one of those occasions that promise the latter.