- Lots of Opportunity
-
Many commercial real estate developers today realize the importance of functional parking structures. If a parking structure is inefficient due to poor design or inadequate site dimensions, the development's cost may be too high to make it feasible. And if
- A Maturing Market
-
By 2030, an estimated 20 percent of Americans will be older than 65 years of age. Accordingly, the long term prospects in seniors housing look more promising as the baby boom generation retires, presenting developers with a unique set of
- Call Now
-
Despite the annoyance of having dinner interrupted by overeager telemarketers selling insurance or phone service, Americans have responded to phone sales in a big way. Nearly 100 million people purchase goods or services over the telephone each year, according to
- Catering to Consumers
-
Disenchanted with hamburgers and french fries that have dominated quick service and casual restaurant menus for decades, consumers now demand more flavor and variety when they go out to eat. But there's a catch They want it fast. What drives
- Indoor Waterparks
-
In 1994, indoor waterpark pioneer Stan Anderson expanded his Wisconsin Dells, Wis., Polynesian Resort to include an indoor waterpark. Since then, other investors have followed suit by getting involved in this lucrative niche. Madison, Wis., based Great Lakes Cos. issued
- Cleaning Up After Dry Cleaners
-
While environmental contamination often is associated with industrial sites, dry cleaners—a staple of retail centers—sometimes have their own dirty laundry to air. Cleaning up dry cleaning solvent that has contaminated groundwater aquifers can cost millions of dollars. When the dry
- Niche Knack
-
When it comes to commercial real estate brokerage, the days of trying to be everything to everyone are numbered, experts say. Instead, many commercial real estate professionals are discovering a wide range of opportunities in narrow niches. “Today's broker must
- Niche Nosh
-
What’s the No. 1 down market strategy from The Donald’s blog, Inside Trump Tower? Explore overlooked niches. And what could be more overlooked than boutique hotels catering to the gay and lesbian community? That’s where Jaime M. Rook, CCIM, broker
- Seniors Housing Blossoms
-
In terms of net operating incomes and real estate market values, America's long term care industry is about equal in size to the hospitality lodging industry a fact that surprises most people but makes sense given the aging U.S. population.
- Opportunities in Urban Student Housing
-
The past several years have seen a renewed and growing interest in urban living. As a notable part of this trend, many college students now seek out higher education in some of America 's largest cities. In the past students
- Restructuring Infrastructure
-
The infrastructure sector has become an increasingly popular investment class in recent years. While countries such as Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom already have established infrastructure platforms to facilitate private capital flows, investing in U.S. infrastructure has been relatively
- Seniors-Housing Funding Sources
-
At last all segments of the seniors housing industry appear to be performing strongly at the same time. For independent living and assisted living operators, occupancy and profits are moving toward record levels. After five consecutive years of economic growth,
- Self-Storage Fills Up
-
Investor interest in self storage has skyrocketed during the last decade. This niche property's stable returns and growing demand are drawing attention from an array of new investors, particularly large institutions seeking to diversify their portfolios. These new players are
- What Drives Parking Investments?
-
Parking facilities now present intriguing commercial real estate investments. Traditionally, most parking related opportunities have not appealed to pension funds and institutional investors, but parking assets' low cost of capital and strong underlying fundamentals are generating new interest in this
- Capitalize on Campus
-
Rundown campus properties often languish in colleges' real estate portfolios with their revenue potential unrealized. To capitalize on these opportunities, commercial real estate professionals can create joint ventures with educational institutions. The key is to identify the best prospects for
- Uncle Sam Wants You
-
Editor's note Government demand for safe, modern office space continues to grow, and no single tenant exists in the United States with better credit. Commercial real estate brokers increasingly will have opportunities to promote clients' properties to government entities. What
- Investing in the Arts
-
"John says he found us a needle in a haystack," says Diane Litsey, executive director of the Children's Dance Foundation in Homewood, Ala. "And he did." The needle was at least 10,000 square feet of dance studio space with 50
- Feasting on Fast-Casual
-
Amid high fuel and energy costs, rising interest rates, and wages that aren't keeping pace, consumers' disposable incomes are waning and the restaurant industry is suffering because of it. "Dining out frequency has long been considered a leading economic indicator,
- Manufactured Success
-
When Warren Buffet&rsquo s Berkshire Hathaway acquired Clayton Homes Inc. for $1.7 billion in 2003, investors took notice. In commercial real estate circles, the acquisition drew attention to a sometimes overlooked specialty property manufactured housing communitites, also known as land
- Healthy Investments
-
When southeastern grocery store chain Ingles Markets needed help subletting its 32,000 square foot box in an ailing strip center, the prognosis for leasing to another retail tenant didn't look good. But John D. Spake, CCIM, president of Spake Real
- Polish Your Portfolio
-
Specialized retail businesses pose risks for commercial real estate investors, but they also can provide rewards in the form of strong return on equity. Carwash investments are on the fast track to becoming a top performing retail niche in many
- New Wave Investments
-
In 1994, resort pioneer Stan Anderson expanded his Wisconsin Dells, Wis.–based Polynesian Resort to include an indoor waterpark. Wisconsin lenders were willing to fund the development because they had been financing outdoor waterparks for years. Despite the steep construction costs,
- What's Hot in Fast-Casual?
-
Fast casual restaurants are the industry’s fastest growing sector. These restaurants serve meals between $7 and $10 in price, and made to order in five to eight minutes. Customers make menu selections at a counter and food is brought to
- The Self-Storage Transformation
-
Self storage has evolved from the homely stepsister to the Cinderella of the commercial real estate industry. Once relegated to sites unsuitable for other productive uses and stigmatized as unsightly metal buildings, self storage properties historically haven't attracted sophisticated investors'
- Sizing Up Self-Storage
-
The self storage property sector currently provides great opportunities for investors and developers across the nation. F.W. Dodge reports decreases in the number of self storage property starts during the last five quarters, which bodes well for the supply demand