Founder-CEO & Chief Analyst, Real Estate Foresight

Robert Ciemniak

Robert is the Founder-CEO & Chief Analyst of Real Estate Foresight Ltd (REF) (www.realestateforesight.com), an independent analytics, research, and consulting firm based in Hong Kong and focused on the Mainland China property markets. 

Since 2012, REF has been helping investors with market research, project due diligence, and strategy development.

This has ranged from detailed assessments and estimates on distressed developers' project portfolios to market due diligence on specific projects to macro-level questions linked to demand for commodities.

The unique combination of the housing markets and developer data from data partner China Index Academy in Beijing, primary research, and technology-powered alternative data collection from public sources result in a valuable content set used in REF analytics and reports.

More info: https://www.realestateforesight.com

Robert started the company in 2012, after 13 years at Thomson Reuters in two major roles as Global Head of Real Estate Markets (London/Hong Kong) and earlier as Head of Corporate Foresight in Group Strategy in London. He holds a dual MBA degree from London Business School and Columbia Business School in New York, and MSc from Warsaw School of Economics. Robert holds an international master in chess title.

In 2017, Robert founded Robotic Online Intelligence Ltd (ROI) (www.roboticonline.ai), a startup in AI-powered automation of research for data collection and market intelligence, serving primarily data companies and research firms. 

ROI's Kubro(TM) Information Engine enterprise SaaS solution has been deployed commercially since 2018, with clients in the US, UK, and Asia, in areas ranging from real estate, and policy research, to data centers, and carbon and digital asset markets.

Founder-CEO & Chief Analyst

REF China Property Developers In Distress - Weekly News & Announcements Tracker | August 14-20, 2026

REF China Property Developers In Distress - Weekly News & Announcements Tracker | Sep 11-17, 2026

REF China Property Developers In Distress - Weekly News & Announcements Tracker | Oct 3-8, 2026

China Housing - Demand-Supply Fundamentals Part #1: The "Modern Housing" Argument

China Housing: Demand-Supply Fundamentals - Part #3: Solving The Construction Indicators Puzzle

REF China Property Developers In Distress - Weekly News & Announcements Tracker | July 24-30, 2026

REF China Property Developers In Distress - Weekly News & Announcements Tracker | July 10-16, 2026

REF China Property Developers In Distress - Weekly News & Announcements Tracker | June 5-11, 2026

Real Estate Foresight

Since 2012, REF has been helping investors with market research, project due diligence, and strategy development. This has ranged from detailed assessments and estimates on distressed developers' project portfolios to market due diligence on specific projects to macro-level questions linked to demand for commodities. The unique combination of the housing markets and developer data from data partner China Index Academy in Beijing, primary research, and technology-powered alternative data collection from public sources result in a valuable content set used in REF analytics and reports.

Predictive Analytics for China Property

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

China Equity real estate investment trusts (reits) / Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul>
<li>With full June and some July 2026 data, we take a look at where things stand in China's housing markets and compare with expectations from the end of 2025.</li>
<li>The primary and secondary markets are now framed as one, the 'Support not Stimulus' policy theme continues, with city-level differences; in contrast to the mainland, the Hong Kong rebound continues. </li>
<li>The new REF China Housing Sentiment Index has deteriorated recently but remains in an upward trend.</li>
</ul>


With full June and some July 2026 data, we take a look at where things stand in China's housing markets and compare with expectations from the end of 2025.
The primary and secondary markets are now framed as one, the 'Support not Stimulus' policy theme continues, with city-level differences; in contrast to the mainland, the Hong Kong rebound continues. 
The new REF China Housing Sentiment Index has deteriorated recently but remains in an upward trend.


China Overseas Land & Investment (688 HK)

Hangzhou Binjiang Real Estate Grp (002244 CH)

China Housing - A Mid-Year Check 2026