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The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effect of information and communication technology (ICT) on real estate agency transactions with a view to determine its influence on the performance of estate agents.

A research approach in which questionnaire was administered to elicit relevant information from 220 practicing Estate Surveyors and Valuers surveyed in the course of the study. Data collected were analysed using mean ranking, relative influence index and analysis of variance.

The results showed that the use of ICT impacted positively on real estate agency transactions by promoting company’s brand thereby increasing the level of patronage. Consequently, the increased level of patronage signifies an increase in the level of income of the agents.

The study was limited to social media applications otherwise referred to as ICT, which are used in real estate agency transactions. Further study on other ICT media and their effects on more areas of real estate practice in the developing economy may be required.

This paper is one of the few works on the impact of ICT on real estate agency transactions with particular reference to the social media networking especially in an emerging economy. Most of the previous studies conducted on ICT and real estate focussed only on internet use with respect to real estate agents and practices.

As part of steps toward providing valuation clients with requisite information on the preparedness of practitioners for intellectual property (IP) valuation, this study developed and evaluated a framework for determining the preparedness of practitioners for IP valuation.

The developed framework built on ideas from past related studies and was evaluated by estate surveyors and valuers (ESVs) in Lagos property market, Nigeria. Through online survey, 125 ESVs participated in evaluating the framework. The professionals evaluated the significance, to preparedness, of 32 variables components of 5 main preparedness framework’s indicators. The variables were rated on a five-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 to 5 with 1 representing Not at all important and 5, Highly important. The data obtained were transposed into preparedness scales and relative important index (RII) using mean rating.

The result showed that four of the five main indicators in the developed framework were judged to be important in the measurement of practitioners’ preparedness for IP valuation. These are sensitisation and awareness of practitioners about IP valuation, training and education at tertiary institutions level, acquisition of informational materials and further professionals training. The fifth indicator (the presence of regulatory and clients’ support) was considered only moderately important. The study concluded that the developed framework, when applied, should be sufficient to establish practitioners’ (ESVs) level of preparedness for IP valuation in the study area and similar markets elsewhere.

The study has implication for the education and training of IP valuation practitioners. It will also serve as impetus for further study in the area of IP valuation, particularly with respect to measuring valuers’ preparedness, in the developing countries.

This study presents one of the few attempts at developing a framework for determining preparedness of practitioners for IP valuation in developing countries; a step which is expected to stimulate further actions towards full IP valuation practice.

Coworking space had been a trajectory in the commercial space operation and management globally. Commercial coworking/tenancy space is confronted with an unexpected shift. This paper aims to examine the peculiarity and investment characteristics of flexible office space and the post-COVID implications on coworking office space practice and investment. This is with a view toward providing investors with an understanding of the dynamics underpinning flexible office space investment in the Nigerian emerging property market.

This study adopted a qualitative research approach. Open-ended interview questions were used to solicit information from nine coworking space operators in the urban property market of Ibadan, Nigeria. The structured interview data were analyzed using Atlas.ti – a computer-aided qualitative data analysis software.

The findings show that the factors influencing demand for flexible office space in the study area include flexibility, affordability, cost-effectiveness, entrepreneurship motivations and opportunity for risk sharing. The results also revealed that coworkers are predominantly mobile individuals who require a workstation away from their homes or a traditional office setup. Management challenges include deficient infrastructure, low level of awareness, stealing and high cost of operations. The impact of COVID-19 includes a drop in patronage, rent refunds, changes in working pattern and job loss, restriction to online and remote operation, the extra cost of putting prevention measures in place, changes in tenancy contract and drops in return on investment.

This study has implications for investors in commercial space occupation and leases in comparable developing economies.

The novelty of this paper lies in its relevance with the emergent behavioral changes, orchestrated from the novel COVID-19, which compels reevaluation of workplace practices and investment for economic improvement, especially as it relates to commercial real estate investment.

This paper aims to empirically investigate the factors and the level of influence on facilities management practice and analyze the relationship among the factors. It also examines the level of effectiveness of outsourcing decision. Recent research effort on outsourcing identified some factors that influence outsourcing decision-making.

Copies of instrument titled “Questionnaire on Outsourcing Decision” designed through a review of outsourcing literature, pilot-tested on the professionals, with valid reliability test results, were used to collect data. Collected data were analyzed using percentage, t-test, Pearson correlation and chi-square.

Majority of the respondents reported that outsourcing is an effective decision. Except for functional characteristics, all other factors (strategic, management, technical, economical and quality) are significantly different from the group mean values. While there is a positive and significant relationship among the influencing factors, there is no significant relationship between the years of experience and the perception on the effectiveness of outsourcing decision.

This study is limited to five selected tertiary institutions. The justification for their selection is attributed to their relative adequate infrastructural facilities, the existing practice of outsourcing and the size of the institutions. The further frontier of knowledge can be extended from here.

The findings exposed the policymakers and stakeholders in the public universities to the major factors that affect the effectiveness of outsourcing and the direction for future practical research in the area of facilities management within the tertiary institutions of learning.

The thrust of this paper provides check and balance in the adoption of outsourcing approach with tested instrument that ranks the influencing factors in facilities management practice in a developing economy within educational institutions.