Those who have been in the commercial real estate industry for any amount of time know it lags the business cycle. Nobody gauges the economy by what commercial real estate is doing. Commercial real estate brokers, investors, and principals watch the economy, knowing that whatever happens there will be coming down the pike a year or two later for commercial real estate. It’s a frustrating way of life, but commercial real estate professionals have learned to deal with it.

Savvy commercial real estate investors always seek advice and counsel when it comes to making investment decisions. That said, all “experts” are not created equal – Those investors who have access to better, more timely information provided by more sophisticated advisors simply have an edge. So here are a few questions to ponder: How broad is your sphere of influence? Who are the “experts” you’re seeking advice from? What if I told you that you could have real-time, 24-7-365 access to the world’s best practitioners in every aspect of commercial real estate, and that this unfettered access was free – would you be interested?

To continue reading Vincent’s post, or any of his others on his blog, visit The Sentinel Realty Blogosphere.  Vincent is based in Chicago and represents properties nationally.

And, if you have been considering working social networking into your marketing strategy but aren’t sure how to take the first step, or want to contract someone to handle the management of this for you, Contact Us!

Social Media Savvy

1. Real estate stocks have rebounded and “Fidelity believes that, despite today’s challenging economic conditions, some exposure to the $2.25 trillion commercial real estate sector still has potential long-term benefits for investors with a diversified portfolio.”

2. Mark Snyderman, manager of Fidelity Real Estate Income Fund (FRIFX), explains 5 reasons the decline in commercial property values is nearing an end:

“First, capitalization rates, the ratio between a property’s net operating income and its market value, which have an inverse relationship to property prices, are 8%-9%—roughly in the vicinity of their long-term average. Second, while REIT fundamentals are still weakening, I believe that this is already priced into the market. Third, from the research I’ve done, it appears to me that there is some pent-up demand for commercial real estate property—money is on the sidelines and is waiting to be put to work. Fourth, the overall economic backdrop appears to be improving, which will certainly help this sector, among others. And last, the new supply situation is currently favorable. New construction in the commercial real estate space has been below levels that would seem reasonable to accommodate the combination of future economic growth and the replacement of old and out-of-date buildings. When you take a look at all of these factors working together, it tells me that we’re close to the bottom,”

This is a message to courier to your audience and investors… because it’s only going to get stronger.  Prepare for positioning yourself in the next year through 2012 NOW by embracing and incorporating e-marketing and social networking into your marketing plan.  Contact us to see how we can help.