http://nreionline.com/firstword/ en-us http://nreionline.com/firstword/real_estate_leo_wells_excessive Leverage is like cocaine, theorizes Leo Wells, founder and president of Wells Real Estate Funds, which has invested more than $12 billion in real estate since its inception in 1984. Everybody is going to start off as a social user, and debt is that way, he observes. Pretty soon they've snorted their whole life up their nose. A pioneer in the non-traded REIT market, Wells says debt is the biggest enemy firstword Mon, 01 Nov 2010 12:00:00 EDT http://nreionline.com/firstword/1009_real_estate_miserable_run_undone Seasoned commercial real estate professionals can relate to Jonathan Bartlett when he offers this observation: I'm beginning to think that at these conferences they ought to start taking belts and shoelaces at check-in because it's extraordinarily depressing to hear these economists get up and tell us over and over again how bad things are. For their part the economists would probably advise Bartlett, firstword Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EDT http://nreionline.com/firstword/indispensable-advice-fledgling-investors-0501 Florida investor Kenneth Rosen has never plowed a single penny into the stock market, which he likens to legalized gambling firstword Fri, 01 May 2009 12:00:00 EDT http://nreionline.com/firstword/green_building_stay Wasteful Americans, myself included, used to take for granted cheap gasoline prices and a seemingly never-ending supply of water. Not anymore. Recent news events focusing on our natural resources serve as a badly needed wake-up call. The price of crude oil reached $90 per barrel in late October and is threatening to encroach on the $100 psychological barrier the point at which a global recession could firstword Thu, 01 Nov 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://nreionline.com/firstword/real_estate_goldilocks_economy_real Much like a powerful HBO special, the commercial real estate industry produced plenty of drama in the first half of 2007 — even without Tony Soprano. The first nail-biter ended in early February when shareholders of Equity Office Properties approved a $39 billion takeover offer by The Blackstone Group following a fierce bidding war with investors led by Vornado Realty Trust. firstword Sun, 01 Jul 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://nreionline.com/firstword/real_estate_investors_give_incumbent No, we're not Gallup or Zogby. But given the widespread interest in this year's U.S. presidential race, the 2005 NREI/Marcus & Millichap Investor Outlook survey asked respondents which presidential candidate they believe would have a more favorable impact on commercial real estate. An overwhelming majority of the 648 survey respondents view George Bush more favorably than John Kerry on several economic firstword Fri, 01 Oct 2004 12:00:00 EDT http://nreionline.com/firstword/real_estate_apartment_buyers_show Howard Levine, president and CEO of multifamily lender ARCS Commercial Mortgage, scratches his head in disbelief at the nosebleed prices buyers are willing to pay for apartments today. Cap rates as low as 4.5%? The only justification for these low cap rates is to significantly increase rental rates, and the question everyone has to ask is whether that's in the cards, says Levine, whose company ranked firstword Wed, 01 Sep 2004 12:00:00 EDT http://nreionline.com/firstword/real_estate_no_silver_bullet Whenever we publish an article on terrorism, we run the risk of being labeled as sensationalists trying to peddle magazines. Yet when New York City's former police commissioner, Howard Safir, states bluntly that many high-profile office buildings around the country remain vulnerable to a terrorist attack, his message is worth listening to because he is such a credible source. Safir, now a security firstword Sun, 01 Aug 2004 12:00:00 EDT http://nreionline.com/firstword/real_estate_albert_sussman_former Albert Sussman, former executive vice president of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), passed away on Tuesday after a brief illness. Sussman was 88. A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday at the Plaza Chapel in New York City. firstword Wed, 09 Jun 2004 12:00:00 EDT http://nreionline.com/firstword/real_estate_longtime_shopping_center The annual shopping center convention in Las Vegas is to commercial real estate what the Masters is to golf: a major tour event rich with history and full of opportunity for playmakers, or dealmakers in this case. The buzz on the leasing mall floor where some exhibitor booths feature more square footage than the average house is palpable. The energetic atmosphere is unlike any other trade show I attend. firstword Sat, 01 May 2004 12:00:00 EDT http://nreionline.com/firstword/real_estate_brokerage_theres_no It's fair to say that since the recession of 2001, the brokerage industry has been in a state of upheaval. The largest companies remain under extreme financial pressure to grow revenues because user demand for commercial real estate space remains tepid. Take Jones Lang LaSalle, for example. Total revenues for the company rose 3% to $950 million in 2003, which is a positive sign, but expenses rose firstword Thu, 01 Apr 2004 12:00:00 EDT http://nreionline.com/firstword/real_estate_development_overseas_risky I have been so engrossed in overseeing this month's cover story package on international development that the song It's a Small World keeps replaying in my head. Yes, the nuts and bolts of commercial real estate are essentially local, but some of the emerging opportunities for U.S. developers are clearly global, from Madrid to Moscow. Our special report examines the driving factors behind some developers' firstword Sun, 01 Feb 2004 12:00:00 EDT