December 9, 2024
It has been said, that “Uncertainty may be uncomfortable, but certainty is absurd” (Voltaire). Period of Uncertainty We have struggled the past two years with the uncertainty of inflation [up and now lowering], with interest rates [up a lot, and now lowering] and then there was the very uncertain Election which has been decided and […]
October 17, 2024
When I started in the commercial real estate business in 1984 at IRC, I began keeping a journal of maxims and good advice to myself that I hope would help me along my career path. Here is a collection that I hope you might find helpful. Raub’s Rules of Real Estate And Favorite Words of […]
September 11, 2024
The lightening is a photo from Canva pro and the electrical lines are a credit to roa.cedia.edu.ec Commercial Real Estate and Energy An essential element of commercial real estate is energy, the thing that turns on the lights and make our economy and modern lives work. Our energy provider, CPS, is doing a good […]
August 20, 2024
Real Estate certainly seems in the doldrums. The market had surged strongly after Covid and peaked on April Fools’ Day 2022, but fell apart so fast that within six weeks buyers went from making above-asking-price offers to walking away from deals because real estate was no longer the hot asset class. The markets bottomed late […]
July 12, 2024
This image is a free use photo by American Public Power Association on Unsplash. The Roman saying Carpe Diem, which means Seize the Day, could apply to some real estate companies in this age of AI and energy transition. One company in particular is Prologis, the largest industrial real estate investment trust with a market cap […]
June 5, 2024
This image is a free use photo by antonioespana. AI is on everyone’s minds and lips these days. Wall Street sees it as the only thing that will grow our economy and national output. Every CEO must mention AI a dozen or more times in his earnings call to not be considered backward and […]
May 11, 2024
Interest rate decrease – Not Happening We were expecting a decrease in interest rates to bail out the commercial real estate community by mid-year, but that’s not happening. Now, we suspect there will probably be one rate cut before the election in November, […]
March 21, 2024
The photo of the poker chips was modified and the original photograph can be found here. The Pillars of Property Ownership Every real estate investor knows that property ownership is built on two pillars: equity and debt. Equity is your investment with your own dollars, or dollars from friends and family. This is also called […]
February 22, 2024
God Blessed Texas! Says the song by the band, Little Texas. So, let’s count our blessings. France-Texas-Italy Texas would be the ninth largest economy in the world, if we were a sovereign nation, with the 2023 state GDP of $2.52-trillion, which is ahead of Italy’s at $2.3-trillion and just behind France at $3.2-trillion. Texas is […]
January 3, 2024
“Hooray” as we ring in the New Year 2024! At this time of year we like to make resolutions on how we pledge to improve our behavior and our decision-making skills. However, we also need to remember that there is an old saying, “The more things change, the more they are the same.” Which is […]
December 11, 2023
Photo Credit Stackoverflow. At this time of year, we often pause and reflect on our lives and our families. Here I offer you a well-known poem by Rudyard Kipling that may help us to focus on the “golden mean” of moderation in a world that seems so divided now. Kipling wrote this to his son, but I […]
November 16, 2023
Photo Credit Bloginnova. When Worlds Collide: How the Internet Has Disrupted Real Estate. While I was preparing a presentation to the San Antonio Executive Association, a club of 150 small business owners in San Antonio it hit me the tremendous extent that each real estate sector has been disrupted by the internet. Here’s what happened when worlds collide. […]
October 18, 2023
Photo Credit CUTRER PHOTOGRAPHY. In the wise prose of Merle Haggard, “If we make it through December, everything’s going to be all right I know…” That is the way I see the commercial real estate market just now. Recessions Past At a lunch recently with another real estate broker and company owner, the question came up, […]
September 13, 2023
Photo credit goes to Vagueonthehow We should call this the Fall of Uncertainty. We are uncertain as to falling or rising inflation; uncertain as to higher interest rates, one of the largest factors in valuing real estate; uncertain as to true new values of real estate; uncertain as to whether we are now in a […]
