February 12th – Green Machine

What I'm Reading Green Machine: As if brick and mortar retail landlords and businesses don't already have enough cause for concern, a new study by the MIT Real Estate Innovation Lab found a tangible environmental benefit to online shopping. In particular, the study concluded that carbon emissions from online shopping...

October 22nd – The Long View on Politics and CRE Investment Performance

What I’m Reading The Long View: Despite the typical election year rhetoric, a historic analysis of commercial real estate done by Cushman and Wakefield shows that the asset class tends to perform well under both Democrat and Republican administrations.  To be clear, individual sectors or strategies can absolutely be impacted by...

October 12th – Hanging On

What I’m Reading Hanging in There: After showing signs of deterioration when enhanced UI ended, the NMHC Rent Payment Tracker is – remarkably – at exactly the same level that it was at in 2019 for the first week of October.  NMHC  The Great Divide: Pricing expectations between sellers and buyers have continued...

October 7th – On the March

What I’m Reading On the March: Construction costs have continued to increase, despite a plunge in GDP, throwing up another hurdle in an already challenging development environment.  Bisnow Spread Out: Research from Trepp and Compstak found that the spread between starting rents and effective rents has increased 27% in major metro office markets,...

October 6th – Wipeout

What I’m Reading Wipeout: Los Angeles office leasing has ground to a near-halt, down 61% year-over-year.  Commercial Observer Breaking Point: With studios moving blockbuster releases back to 2021,  movie theaters are among the many businesses that do not have a clear path to recovery. CNBC Resilient: Back when the pandemic shutdowns began, dire predictions of...

September 8th – Move In Special

What I’m Reading Move In Special: Office landlords are increasingly offering up more free rent and larger TI packages in an effort to attract tenants but still maintain base rental rates.  This is why its so critical to look at net effective rent – the base rates do not come close...