Articles About Commercial Real Estate

Many people ask me which type of system is better to buy; a system that is digital using standard phone lines, or a VoIP system utilizing IP services.  There is no one answer that suits all situations, but there are a couple guidelines to go by.   For a small business, a digital phone system using standard CO lines is still a great solution because of the amount of bandwith needed to assure quality calls on an IP system.  Standard CO lines are dedicated lines from the phone company, so the quality is managed and pretty much guaranteed.  For best performance on an IP system, DSL does not provide a managed connection, so a T1 is required and is a large investment for a small organization.   Of couse, there is always the option to use an IP system inside connected to CO lines.  This gives you the benefits of IP inside the office, while assuring high quality phone calls.  Drop me an email if you have any questions about the services - terryh@generaltel.com.

I recently read an interview that the Rocky Mountain News did with John C. Santora, president and chief executive officer of the Americas for Cushman & Wakefield.  The interview was brief but touched on the state of the economy and how the commercial real estate sector has and will be affected.  It is interesting to hear the opinion of a "higher-up" at one of the bigger commercial firms in the country about where they believe the market is headed.  Definitely an interesting read.  Follow the link below to read the interview:

Article: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/sep/30/commercial-real-estate-exec-this-could-get-ugly/

A great article came out in the Wall Street Journal today that talked about how the current economy has and will affect the commercial real estate sector.  The article stated: "To head off a future crisis on the commercial real-estate market side, action must go to the heart of the problem: frozen credit markets and a fear to issue debt that may be deemed less valuable shortly after it is issued....Through the turmoil and panic of the past few months, the American commercial real-estate market has delivered some sorely needed stability to the U.S. economy. But even this stability cannot be taken for granted in these unpredictable times."  There is a lot riding on the decision behind the bailout, we will see what happens....

Article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122246970323580673.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

One would assume the financial crisis is not helping most retail businesses let alone restaurants.  In times like this, many people will rarely want to go out for dinner and end up paying 2-3 times more than they would at home.  They will start to cook for themselves and their families, or hopefully learn how to.  While I am sure many of these restaurants are struggling to bring in customers and not raise their own prices, The Kansas City Star has found a couple of restaurants who are figuring out their own ways to survive, and in some cases, thrive during this financial crisis.

http://www.kansascity.com/news/neighborhood/blue_springs/story/799453.html

We recently added a great function in our "Space Needs" section called "Space Needs Notifications".  If you have not already explored this function, you are missing out.  As a broker or landlord, this tool is a must have.  You can sign up for notifications for the East Bay, North Bay, South Bay, Peninsula and San Francisco.  As soon as needs are posted on the site, you will be alerted right away by email.  Imagine potential tenants flooding your inbox throughout the day, what more could you need?  Hop on to the Space Needs Notifications page and either sign up or login and set your alerts up now!

While a majority of media and politics focus on larger companies going green, the small businesses of this country hold the most power when it comes to making an impact.  According to Greenbiz.com "In the United States, small businesses (defined by the U.S. Small Business Association as independent firms with less than 500 employees) employ half of the private sector workforce and use half of the electricity and natural gas consumed by the commercial and industrial sectors. In 2006, small businesses accounted for 99.9 percent of the 26.8 million businesses in the country."  As a small business, you have a million things to worry and think about during your day let alone staying green, and that is why there are organizations and networks that will help you achieve this goal of becoming and staying green.  The time has come, the earth needs you.  Follow the link to find out more: http://www.greenbiz.com/feature/2008/02/19/the-big-impact-greening-small-businesses

I recently read an article on GreenBiz.com about water usage in large commercial buildings called "Water Savings 101: Top Ten Tips For Commercial Buildings".  It makes some good points about how many people, especially at this time of year with all of the hurricanes, forget about the many places that are experiencing a drought.  They forget that they should be conserving water and thinking twice about how they use it throughout their day.  The article states that "Outdoor water use accounts for nearly 30 percent of the 26 billion gallons of water used in the U.S.  Indoor water use both for domestic water and heating and cooling makes up the other 70 percent; a statistic to which every commercial building in the country contributes. Needless to say, facility managers can have a tremendous impact on water use and water conservation."  Depending on what city you live/work in, you might be able to think of a couple of buildings that already are conscious of the way they use their water, but I am sure a majority of the buildings in your city don't manage this consumption at all.  As it says in the article, "many water savings opportunities are low cost or no cost. None of them are rocket science, and the vast majority can be handled in house."  Is your building wasting water?  Click on the link above to read the top ten tips for saving water, it might even help you at home.

I have been working in my current building for about 3 months now and I feel like I know it pretty well.  From the stairs that get me to my floor faster than the elevator to the secret back entrance that gets me to the deli quickly to the current tenants, I feel as though I am pretty well versed in the happenings of my building and the surrounding neighborhood.  I can only imagine though that there is somebody in this building that knows the building and neighborhood better than I do.  From parking issues to tough security, there are always a number of factors that may play into somebody's day at work and even their decision to sign a lease at a specific building. 

If you think you know your building well, prove it!  Go to the Building Search link at the bottom of the main page and search for your building then let everybody know what you think about it.  Any positive or negative experiences?  Anything that bothers you about the location or operation of the building?  Every opinion helps!

There are many new office buildings going up across the country that are building towards the very sought after LEED Certification.  If you are lucky enough to capture this LEED Certification for a newly built building, it is an enormous victory for everybody involved.  The path towards applying for and getting a building LEED certified is not easy.  A recent article in the Boston Business Journal outlined this path and what each party involved needs to do in order to have a chance at grabbing this LEED Certification.  Everybody from Owners, Engineers, Architects and Contractors need to be on their game at all times and work together in order to get there.  The path may be difficult and "despite the higher upfront costs of LEED certification, studies have shown that for every one dollar invested per square foot, a savings of two to three dollars per square foot is realized in lower operating costs. Paired with increased market value, green building looks good for the bottom line."

From the Boston Business Journal: http://boston.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2008/09/22/newscolumn1.html?f=et178&b=1222056000%5e1702425&ana=e_vert

The old, badly-lit, cubicle-laden office interior is starting to become a thing of the past.  The Green Movement has begun to take its affect on the way building owners and companies are building out their office interiors.  Not only are they saving energy and money with these green improvements, but they are designing inviting and more comfortable office interiors at the same time.   An article from the Houston Business Journal cited these green office improvements as the "green building trend’s greatest but most overlooked asset: A significant boost in productivity."  All these improvements in lighting and office layout have spurned more creative and comfortable work spaces, which lead many employees to be more productive during their work day.  The article notes "“Green office retrofits may seem like a lot of work, but in the long run they save organizations money on energy bills as well as create environments where employees can be more comfortable and productive.”" 

Interested in finding one of these newly built-out green office spaces?  Post a need in our Space Needs section describing exactly what you are looking for or contact a Green Expert for more information on Green Construction.

Article from the Houston Business Journal: http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2008/09/22/focus1.html?f=et177&b=1222056000%5e1701766&ana=e_vert