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Q3 Economy: Seattle

Report by ReisReports.

Among the accomplishments of the Seattle area economy over the last couple of decades was a diversification that lessened its dependence on cycles in aerospace manufacturing and related employment trends. A huge and nationally prominent high-technology sector led initially by Microsoft (and more recently augmented by Google and Amazon.com) emerged along with a large health care sector. These, along with trade activity at regional ports provided cushions against the cycles common to local manufacturing. … Continue reading “Q3 Economy: Seattle”
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Retail Remodel: Partnerships & Success by Bridget Grams

Retail Remodel
Are partnerships the key to brick-and-mortar success?
by Bridget Grams and Mark Richardson

In today’s slowly improving economy, retail success depends upon regularly updating the customer experience and a constant focus on managing occupancy costs. One way to accomplish both of these goals is to combine store remodeling campaigns with commercial lease restructuring efforts. With a partnership approach between tenant and landlord, these seemingly unrelated and potentially conflicting efforts can have a beneficial outcome for both parties by creatively aligning incentives. Continue reading “Retail Remodel: Partnerships & Success by Bridget Grams”
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Beyond the E-tail Era by Jennifer Norbut

Beyond the E-tail Era
New factors are shaping retail’s next phase.
by Jennifer Norbut

The sharp rise in e-tailing and its game-changing impact has created a new normal in the retail real estate sector. Major national retailers are evolving their strategies in an effort to “survive and thrive” in this new market dynamic. “The good news is that even though Apple, Netflix, Amazon, eBay, and other online giants killed record stores and video rental shops and are in the process of doing the same to electronics and bookstore big boxes, e-commerce will never replace the brick-and-mortar shopping experience,” says Sean Glickman, CCIM, managing director of Glickman Retail Group in Maitland, Fla. Continue reading “Beyond the E-tail Era by Jennifer Norbut”
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11 Ways to Finance Commercial Real Estate Energy Retrofits

11 Ways to Finance Commercial Real Estate Energy Retrofits
by Michael C. Polentz

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, commercial buildings account for 35 percent of U.S. (and 40 percent of global) electricity consumption. Most commercial real estate professionals accept that energy efficient buildings can, and do, impact the value of the underlying asset. Notwithstanding this recognition, existing commercial buildings on average spend 30 percent of their budgets on operating costs and account for close to 20 percent of all global carbon emissions.

While they understand the benefits, the challenge for most commercial real estate owners and operators is not whether to implement energy efficient retrofits, but rather how to pay for or finance such improvements. Continue reading “11 Ways to Finance Commercial Real Estate Energy Retrofits”
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12 Key Factors When Buying Land

Congratulations!  You’ve decided to build your own home.  But where do you start?

Now that you’ve drawn up the plans or maybe even picked out your perfect manufactured or modular home, you’ll need to find the land to put it on.  It may sound like a simple process.  Pick the home, buy the land and move-in, but it’s much more complex than that.  Finding that right piece of land can be just as cumbersome as searching for the perfect home, if not more.  And, to complicate matters even more, not all real estate agents know land, so make sure you find one that does. Continue reading “12 Key Factors When Buying Land”