Last week, I had the opportunity to meet with some of the industry’s most green-oriented executives, whom MHN had invited to judge our Second Annual Green Initiative Awards. Needless to say, it was quite an experience to get together with a group of four individuals who are so completely devoted to sustainability that, in at least one instance, they have actually spearheaded the movement. (And let me add that I learned quite a bit when some heated debates broke out.) In reviewing the submissions, the panel of judges—which included Anthony Morena, principal of The REDD (Real Estate Design & Development)…

Last month, I attended a press briefing given by Prudential Real Estate Investors (PREI), which invests in real estate on behalf of institutional clients. Here is what PREI CEO Allen Smith said. The company has sold more than $1 billion in commercial real estate this year, and Smith said that a lack of liquidity has not been a problem with its buyers. Buyers in these transactions were able to do get financing, if they were willing to pay a price for it. We are talking about commercial real estate in general, and not only about multifamily. One encouraging sign in…

Some time ago I wrote about a new senior housing community that was being proposed in my neighborhood. Since this is a product type that my company also designs, I was quite interested in who was proposing just what, so I followed the process. I can’t recall exactly how it happened, but I ended up on the mailing list of the association that represents my neighborhood, and is called upon to review proposed projects for design consistency. (As a curious aside, when I first moved here about fifteen years ago, I attended a couple of meetings in an attempt to…

Last month, I attended a press briefing given by Prudential Real Estate Investors (PREI), which invests in real estate on behalf of institutional clients.   Here is what PREI CEO Allen Smith said. The company has sold more than $1 billion in commercial real estate this year, and Smith said that a lack of liquidity has not been a problem with its buyers. Buyers in these transactions were able to do get financing, if they were willing to pay a price for it. We are talking about commercial real estate in general, and not only about multifamily. One encouraging sign…

“Should 5% appear too small, be thankful I don’t take it all.” Taxman (c) The Beatles, 1965 Property values are declining in virtually all sectors of commercial real estate and with local governments seeking relief any way they can get it, assessments are rising. In New York, starting in January the Department of Finance released their tentative assessment listings planned for 2010. Not surprisingly the assessed value was up for all major groups. Most notably, apartment buildings rose 7.8% and commercial buildings went up 9.9%. Single family residences didn’t escape the increases either, rising by 4.41%. All of this designed…

Consider for a moment the above inquiry. It is merely a simple (if not terribly creative) tactical question, designed to engage a prospect in conversation. Think about it for a minute—even if you don’t use the phrase yourself, have you ever seen it fail to evoke the desired response? Me neither. There’s a similar phrase that’s been circulating through the design and building industry for the last few months; it may sound somewhat different, but, in reality, it’s pretty close to prodding about the weather. The question is “Are you staying busy?” What a layered and peculiar question that is!…

Sometimes news events remind me of the ancient plagues. Just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse, frogs rain down from the heavens or a comedian gets elected from Minnesota. In a way, that kind of makes sense because after electing a professional wrestler governor, a comedian was the next step. I do wonder if they ever called Jess Ventura the First Wrestler, instead of governor. (Expect to see a clown from Minnesota in the House of Representatives in 2012. There are quite a few there already.)   Florida is one of those states in transition, with elderly residents…

 According to McKinsey & Co.’s recent report, “Unlocking Energy Efficiency in the U.S. Economy,” investing in energy-efficient buildings now will lead to $1.2 trillion in savings, as well as reduce the nation’s energy consumption by 23 percent, by 2020. “Green building can stimulate the economy at a level one and a half times larger than the federal stimulus bill,” says Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chairman of the USGBC, one of the 12 sponsors of the report.  “By leveraging existing green building approaches, like LEED, which is rooted in holistic and integrated design, we have the ability and capacity…

OK, let’s be transparent with one another for a while, shall we? How many of you in the service provider industry know anyone who is still working full time who hasn’t taken a pay/perk/benefit reduction of some kind over the last 18 months? For those of you who haven’t, kudos and congratulations, and may the force be with you. For the rest of us, who, from what I can tell, constitute the vast majority of all professionals, sacrifices have been made in the interest of mutually supporting our peers, or in some instances, even our organizations. Here in California, as…

“I think you’re bluffin’.” John Wayne in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, (1962) (C) John Ford In what I can only attribute to political gamemanship, the Right to Rent program is making its way around the Hill, seeking support for what will surely amount to be the epitome of a liberal agenda. According to industry pundits, labor unions and very socially liberal organizations, those renting homes that are foreclosed need protection against losing their housing due to proceedings designed originally to turn the asset and get it back on the market as soon as possible. Rather than just asking…