- Flying High
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Editor's note Air cargo facility development is a growing niche in the commercial real estate industry. This case study examines one CCIM's journey from initial site selection to successful completion of an air cargo facility for Emery, a worldwide air
- Finding Value in Vacant Properties
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Despite its run down exterior, the 125 year old brick property located at Kingston, N.Y.'s busiest intersection evokes many fond memories. “Depending upon who you ask in town, it's the old Chevy dealership, a pool hall, an Army Navy recruiting
- Indoor Waterparks
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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
- Historic Undertakings
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Historic properties may present commercial real estate professionals with many challenges, but they also offer both tangible and intangible rewards. While brokers and developers may have to meet current building codes and obtain government approval for redevelopment projects, they can
- Hitting Out of the Rough
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Like most commercial real estate property types, golf course development is cyclical. From 1986 to 1990, demand (measured in rounds) for new courses outpaced development, according to the National Golf Foundation. But by 1991, golf course developers had caught onto
- Homing In on Manufactured Housing
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Manufactured housing is a marriage of two industries the companies that build and distribute manufactured houses, which are single family homes constructed in factories, transported to a location, and installed on site, and the manufactured home communities, which are either
- Catering to Consumers
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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
- Cleaning Up After Dry Cleaners
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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
- Degrees of Success
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Church Street Plaza, a mixed use development near Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., includes a Wolfgang Puck restaurant, which caters to students’ increasingly expensive tastes. In the past decade, commercial real estate activity in U.S. college and
- Call Now
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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
- Place Your Bets on Gaming
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Gaming in the United States has changed dramatically over the years. Originally perceived as a sinful activity that was enjoyed predominantly by the very rich, gambling today has been accepted as entertainment and is enjoyed by mainstream society. Likewise, as
- Ready-Made Investments
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Ten years ago, mobile home parks suffered from an image problem and languished in the back of the proverbial real estate investment closet. Savvy investors were aware of their generally low acquisition price tags, attractive operating expense history, and stable
- A Maturing Market
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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
- Niche Knack
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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
- Lots of Opportunity
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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
- Old School, New Analysis
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While real estate activity has picked up so far in 2011, investors are still very cautious about their property investments. The areas that have remained relatively strong are those niche market sectors that allow easy identification of a market’s demand
- The Self-Storage Transformation
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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'
- The Rising Tide of Seniors Housing
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To visualize the demographics of the seniors housing market, imagine a shoreline as the tide comes in, each wave slowly yet inexorably creeping higher up the beach. But out on the horizon is a tsunami, a tidal wave of unbelievable
- Score!
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In a country where most kids learn the names of sports stars before the name of the president, it is no wonder that cities across the United States place so much emphasis on building stadiums to house their local teams
- Student Housing 101
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In 10 years, U.S. campuses will host a million more college students than they do today. To meet the steadily growing demand for student housing, college and university markets are seeing a proliferation of multifamily development projects driven by the
- Smooth Sailing
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Long ago considered the domain of sunburned sailors with red and white striped shirts, eye patches, and spyglasses, boating has blossomed into a trendy recreational activity, especially among families. In the past decade, the number of recreational boats owned has
- Triple-Net Triple Threat
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Looking for a rock solid investment in a shifting economy? Look no further than single tenant net leased properties. In markets where shopping centers sit empty and office buildings are dark, the lights are on (usually 24 hours) at the
- Manufactured Success
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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
- Investing in the Arts
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"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
- Niche Nosh
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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