Real-Estate Firms Get a Handle on Twitter

Real-Estate Firms Get a Handle on Twitter The commercial real-estate industry is notorious for being slow to embrace new technology. Social networking is no exception. But that is finally beginning to change. Some top firms are beefing up their activity on sites like Twitter and LinkedIn, and some brokers say they are doing deals thanks to leads generated by the sites. As recently as 2010, four years after the launch of Twitter, many brokers didn't even know what the service was. "People don't understand it," confessed Ron Houghtaling, CBRE Group Inc.'s head of social media, at a 2010 technology conference. Today, CBRE leads the Twitter pack among major firms with more than 26,000 followers. Meanwhile Jones Lang LaSalle, is second with 16,048 and has a four-person...

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Tech-savvy Moms Lead Home-based Food Culture

According to “Moms as Food Shoppers: Grocery Store and Supercenter Patterns and Trends,” a recently released report from market research firm Packaged Facts, the modern American mom is at the center of the new home-based food culture and at the front lines of the movement toward healthy eating. Each year, moms contribute to spending nearly $200 billion on food purchased for use at home. The report reveals that 13.3 million moms (41 percent) consider their kitchen to be the most important room in their home, while 19.7 million (61 percent) say they enjoy cooking. A growing number of these moms want to put a new spin on the same old menus, especially with new recipes and food products, and this growing desire has given influence to the internet and social media when it comes to household...

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Retail Auctions Heat Up (VIDEO)

Who is interested in buying retail real estate in an auction environment? How much of auctioned retail real estate is distressed? Auction.com’s Joe Cuomo answers those questions on GlobeSt TV this week at ICSC-New York. View the full video here: http://www.globest.com/videos/event_coverage/newyork/retail-real-estate-auctions-327396.ht...

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Housing Starts Surge, But Rentals Are the Drivers

The headline number for housing starts was big, exceeding expectations and sending the home builder stocks on yet another tear. Tim Boyle | Bloomberg | Getty Images Starts hit 894,000 (annualized) in October, over 50,000 more than the analysts forecast. Housing starts are now at their highest level since July 2008. (Read More: Good News Keeps Coming for Housing as Starts Surge) “We expect the builder equities will react positively initially, but then fade through the day once the report is fully digested as 'multifamily' was the key driver of the results,” warned Stephen East at ISI. There is no question that home builders...

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Recovery to Advance in 2013 for CRE

San Francisco Named Top City in 2013 Real Estate Forecast San Francisco displaces Washington, D.C., as top-ranked city. Apartment sector remains investors' favored property type. Secondary markets to gain favor as investors search for yield beyond high-priced core markets. Office sector has started to come back; retail "not as bad as feared;" hotels are "surprisingly good." U.S. is still seen as a safe harbor for global investment.  "This is our recovery," Jonathan D. Miller, principal author of the report, said when the Emerging Trends in Real Estate forecast was presented at ULI's Fall Meeting in Denver. "It's a recovery, but anchored in considerable uncertainty," Miller said. He cited Europe's economic troubles, a slowdown in China, and the "fiscal cliff" looming in the United...

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CRE recovery will continue, report says

The nation’s commercial real estate recovery will advance in 2013 with modest gains in leasing, rents, and sales prices, industry leaders said in a report. Recent job creation should be enough to increase absorption and push down vacancy rates in the office, industrial and retail sectors. Despite being on a slower-than-normal recovery track, U.S. property sectors and markets have “noticeably” better prospects compared with last year, the report said. View the full story he...

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Are Boomers the Reason Urban Rents Are Rising?

We know that home ownership is down, super-tiny and very-narrow houses are springing up, and urban rents are rising. Here's another trend to add to the mix: . On Sunday, the website posted an infographic on their blog examining the renting habits of baby boomers and their offspring. RENTCafé project manager Catriona Orosco explained the trend in an email: What we're seeing is a wholesale recalibration of expectations. Americans just starting their professional lives are realizing that it will be less likely for them to be able to afford the things their parents had, so they are making different choices about how to live. They also crave flexibility, so if a job or personal opportunity presents itself, they can say yes without being tied...

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Can This Mall Be Saved? Need Lower Debt, Deep Pockets

Despite Major Risks, Some Gutsy Owners and Investors Are Hoping To Cash In On Value-Add B-Mall Turnarounds and Repositionings Last week, CoStar News reported on the daunting challenges faced by hundreds of outmoded malls in remaining relevant in a increasingly Darwinian retail environment. In this, the second of a three-part series, we look at the signs that may signal a mall's days may be numbered, and how some gutsy investors are taking on the challenge of reviving moribund properties. According to retail property experts, changes in a couple of key vital signs often provide the first signs that a mall may be in trouble. Consistent declines in retail sales per square foot over an extended time is one big warning sign, according to Gerard V. Mason, veteran retail specialist...

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Best Multi-Family Investment Opportunities

CPE-TV interviews Starpoint Properties CEO Paul Daneshrad on the best locations for multi-family property investment. Watch the full clip he...

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How High-Tech Is Changing Retail

The difference between the winners and losers in retail increasingly comes down to one factor: tech savvy. The retail industry is undergoing significant changes in the merchandising process--at least, so says a recent survey by retail consulting firm RSR. The best of the national performers have picked up on a crucial strategy: Target your store's selection of goods to the needs and interests of specific communities. It's better for sales and for controlling costs. The savviest retailers know this and they're using technology to help give them edge. How High-tech Has Changed the Game According to the survey, firms that outperform...

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Home Prices Gain for 5th month in June: S&P

Home prices rose more than expected in June, the fifth month in a row of gains in a fresh sign of improvement in the housing market, a closely watched survey showed on Tuesday. The S&P/Case Shiller composite index of 20 metropolitan areas gained 0.9 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis, topping economists' forecasts for 0.5 percent, according to a Reuters poll. On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, prices were even stronger, up 2.3 percent. "We seem to be witnessing exactly what we needed for a sustained recovery; monthly increases coupled with improving annual rates of change," David Blitzer, chairman of the index committee at Standard & Poor's, said in a statement. "The market may have finally turned around." Read the full article her...

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5 Ways to Use Pinterest to Boost Press Results

Pinterest is taking over social media like a tsunami of college students on a pizza delivery guy. Why not? It’s fun, highly addictive and – newly announced as the 3rd most popular social network in the World – it’s creeping up on Facebook with 11+ million users. So how can you leverage that popularity to expand the reach of your press releases? Try these tactics. 1. Add an Infographic to Your Release, Then Pin It Including a relevant infographic with your press release is a fantastic way to give media and news outlets a visual to go with your story, plus it takes advantage of one of the most popular ways to share data. For inspiration, try searching wire service websites like BusinessWire.com or PRNewswire.com using the keyword “infographic.” It turns up...

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The Bad News Behind the Good News That Home Prices Are Rising

Doesn't it sometimes seem like every time there's good news about the economy, it comes with a big, infuriating catch?  Take housing. Over the last few months, economists have been noticing glimmers of good news out of the real estate market - signs that home values may have finally bottomed out and are now turning a corner. There are more buyers and fewer houses sitting around on the market. And according to new stats from from Fannie Mae and CoreLogic, prices kept chugging higher through June, as illustrated in the chart below.     Read the full article he...

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The World Cities That Tweet the Most

More tweets come from Jakarta, Indonesia's capitol, than New York, Tokyo, London, or São Paulo, according to a recent study of Twitter's geographic footprint. The study, released by Paris-based Semiocast, tracked the number of tweets with location info in the month of June, 2012. New York is the top U.S. city for tweets, outranking Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, and Houston. San Francisco, the city that the social media company calls home, doesn't make an appearance in the top 20.  While Jakarta's high ranking might surprise some, it did not surprise my University of Toronto colleague, Barry...

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Facebook - Does it Extend to CRE?

There’s been a lot of talk regarding why CRE brokers should not promote their business on Facebook. The main gist: Facebook isn’t a professional network. None of your friends are on Facebook looking for a 5,000sf office or a 10,000sf industrial warehouse. Yes, Facebook is fairly social and personal but on the other hand, as the largest social media engine, Facebook is a perfect branding vehicle for a brokerage firm or individual broker. It’s easy to control content for the most part and is a much more visual medium than many other social media tools. The photo album feature is easy-to-use and links come with a nice preview, even when you are sharing a link from another Page. Coy Davidson and Blanchard and Calhoun Commercial are great examples of broker and brokerage...

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9 Beliefs of Remarkably Successful People

9 Beliefs of Remarkably Successful People 1. Time doesn't fill me. I fill time. Deadlines and time frames establish parameters, but typically not in a good way. The average person who is given two weeks to complete a task will instinctively adjust his effort so it actually takes two weeks. Forget deadlines, at least as a way to manage your activity. Tasks should only take as long as they need to take. Do everything as quickly and effectively as you can. Then use your "free" time to get other things done just as quickly and effectively. Average people allow time to impose its will on them; remarkable people impose their will on their time. 2. The people around me are the people I chose. Some of your employees drive you nuts. Some of your customers are obnoxious. Some of your...

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Rents Now Rising Faster Than Home Prices

Rents Now Rising Even Faster Than Home Prices U.S. housing prices are up for the first time in a while, prompting a number of commentaries about how home prices may have finally begun to bounce off the bottom. As it turns out, though, rents are increasing faster. That's according to the just released Housing and Rental Price Monitors from Trulia, developed by their chief economist and occasional Cities contributor Jed Kolko. He's calculated that in 22 of the 25 largest U.S. rental markets, rents are outpacing home prices.Housing prices are rising the most, not surprisingly, in markets that took the biggest hits....

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Big U.S. Cities Growing Faster than Suburbs

Big U.S. Cities Growing Faster than Suburbs (WASHINGTON) — For the first time in a century, most of America's largest cities are growing at a faster rate than their surrounding suburbs as young adults seeking a foothold in the weak job market shun home-buying and stay put in bustling urban centers. New 2011 census estimates released Thursday highlight the dramatic switch. Driving the resurgence are young adults, who are delaying careers, marriage and having children amid persistently high unemployment. Burdened with college debt or toiling in temporary, lower-wage positions, they are spurning homeownership in the suburbs for shorter-term, no-strings-attached apartment living, public transit and proximity to potential jobs in larger cities. Read the full articl...

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Home Price Index Climbs in April

An index of home values in the nation’s largest cities increased in April over March after seven months of consecutive declines. The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index, a measure closely followed by economists, increased 1.3% month-over-month but was down 1.9% compared with April 2011.Almost every city managed to post a month-over-month gain. Detroit was the only city out of the 20 followed by the index that fell, down 3.6%. View the full article he...

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America's Richest Cities, 1978 and Now

In many ways, the contemporary history of America's economy is really a story about cities. Metro areas rise and fall with each generation, buoyed or sunk by the industries and trends that support them. The chart below, from the McKinsey Global Institute, does a beautiful job telling that story. On the left, we have the top 30 U.S. metro areas ranked by real GDP as of 1978. On the right, the top 30 for 2010. That cross-hatch of red and blue lines shows just how much churn there has been in the economy. But I think there are three main trends to take away from this. View the full article here....

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Americans Want More City Planning

What's most important to economic development in your community? Better transit, thriving local businesses, more affordable housing? Community plans are a key component in bringing those ideas to life. According to a new pollfrom the American Planning Association, Americans agree. Two-thirds of the 1,300 Americans surveyed said that their community needs both planning and market forces to improve its economic situation. To read the full story online, click he...

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L.A. Housing Market Still Suffering

Richard Green of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate recently sat down with KTLA and provided insight into why California is having such a hard time climbing out of the mortgage mess. View the entire interview he...

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U.S. Homeownership Rate at 15-year Low

U.S. homeownership rate at 15-year low By Tiffany Hsu and Alejandro Lazo, Los Angeles Times May 1, 2012 High foreclosure rates and a strong rental market pushed the homeownership rate in the U.S. to a 15-year low, even as projections for the housing market grew brighter. The 65.4% rate in the first quarter is down from the 66% rate in the fourth quarter and 66.4% in the first quarter of last year, according to the Census Bureau. Before the housing bubble burst, homeownership reached a high of 69.2% in 2004. The current rate is low compared with the last decade partly because earlier homeownership rates were inflated by people who hadn't made down payments and were really "renters with an option to buy," said Richard K. Green, director of USC's Lusk Center for Real Estate. In the...

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THO Wins Three 2012 Hermes Awards

The Hoyt Organization was awarded three Hermes Creative Awards for 2012. View the full list of winners on the official website. Hermes Creative Awards, Gold WinnerPro BonoLos Angeles Headquarters Association Hermes Creative Awards, Gold WinnerTelevision PlacementWestside Estate AgencyHermes Creative Awards, Honorable MentionAudio/PodcastGumbiner Sav...

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Shopping Centers Panel Talks Growth

RETAIL: Shopping centers panel talks growth BY TIFFANY RAY Every two hours, a new 7-Eleven is born. That’s the rate at which the convenience stores are opening in new locations worldwide, according to Don Tucker, a real estate manager for the company. Tucker was among a panel of retail and real estate experts assembled earlier this week for the International Council of Shopping Centers Inland Empire Breakfast Program. The Ontario event also featured panelists from Rite Aid, Big Lots, Smart & Final and Supervalu, the Minnesota-based company that owns Albertsons and other grocery store chains. The discussion was moderated by Bill Worsley, vice president of Lewis Retail Centers. View the entire article he...

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The Hoyt Organization Ranked in Top 25 PR Firms in LA

THO has been recognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the top 25 largest independent PR agencies in Los Angeles county. View the full list he...

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5 Questions To Ask Before Hiring a Realtor

Be Picky! 5 Questions You Should Ask Before Hiring a RealtorBy Stephen Shapiro, WEA With home prices down 30 percent and real estate transactions diminished by somewhere between one-third and one-half from their peak levels, a huge number of agents -- thousands on the West side of Los Angeles -- are working a much smaller pool of listings and buyers.The good news for buyers and sellers: You can be a lot pickier than in the past. View the full article he...

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C.W. Driver at Caltech

Six simultaneous projects at Caltech underscore builder’s expertise in campus facilities PASADENA, Calif. — March 20, 2012 — Already a leading builder of campus buildings and laboratories, C.W. Driver will make its mark on one of the world’s preeminent research institutions when it completes six simultaneous projects at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).Managed by C.W. Driver’s independent company, Driver SPG, the construction projects include new biological labs and educational facilities on the campus. As a premier builder serving the Western U.S. since 1919, C.W. Driver has a deep understanding of Caltech’s ever-changing needs in the area of biotechnology research, as well as the need to preserve its historic architecture.“C.W. Driver has been entrusted with updating the...

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Honorable Borrowers Pay for Housing Market Collapse

By Stephen Sharpiro, Westside Estate AgencyI can finally say it: Things are getting better in the L.A. residential market.But not for everyone. In fact, in many cases, not even for those who are fiscally responsible.It’s true that compared with a few years ago there are less foreclosures on high-end luxury homes on the Westside. Most troubled sellers have sold or otherwise restructured their mortgages, making troubled homes scarce as foreclosures reach their bottom.But today, after spending 35 years in L.A. residential real estate, – I’ve learned that numbers don’t tell the whole story. Unfortunately, in an election year, numbers are also motivating poorly conceived public policy that rewards the bubble’s most irresponsible borrowers while honest homeowners suffer the consequences.In...

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Mountain Real Estate Expands SoCal JV Program

Acquisition of bank-owned L.A. site marks Mountain’s sixth joint venture in the areaLOS ANGELES – March 18, 2012 – The joint venture between Mountain Real Estate Capital (MREC) and Harridge Development has recently acquired a bank-owned residential infill site located at 5120 Melrose Avenue, situated five miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles adjacent to Paramount Studios. The partners are in the process of re-entitling the site from multifamily to single family lots which they plan to sell to homebuilders. The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.“The acquisition of this project on Melrose Avenue is the exact type of infill opportunity MREC and our developer partners have been seeking and closing in Southern California,” said Peter Fioretti, MREC’s chief executive officer. “Identifying...

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Top Female Broker Adds Beauty to African Village

Lee & Associates’ Christine Deschaine returns home after helping village open its first self-sustaining business in Uganda, Africa LOS ANGELES — March 14, 2012 — Christine Deschaine is a very busy woman. What with her 24-7 work ethic toward her job as a retail broker for Lee & Associates LA North/Ventura, Inc., it’s a wonder the Los Angeles resident has time for anything else but showing properties, managing tenants and landlords and fielding the many calls and emails from clients and other brokers. But despite her time-consuming professional life, she still makes time for the small village of Kaihura, Uganda.  “I dedicate time, energy, or even my thoughts to Africa at least once a day. Once you have witnessed their plight and been moved by their gratitude and welcoming faces,...

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