Life companies are jockeying to keep their seat at the table as capital continues to pour into commercial real estate. Thanks to maintaining the most conservative standards in the lead up to the boom, life insurance companies had fewer bad loans to work out after 2008 and used that strong capital position to increase their share of the commercial real estate lending market. Life insurance companies originate more loans today than they did at the peak of the boom—the only lender segment that can make that claim. But with commercial banks and conduit lenders getting more aggressive, life insurance companies are being pressed. Origination volume for commercial/multifamily loans rose 24 percent in 2012, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Originations Index. Commercial ban... 05/26/2013

Although 2013 isn’t a blockbuster year for real estate performance, landlords across an array of commercial property types are gaining pricing control and increased rental income from their assets, according to Jones Lang LaSalle’s First Quarter 2013 Cross Sector Outlook,distributed during the Urban Land Institute’s 2013 Spring Meeting, in San Diego, on May 14th to 17th. The report tracks and compares the relative health of property sectors nationally and by local markets. Keys to the equation for property types other than apartments are construction volumes near 40-year lows and incremental job gains from a handful of growth sectors, including energy and technology. “The lack of new construction has been a saving grace since the beginning of the recession,” said Jay Koster, Americas pr... 05/26/2013

Sequestration is shining a spotlight on an obstacle to the commercial real estate recovery—federal belt tightening. Nationally, the U.S. economy will take a hit from the sequester’s $85 billion in federal budget cuts planned for fiscal 2013. The forced reductions that began on March 1st will have real consequences for the U.S. economy, including eliminated and reduced government contracts, reduced private and public sector jobs and furloughed workers. “It will slow us down a little bit, but it won’t be fatal in any sense of the word,” says Jon Southard, managing director of the Econometric Advisors Group at CBRE in Boston. Economists are predicting that the sequester will reign in economic growth by about 0.5 to 0.6 percent this year. Gross domestic product expanded at a 2.5 percent ann... 05/26/2013

Baptism and the newness of life Romans 6   3 Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death?4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.   5 Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was.6 We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.7 For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.8 And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him.9 We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer... 05/26/2013

You are invited! We are excited about our commercial training class starting Tuesday May 28th at 9am running for 15 days. The class is open to Realtors that would like to learn more about commercial real estate. The cost is FREE but we ask that you let me know if you would like to attend so we can have materials for you. We will be meeting in the conference room in our office:101 Tradewynd DrLynchburg, VA 24502(434) 534-2425More info about careers with KW Commercial:http://www.kwcommercial.com/commercial/careers.htmlPowered by a mission to help real estate agents build careers worth having, businesses worth owning and lives worth living, Keller Williams Realty now stands as the largest real estate franchise in the United States. With almost 80,000 associates and 700 offices, the company... 05/26/2013

2013 Top Brokers   Most of the top commercial real estate brokerage firms grew their businesses in 2012, in comparison with 2011 volumes. When looking further back, total transaction volumes—which include the total value of all leasing and investment sales transactions each firm completed globally—are up dramatically from 2010. But the pecking order remains the same. The top 10 shuffled a bit with the completion of last year’s merger of Newmark Knight Frank and Grubb & Ellis to create Newmark Grubb Knight Frank. That enabled the company to jump from sixth on last year’s list to fifth on this year’s. In fact, most firms’ positions in the top 25 were about the same as they were a year ago. In that vein, CBRE Group leads the pack again. The firm reported a total volume of $189.50 billion i... 05/25/2013

We consider real estate to be in the early phase of a cyclical recovery. After a hiring slump in mid-2011, the job market has begun to show signs of strength, as the unemployment rate continued declining in the first quarter of 2012. Real estate investment performance continues to display favorable conditions, a result of historically low borrowing rates and a modest inflationary outlook. Very limited new supply and rising demand is buoying real estate fundamentals for most property types. Investor interest to date has been focused on top-tier assets in prime markets and is thus reflected in bifurcated cap rates, with rate compression in those select markets and assets. At this early phase of the real estate recovery, we believe the real estate asset class can provide very attractive re... 05/25/2013

This is my 12th trip to ICSC’s flagship event in the past 14 years and the thing that strikes me every time is the boundless optimism of retail real estate pros. Even in 2008—when the Las Vegas Convention Center was reduced to a ghost town by the Great Recession and the credit crisis—I remember executives assuring me that the dark days would pass quickly and, in fact, would yield amazing growth opportunities for the sector. This year is no exception. In fact, spirits seem to be soaring higher than ever. Attendance is in the neighborhood of 35,000, up about 10 percent from last year. The aisles and booths are packed. Everyone I’ve spoken to has a schedule overflowing with appointments. And they are not just “meet and greets.” People are here to buy or sell properties or sign leases. It b... 05/25/2013

The frenzy of meetings is over. And most of the 33,000-plus attendees of ICSC’s RECon 2013 have gone home tired, but satisfied. Conditions for the retail real estate have settled into a groove. Fundamentals have ticked up. Capital markets continue to loosen. Retailers on the mend and new concepts are out looking for space. That created the perfect conditions for investors, retailers and brokersto get together and talk brass tacks at the Las Vegas Convention Center this week. What’s most promising is the fact that many retailers are no longer in defensive modes. Instead, with sales rising they are signing extensions and looking for ways to grow portfolios. And new players are coming on the scene as well. “We’re having a lot more dialogue on rollouts and growth driven by strategy vs. deci... 05/25/2013

IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- REI Wise, commercial real estate's leading online provider of marketing and financial analytic services, and Keller Williams Realty Inc.'s commercial real estate division, KW Commercial, have signed a multi-year agreement to integrate REI Wise's commercial software into Keller Williams Realty's industry-leading, complete lead-to-close business solution, eEdge. Keller Williams, the second largest real estate company in the United States, launched eEdge in 2011, providing the real estate industry's first fully-integrated front and back-end platform to enable their associates to manage their businesses with a single, seamless solution. REI Wise is the first company that KW Commercial has licensed to provide the commercial real estate tools com... 05/24/2013

Facebook Marketing While Facebook is typically used to stay connected with friends, family and old college chums, many real estate agents and private home sellers are turning to this popular social media channel to market their properties. If you would like to use Facebook to sell your house, you have to do more than just make an announcement that you have a home for sale. Here are a few ways you can make the most of Facebook when selling your home. Post Photos of Your Home You probably are already posting personal photos on social media so why not upload a few good quality photos of your home? People love looking and photos and with any luck a friend of a friend on Facebook will see the photos of your home and will want to get in touch with you so they can take a tour. Take the time t... 05/23/2013

WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - May 16, 2013) - Realtors® who specialize in commercial real estate expressed optimism and confidence in the market during a forum at the Realtors® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo. Despite a slow turning economy, commercial practitioners believe the market is not only better off than it was a year ago, but also will continue to improve.  National Association of Realtors® chief economist Lawrence Yun joined several Realtor® commercial practitioners on a panel to discuss the economy and regulatory issues and their impact on the commercial real estate market. Through a live polling of the audience, a majority of members expressed that their local economy is either a little better or showing a major improvement from a year ago. "Right now we are exper... 05/23/2013

Alabama coach Nick Saban's $10.95 million investment property in Lake Burton will be up for auction next month. (Photo courtesy of Concierge Auctions) TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- Alabama coach Nick Saban's $10.95 million investment property in Georgia will be placed on the auction block next month, according to a report today from the Atlanta Business Chronicle.   The 9,600-square-foot estate, which rests on the shores of Lake Burton in Clayton, Ga., will sell without reserve in a June 6 auction coordinated byConcierge Auctions. This is not the home in which Saban resides during his few moments of free time away fromTuscaloosa. Rather, it was an investment property that's been on the market for more than a year. His regular vacation home is nearby at "another great lot on the lake," realtor... 05/23/2013

WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - May 13, 2013) - The business activity and income of Realtors® are up for the second year in a row following nine years of decline, according to the 2013 National Association of Realtors®Member Profile.  The study's results are representative of the nation's Realtors®; Realtors®are members of NAR and account for about half of the approximately 2 million active real estate licensees in the U.S.* Many non-member licensees are inactive or part time. Realtors® go beyond state licensing requirements by subscribing to NAR's Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice and committing to continuing education. NAR members also have access to professional resources to better serve their clients' needs.  Paul Bishop, NAR vice president of Research, said growth in the hous... 05/23/2013

Question: One of the toughest things about chasing the dream is managing the disciplines of persistent action and hopeful patience that are required to ultimately see the vision come to be. This is an area of huge tension. How do dream chasers manage that tension and thrive? Fulfilling your dreams and your ability to thrive in the areas of your life that matter most can be simplified by breakthroughs—a moment in time when the impossible becomes possible. If anyone wants to thrive in any area of their life, they have to reach a point of breakthrough where they will not settle for anything less than extraordinary in that area. Whether someone wants a breakthrough in their: Business Intimate life Emotional well-being Health Finances Career There are only three areas to break through in or... 05/22/2013

US Commercial Property's Positive Position NuWire Investor "Positive underlying fundamentals continue to support all of the major commercial real estate sectors in the United States, but a slowdown in job creation and ongoing tight loan availability has tempered growth in some areas, according to the National … In its latest commercial real estate forecast the NAR’s chief economist Lawrence Yun says that there are mixed results among the commercial sectors. ‘Job creation in the second quarter was about half of what we saw in the first quarter, which is moderating demand in the office sector,’ he said.  ‘Industrial and warehouse space is holding on better because imports and exports have advanced. While exports to Europe generally are down, trade has been robust with India, China and oth... 05/22/2013

Download image   Urban Land Institute. (PRNewsFoto/Urban Land Institute)   ULI/E&Y Real Estate Consensus Forecast is Based on Survey of 38 Leading Economists, Analysts WASHINGTON, April 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- A new U.S.-focused real estate forecast from the Urban Land Institute and Ernst & Young reflects renewed optimism for growth in real estate capital markets and commercial real estate fundamentals, and even stronger expectations for housing than those made just six months ago. The findings, based on a survey of 38 of the nation's leading real estate economists and analysts, were released today in the semi-annual ULI/E&Y Real Estate Consensus Forecast, prepared by the ULI Center for Capital Markets and Real Estate. The survey, conducted between March 4 and March 25, 2013, is the t... 05/22/2013

CommercialSearch to display commercial listing content on realtor.com®   SAN JOSE, Calif. and INDEPENDENCE, Mo., May 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --Realtor.com®, operated by Move, Inc. (NASDAQ: MOVE), and Xceligent, Inc., a leading provider of proactively researched commercial real estate information and marketing, today announced a strategic agreement to launch enhanced commercial search functionality on realtor.com® the official website of the National Association of REALTORS®. As a result of this agreement, in the third quarter of 2013, Xceligent-owned site CommercialSearch.com ("CommercialSearch") will begin powering amplified commercial functionality on realtor.com®. Realtor.com® users will have access to the hundreds of thousands of commercial listings Xceligent has aggregated into Comm... 05/22/2013

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. Romans 10:9 05/22/2013

WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - May 16, 2013) - Realtors® who specialize in commercial real estate expressed optimism and confidence in the market during a forum at the Realtors® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo. Despite a slow turning economy, commercial practitioners believe the market is not only better off than it was a year ago, but also will continue to improve.  National Association of Realtors® chief economist Lawrence Yun joined several Realtor® commercial practitioners on a panel to discuss the economy and regulatory issues and their impact on the commercial real estate market. Through a live polling of the audience, a majority of members expressed that their local economy is either a little better or showing a major improvement from a year ago. "Right now we are exper... 05/21/2013