8 of Our Favorite Blogs from 2017

As the year comes to a close, we thought it would be fun to revisit some of our most popular blog posts from 2017. Here’s a look of 8 of our favorites:

#1: How Amazon is taking Over the Grocery Industry

Over the last year, Amazon has made a lot of waves in the grocery industry that will affect brick-and-mortar retail for the foreseeable future. As a result, current leaseholders and building owners will have to figure out how to compete with Amazon, changing the way you market CRE assets and how you find the best assets to handle the changes taking place. Here is our blog detailing the 5 things you need to know about AmazonGo and more.

#2: Transit-Oriented Development’s Impact across the Country

Another substantial change taking place in cities across the country is the move to transit-oriented development (TOD). These are mostly public/private partnerships that are revamping the way that citizens move around the city, increasing easy access to public transportation. This blog post talks about the trend and highlights 4 TODs to watch in 2017 and beyond.

#3: Our Favorite Commercial Real Estate Bloggers

We know that there is a lot of information out there about commercial real estate; some are reliable sources and some not so reliable. We pride ourselves on offering our readers solid information about what is happening in CRE. This year, we wrote a post that highlighted some of our favorite commercial real estate bloggers that we believe you should be following.

#4: Can CRE be Uberized?

This next post is something to think about for landlords with commercial real estate: Can and will CRE be Uberized? In the same way that Uber connects riders with drivers, is there a way for landlords to match tenants with the right piece of property as well as giving current and past tenants a means to rate their landlords? It remains to be seen if this could work in CRE. In the meantime, this post talks about the 3 things CRE can learn from the Uber model.

#5: Luxury Multi-Family Building Developments Now Need 5-Star Amenities

CRE professionals in multi-family have long recognized the increasing need to provide amenities to attract tenants. In the luxury building development sector, standard run-of-the-mill amenities will no longer suffice. These tenants are looking for buildings that offer 5-star amenities like full spas on-site, on-site dining, concierge, and community wine cellars, just to name a few. This blog talks about the 6 amenities that today’s luxury tenants want in multi-family developments.

#6: New Competition Sparks More Creativity in Traditional Grocery and Retail

Amazon isn’t the only new competitor entering the physical arena that is challenging traditional CRE. In fact, there are competitors coming from abroad to compete in the U.S. grocery industry and Amazon is looking to jump into clothing and fashion, putting more pressure on traditional retailers. This blog goes into detail about the competition that retailers face in grocery and apparel, the reasons behind it, and what CRE will have to do to compete going forward.

#7: Cities that Sleep are Attracting New Investors for 4 Reasons

Ever heard of an 18-hour city? If not, you missed this blog detailing the 4 reasons CRE should be paying attention to 18-hour cities. Unlike the cities that never sleep like NYC and LA, these secondary metros are attracting employers, investors, and people because of this trend. Check out the blog to learn all about it and what it means for CRE.

#8: Too Many Starbucks May Provide New Opportunities for CRE Investors

Finally, the Starbucks craze has seemed to hit its plateau. With a Starbucks on every corner, it appears that the company has finally over-saturated the market with their coffee shops. New Starbucks stores attract old business from the Starbucks just across the street, sapping the foot traffic and sales from the latter. This blog post asks, ‘Is Starbucks at a saturation point?’, and if so, could it provide new opportunities for finding prime assets for CRE investors?