Faithful readers of National Real Estate Investor will notice something different about our magazine this month — an updated design and a streamlined format. It's the publishing equivalent of a renovation and expansion to a valued commercial property. We're beefing up the infrastructure (in our case, the coverage) and spiffing up the façade to make NREI more appealing to our readers.
The change begins with the front cover. The new logo places emphasis on the word Investor. That's not for cosmetic effect, but rather to underscore an intensification of our focus on the flow of dollars into and out of the marketplace. Whether you're an owner, builder, developer, lender or broker, to understand the business better it pays to follow the money.
Inside, the first thing you'll notice is a new page called Data Points. Think of this as your dashboard for the commercial real estate market, giving you the latest readings from all the major property types. This page also will feature relevant demographic information from American Demographics, a Primedia sister publication.
To make it easier to find your way around NREI, we've divided the magazine into three major sections. The first, Developments, provides the latest news and trends in real estate finance as well as in the office, hotel, multifamily, retail and industrial submarkets.
After the news come our in-depth features. Every month, we'll probe an important issue in the industry, profile major players or dissect emerging trends — all to keep you on top of the fast-changing game. This month, we investigate the problems besetting aging malls and tell how smart players are repurposing and rejuvenating these properties.
Finally, we present Strategies. Here's where you can turn for practical advice from your colleagues, case studies that tell how to tackle tough problems and updates on finance and property management techniques and regulatory issues. This month, for example, we talk about how operators of limited-service hotels are coping with the travel downturn and how the Enron scandal may deprive the real estate business of a popular financing tool, the synthetic lease.
The improvements won't stop with this issue — or with the printed magazine. We continue to expand our online coverage (if you have not done so, we invite you to sign up for our weekly e-mail newsletter at http://www.nreionline.com). And we're working with other publications in the Primedia Business Financial Services Group — including Shopping Center World, Registered Rep and Trusts & Estates — to serve our audience better.