Real-Estate Advisory
Advisory only — acquisition diligence, holding structure, joint-venture documentation and disposition. Brokerage handled by partners.
What this service is
Real estate is one of the four sectors Kaelo operates in directly. The Advisory practice covers the moments that decide whether a transaction holds up at year five: how the asset was diligenced, how the holding was structured, how the joint-venture documents allocate risk, and how the exit was sequenced. We do not act as brokers; brokerage sits with partners we have worked with for years.
“The transaction that closes well is the one whose diligence file is dull. The exciting diligence file is the one that should have killed the deal.”
— An Operating Council principal, Kaelo Advisory
What we are accountable for
Where the work lands.
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01
Acquisition diligence & underwriting
Commercial, structural, regulatory and title diligence on the target asset. Independent of any brokerage incentive.
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02
Holding structure & substance
How the asset is held, by whom, and where. Built for the holding period the asset actually demands.
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03
Joint-venture documentation
Co-ownership terms, governance, capital calls, deadlock and exit provisions — written before the relationship is tested, not after.
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04
Disposition advisory
Sequencing, structuring and the tax position on exit. Done in writing months before the sale process opens.
How we engage
From first email to standing review.
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01
Diligence diagnostic on the target
Two-to-four-week structured diligence covering commercial, structural, title, regulatory and tenant dimensions. Output: a written diligence file the lender, partner and tax counsel can all read.
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02
Holding & JV structure design
Where the diligence supports proceeding, the holding architecture and any JV documentation are written before the transaction commits. Co-ownership terms, governance, deadlock and exit provisions are documented at entry.
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03
Operating support through closing
We sit alongside your legal counsel through closing — not as the legal lead, as the architecture lead. The documents reflect the structure that was designed; the closing does not improvise.
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04
Optional disposition advisory at exit
Where the asset is later sold, the disposition is structured and sequenced in writing months ahead. Tax position, partner notice, sale-process design.
Where this applies
The sectors this service is shaped for.
When to call us
The shape of the moment this work usually arrives in.
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01
You are acquiring a commercial, hospitality or residential asset above AED 50M and need the diligence run independently of the broker.
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02
You are entering a real-estate joint venture and want the co-ownership documents written before the relationship is tested.
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03
You are restructuring or refinancing an existing real-estate holding and the structure is no longer optimal for the operating thesis.
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04
You are preparing for disposition of an asset and need the exit sequenced months in advance, not weeks.
Engagement profile
Acquisition advisory for a mid-market commercial portfolio.
A clean diligence file, a written holding structure, and a JV document the partners signed without renegotiation. The transaction closed on the original timeline.
Recent mandate, anonymised
Disposition advisory on a stabilised commercial portfolio across two cities.
Sequenced over twelve months: tenant repositioning, structure tidy-up, tax position, sale-process design. The portfolio closed within the targeted range; the buyer ran a single diligence cycle with no re-trade.
For clarity
What we will not do here.
- We do not act as broker. Acquisition and disposition transactions are introduced through partners; Kaelo’s role is advisory only.
- We do not provide regulated investment-advice services on real-estate funds — that work is outside scope.
- We do not run development project management. Where development advisory is needed, our work ends at structuring and sequencing.
- We do not work on transactions where our role has been pre-defined to ratify a decision already made.
Frequently asked
The questions that arrive first.
- 01 Are you a regulated real-estate broker?
- No. Brokerage is handled by partners we have worked with for years. Kaelo Advisory provides the advisory layer — diligence, structuring, JV documentation, disposition strategy. The boundary is documented on Regulatory Disclosures.
- 02 Which markets do you work in?
- Primarily the GCC and India, with selected work across South-East Asia and the wider markets where Kaelo holds direct operating experience — see Real Estate sector. Outside this footprint we work with locally appointed counsel.
- 03 Do you advise on hospitality and mixed-use assets?
- Yes — hospitality, retail and mixed-use sit within scope where the diligence and structuring questions match our operating depth. Pure development assets pre-stabilisation are case-by-case.
- 04 How does this work connect to Investments?
- Kaelo Investments holds direct real-estate positions on the group balance sheet. The Advisory practice is independent — we will not advise on a transaction Kaelo is itself bidding on; conflicts are documented and resolved in writing.
- 05 How long does a typical mandate run?
- Acquisition diligence: 4-8 weeks. Holding structure design: 2-4 weeks. JV documentation: 4-6 weeks. Disposition advisory: 6-12 months depending on the asset. All scopes are agreed in writing.
- 06 How are fees structured?
- Fixed fee for diligence and structuring. Success-fee components on disposition are documented in advance and tied to outcomes that are demonstrably within our control. No volume-driven brokerage incentives.
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