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Transportation, flexibility and technology

To borrow a little from REM... 'it's the end of the commercial real estate world as we know it and Adam feels fine.' Okay, it's not the end and maybe not quite the beginning, but it's coming and we're excited.

The wakening reality to energy challenges, the opportunities of global economics and the cultural impact of technology development are all effecting the way we use and build commercial spaces. We are taking a harder look and hopefully tangible steps toward smarter, faster, cheaper, greener, and more flexible solutions. From logistics to all other areas of commercial enterprise, the future developed with an eye for sustainability can be very cool. On the other hand, a future less discussed and more reacted to than planned could really suck. From old buildings to old neighborhoods, everything we have now has value. The real opportunity for the commercial RE entrepreneur could be with exploration of a future more tested by reusing something old for something new.
What trends do you think are most immediate (and/or most necessary) in the development of commercial space?

posted by adam commercial @ 9:02 AM 0 comments

Just finished a great read on commercial real estate. Its an informative, inspiring, and useful resource for those who dig this stuff. It came across the radar looking into a national investment brokerage firm opening an office in our market.

It examples success stories in commercial real estate fairly typical in the vast myriad of books out there on real estate. But what makes this one different is the second half of the book. First it gives useful long-term market outlook and secondly, the annotations are a helpful reference section for anyone in, or getting into, the business of commercial real estate. If you read this book and have another book you feel has similar value to commercial real estate wonks, please comment. (and no if you are thinking it, I don't get any financial benefit from sending people to Amazon to buy the book.)

posted by adam commercial @ 5:33 AM 0 comments

Yeah, but what does it mean?

"This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful."

Edward R. Murrow said that in 1958. Today it could be said about Web 2.0....with a caveat. The individual now has enormous reach and resource (and audience) where there once was only access to very few. But now all the data, technology and packaging can loose the focus unless someone's images and words help guide us toward an understanding or help coach an inspiration.

Like everything else, digital tools exist for commercial real estate to make cool packages and present a dynamic platform for our ideas and assets to be attractive to others. But without our ability to dialogue on the meaning of such shapes and visions is there always the conversion to understanding. Or in other words, the sale.

It may be actually harder now to be understood (which might be the very case with this blog entry!). There are so many voices and self-directed channels, your message can be lost further in the noise. What you need to get the message across and the sale done is an experienced storyteller that advocates and navigates through the myriad of channels.

Adam Commercial is working to evolve its packaging, analysis, and web platform as important components for your assets to be best positioned. But great consideration for all of us is understand the importance the storyteller has in this mix. They can help educate in times where the digital medium will leave us just slightly entertained and peripherally informed. At the very least, with the journalistic adherence to who, what , where, why and how can this new weapon be a more useful tool.

The question for those that care to comment, as this site evolves and the tools are developed, what aspects of commercial real estate would you like to know more about? Are there areas of commercial real estate you find more interesting than others?

posted by adam commercial @ 12:51 PM 0 comments