Introduction
PLUNKETT'S REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY ALMANAC,
the second edition of our guide to the real estate and construction
field, is designed as a general source for researchers of all
types.
The data and areas of interest covered
are intentionally broad, ranging from the various types of businesses
involved in real estate, to the online services and technologies
that are changing real estate, to an in-depth look at the 400
major firms (which we call “THE REAL ESTATE AND
CONSTRUCTION 400”) within the many segments that
make up the real estate and construction industry. Our definition
of the types of businesses involved in real estate and construction
is applied in a liberal sense. Accordingly, this book includes
real estate brokerage, investment, development and management
firms (both commercial and residential). It also covers companies
involved in construction of all types, mortgages, hotels, shopping
centers and apartments. In addition, this book covers companies
that provide important services to the real estate industry,
such as firms that write title insurance or operate industry
databases and web sites.
This reference book is designed to
be a general source for researchers. It is especially intended
to assist with market research, strategic planning, employment
searches, contact or prospect list creation (be sure to see
the export capabilities of the accompanying CD-ROM that is available
to book and eBook buyers) and financial research, and as a data
resource for executives and students of all types.
PLUNKETT'S REAL ESTATE &
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY ALMANAC takes a rounded approach
for the general reader and presents a complete overview of the
real estate and construction field (see “How To Use This
Book”).
THE REAL ESTATE AND CONSTRUCTION
400 is our unique grouping of the biggest, most successful
corporations in all segments of the real estate and construction
industry. Tens of thousands of pieces of information, gathered
from a wide variety of sources, have been researched and are
presented in a unique form that can be easily understood. This
section includes thorough indexes to THE REAL ESTATE
AND CONSTRUCTION 400, by geography, industry, sales,
brand names, subsidiary names and many other topics. (See Chapter
4.)
Especially helpful is the way in
which PLUNKETT'S REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
ALMANAC enables readers who have no business background
to readily compare the financial records and growth plans of
real estate and construction companies and major industry groups.
You’ll see the mid-term financial record of each firm,
along with the impact of earnings, sales and strategic plans
on each company’s potential to fuel growth, to serve new
markets and to provide investment and employment opportunities.
No other source provides this book’s
easy-to-understand comparisons of growth, expenditures, technologies,
corporations and many other items of great importance to people
of all types who may be studying this, one of the largest industry
sectors in the world today.
By scanning the data groups and the
unique indexes, you can find the best information to fit your
personal research needs. The major companies in real estate
and construction are profiled and then ranked using several
different groups of specific criteria. Which firms are the biggest
employers? Which companies earn the most profits? These things
and much more are easy to find.
In addition to individual company
profiles, a thorough analysis of trends in real estate and construction
sectors is provided. These trends include the growth of discount
residential brokerage firms, booming REITs and the changing
nature of the mortgage industry. This book’s job is to
help you sort through easy-to-understand summaries of today’s
trends in a quick and effective manner.
Whatever your purpose for researching
the real estate and construction field, you’ll find this
book to be a valuable guide. Nonetheless, as is true with all
resources, this volume has limitations that the reader should
be aware of:
-
Financial data and other corporate
information can change quickly. A book of this type can be
no more current than the data that was available as of the
time of editing. Consequently, the financial picture, management
and ownership of the firm(s) you are studying may have changed
since the date of this book. For example, this almanac includes
the most up-to-date sales figures and profits available to
the editors as of early 2005. That means that we have typically
used corporate financial data as of late-2004.
-
Corporate mergers, acquisitions
and downsizing are occurring at a very rapid rate. Such events
may have created significant change, subsequent to the publishing
of this book, within a company you are studying.
-
Some of the companies in THE
REAL ESTATE AND CONSTRUCTION 400 are so large in
scope and in variety of business endeavors conducted within
a parent organization, that we have been unable to completely
list all subsidiaries, affiliations, divisions and activities
within a firm’s corporate structure.
-
This volume is intended to be
a general guide to a vast industry. That means that researchers
should look to this book for an overview and, when conducting
in-depth research, should contact the specific corporations
or industry associations in question for the very latest changes
and data. Where possible, we have listed contact names, toll-free
telephone numbers and World Wide Web site addresses for the
companies, government agencies and industry associations involved
so that the reader may get further details without unnecessary
delay.
-
Tables of industry data and
statistics used in this book include the latest numbers available
at the time of printing, generally through late-2004. In a
few cases, the only complete data available was for earlier
years.
-
We have used exhaustive efforts
to locate and fairly present accurate and complete data. However,
when using this book or any other source for business and
industry information, the reader should use caution and diligence
by conducting further research where it seems appropriate.
We wish you success in your endeavors, and we trust that your
experience with this book will be both satisfactory and productive.
