- The Valuation Trap
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Appraisals in today’s market are not for the faint of heart. Comparable sales are scarce, markets are changing quickly, and rules and regulations are stricter than ever. One false step could imperil even the most solid transactions. “Today, there can
- Experience Pays Off
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Commercial real estate is often a family business, and some CCIMs travel many paths before returning to their roots. “I grew up in a large commercial real estate family and some of my earliest memories are going with my dad
- Student Housing Graduates
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In the early 1990s off campus student housing was primarily single family homes and small apartment buildings around universities. The owners were local mom and pop operators who rarely had properties in more than one market. But since then, institutional
- Functional Fliers
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Despite recent technological innovations, property fliers continue to be an integral part of commercial real estate marketing programs. “Flier preparation is how I become really knowledgeable about the property,” says Hugh J. Wade, CCIM, of Spire Commercial in Anchorage, Alaska,
- Regional Outlook
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Midwest Chicago’s Big Deal Here’s a classic value add deal in the Windy City Berkley Properties LLC purchased the 1929 Civic Opera Building for $125.8 million from Tishman Speyer, which bought it for $185 million in 2007. The 44 story
- CCIM Connections
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Retail Wizard As commercial real estate experts gear up for RECon 2012 in Las Vegas, Gary M. Ralston, CCIM, CPM, SIOR, a managing partner of Coldwell Banker Commercial Saunders Ralston Dantzler Realty LLC in Lakeland, Fla., looks at a top
- Deal Makers
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The Biggest Deal Leonard P. Deering Jr., CCIM, of Berkadia Commercial Mortgage LLC in Chicago and two partners arranged the $23 million refinancing of a portfolio of five multifamily properties totaling 525 units in Milwaukee, Racine, and Cudahy, Wis., for
- Financing Fundamentals
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When selecting an investment, the aphorism “location, location, location” remains critical for today’s commercial real estate buyers and sellers. Likewise, when seeking a lender to finance deals in the current market, the mantra “execution, execution, execution” is more important than
- Down, but not Out
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Retail construction is a shadow of its former self with development activity falling to its lowest levels in more than a decade. Yet pockets of construction persist. An estimated 32 million square feet of new retail space is expected to
- Rethinking Retail
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Retail is one property sector that never has time to rest on its laurels. As they battle the lingering effects of the recession and increased online shopping competition, retailers are once again shifting store strategies. The steep economic downturn forced
- 1031 Timing
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Under Internal Revenue Code Section 1031, real property held for productive use in a trade or business or for investment may be exchanged and capital gain taxes deferred through a delayed exchange, which requires the taxpayer to sell the relinquished
- Giving Back: Community Caring in Motion
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As commercial real estate professionals, we all have a vested interest in helping our clients lease space, purchase buildings, and invest in the economic health of our communities. Now it’s our turn to roll up our
- Flier Right
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Once the cornerstone of commercial real estate marketing efforts, printed property fliers have since been overshadowed by listing services, emails, and other digital platforms. But given the wealth of marketing options, why haven’t fliers disappeared altogether? “If CBRE, Colliers, NAI,
- Hold or Sell?
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The real estate market collapse resulted in countless distressed condominium developments. Lenders are often asked to fund failed condo development completion costs and home owner associations’ operating deficits, with little promise of a positive performance. How do they determine whether
- Market Trends
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Developers Get Ready While new multifamily construction may not be out of the ground yet, developers are busy with “land acquisition, lining up financing, and getting building permits,” according to the 1Q12 Quarterly Survey of Apartment Market Conditions, conducted by
- Commercial Real Estate Apps
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Apple’s App Store recently surpassed 25 billion app downloads. How many of those were for commercial real estate? Not many, especially when compared to the number of residential real estate apps. But in commercial real estate, an industry where hustle
- Letters of Intent
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No one wants to waste time and money on a deal that the parties will never complete. A well drafted, nonbinding letter of intent can be a valuable first step in determining whether there is a deal to be made