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PurposeBeyond contributing to literature, research findings are expected to reinforce existing best practices while also serving as a springboard for formulating new and more efficient methods of undertaking economic activities. However, academic research is sometimes divorced from implementation and research findings are not always translated into practice. This study, therefore, assesses the impact of real estate research activities and findings on the practice of real estate surveying and valuation in Nigeria as the largest real estate market in Africa.Design/methodology/approachAn online questionnaire survey was conducted to obtain relevant data from Estate Surveyors and Valuers across the country. The survey questions cover reading of academic papers from the field of real estate and the reasons for doing so; whether they have made any changes to their professional practice based on findings from academic papers; and possible barriers to adoption academic research findings in your practice. Mean score ranking and principal component analysis were employed for data analysis.FindingsOut of a total of 61 participants, only 35 have made a change to their professional practice based on findings from academic papers they have read. “Personal development and enlightenment” ranks first on the list of reasons for reading academic papers among the participants while barriers to the adoption of academic research findings relate mainly to education, dissemination and lack of guidance on how to apply research findings.Practical implicationsThe study demonstrates how findings from real estate research are being applied and identifies possible barriers that must be addressed to improve the level of application and consequently, the value of academic studies.Originality/valueThe study provides evidence on barriers to the adoption of academic research and contributes to the global effort to bridge the gap between academia and practice.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of a compulsory pass in physics on undergraduate admission into estate management programme and the requisite skill for practice. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from students in selected Polytechnics and a University in South-western Nigeria. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse the data. Also, One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was applied to test the difference between the means of the independent variables and application for admission. The mean plot was used to analyse the different groups of students seeking direct entry admission into the university. Findings Analysis shows that 18 per cent of the students seeking admission through direct entry would be denied because they have no credit score or a pass in physics in their Ordinary Level (“O” level) result. Remarkably, high school physics is a compulsory requirement for admission. Findings show that the subject is unacceptable in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). An annual average of 10 prospective students who wrote physics in the UTME, but with a pass in it in the Senior Secondary School (“O” level) examination were denied admission at the point of registration. Findings from the hypothesis test show that there is no significant relationship between the rate of application for university admission into Real Estate programmes and students who took physics and had at least a pass in it. Also, the mean plot shows that more Art students would apply for admission compared with science and commercial students. Finally, analysis shows that 83.3 per cent of the students who have gone for Industrial Work Experience Scheme were of the opinion that physics has no role to play in their acquisition of the requisite job skills in Real Estate. Research limitations/implications This study may be limited by the sample size of the universities selected for data collection. The impact of the requirement of a compulsory pass in physics for admission into real estate programme in other universities with a similar requirement is not covered. Practical implications The findings implied that a compulsory pass in physics constitutes a clog in the wheel of admission of prospective estate management students. This may affect career progression and the number of the Estate Surveyors and Valuers that are expected to render professional service to real estate investors in Nigeria. Originality/value This is the first attempt to examine the impact of variation in admission requirement into the real estate undergraduate programme in Nigeria. The novelty is in the analysis of a compulsory requirement of pass in physics for admission and the requisite skill for real estate practice in Nigeria.

PurposeThe factors affecting housing rent and take-up had been largely examined in a cluster. This leaves a dearth of knowledge on the influences of other disparate factors, such as the aesthetics of the building facade. This paper examines the effects of a deteriorated external wall paint on the tenants, rent and take-up of housing located in a high-end housing estate in Akure, Nigeria. The logic is to examine the place of aesthetics among the general factors affecting take-up and rental prices.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through census from 133 respondents residing in houses with deteriorated external wall paint. It applied both descriptive and multinomial logistic regression (MLR) to analyse the data.FindingsFindings reveal that close to 60% of the respondents were psychologically affected by the visible deterioration of external wall paint. This translated to a significance reduction in rent compared with the rental prices of similar houses the appearance of which was not deteriorated. Generally, this study found that aesthetics paled into insignificance in the analysis of the general factors affecting housing take-up and rent. However, it ranked first when these were analysed on the structural characteristics of the house only. This is consistent with findings from the MLR parameter estimate, which shows that those who were psychologically affected are more likely to pay a 15% increase in their current rent to take up a similar house without paint deterioration.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study have implications on practice and theory. First, while the location mantra is a key determinant of rental prices in theory, in practice, rent on comparable houses could differ if the aesthetics of the external wall paint is compromised. This implies an avoidable loss of rent to the owner of a property who compromises the aesthetic quality of the external wall paint in a high-end location where affordability is arguably high. The implication on public authority is that a lower rent may have a negative implication on government revenue and specifically property tax which is normally based on market rent of a property.Originality/valueA novel quality of the study is that it separates the structural characteristics of a house from the general factors in order to examine the specific effect of deteriorated aesthetics of external wall paint on take-up and rent.

Purpose Planning is logically applied to address negative externalities, but an alternative is financial compensation to the victim of negative spillover effects. This paper aims to examine the rent discount required to compensate tenants in an African city for a negative externality of the location of a grave within the bounds of their home. It also assesses the suitability of this as a remedy. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a discrete choice experiment to analyse tenants’ acceptability of the level of rent discounts when a grave is imposed on their home. Findings The study estimates that tenants in the Nigerian city of Akure require between 15 per cent and 20 per cent reduction in the rental value of a residential property to compensate for the imposition of a grave. However, many households would prefer to move elsewhere rather than negotiate a discount. Others, especially those on low incomes, were likely to suffer the loss of welfare without a rent discount. The study concludes that a compensatory approach is not an acceptable solution for welfare issues caused by the planning failure. Research limitations/implications The investigation is based on a hypothetical choice experiment. However, the results obtained are subject to a series of validation processes. Practical implications As reductions in the rent to compensate for the effect of a grave in a private home are unlikely in a market with excess demand, it is a clear argument for effective planning and environmental law. Originality/value This study is the first to assess the impact of negative externalities on the housing market of an African city.