Mid-America Blog

Ever since I was younger, I’ve always had a passion for traveling. I love experiencing different cultures, trying new foods and admiring the architecture of cities unlike ours. However, since entering the real estate industry a year and a half ago, I have a completely new perspective when it comes to travel. Whether to a new country or even a new city in the United States, real estate is all around us.

With the 2016 draft coming back to Chicago this week, the traffic south of the river on Michigan Avenue has already started to stack up. Last year, the NFL draft was a huge success for Chicago, as well as the surrounding hotels and retailers.

Have you ever been at a business lunch and had no idea what to order or which fork to use? What about sending that quick email to your boss and how to format it? Or how about those unmentionable, embarrassing moments when you just don’t know what to do? If you’ve ever experienced a situation similar to one of these and not sure what the correct action is, then I hope this post will provide you with some insight into what is most commonly considered as proper.

Scheduled for Saturday, September 17 and Sunday, September 18, Doors Open Milwaukee will be going on its 5th year of allowing the general public an opportunity to tour over 150 buildings in and around the City of Milwaukee. This event offers the chance to tour and learn a bit about the history, architecture and preservation of the buildings we drive and walk past on a day to day basis, some of which we have seen most of our lives but really never knew about.

Entering the commercial real estate industry directly out of college can be a daunting experience. Even the best degree from a top tier university does not guarantee someone success as a real estate broker, developer or landlord. Learning the business takes time, endless hours of time. And in addition to the regular work week, driving trade areas every Saturday and Sunday becomes an essential weekly habit in order to effectively understand the nuances of each real estate market.

March 8th marked the day Minnesota’s lawmakers once again began session. A number of topics relevant to Minnesota’s commercial real estate industry are up for debate this year. These discussions will, however, be overshadowed by a unique set of circumstances.

Technology advancements since the 1970s have allowed information to be tracked, stored, analyzed and shared digitally. As early as the 1960s people believed the computer would push American business to use less paper (“Paperless Offices”). In reality though, the actual consumption of paper significantly increased year after year. However, the tide may be finally turning.

As a representative of landlords and property owners, it’s important to understand how the 2016 presidential race will impact the commercial real estate industry. A few weeks ago, President Obama submitted his 2017 budget proposal to Congress. According to the NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Development Association, “no matter where one might fall on the political spectrum, from an objective viewpoint, the impact upon commercial real estate industry of some of the administration’s proposals would be severe if they were to become law.”

Entering a completely new field was very exciting for me. My first year included meeting all new people, learning a completely new business and challenging myself to step outside of the box to see everything from a new perspective. You could say that I had entered a whole new world. So outside of the obvious things such as driving the market, what new retailers and developments are going on in my area and attending networking events, from my own experience and from mentorship here are a few good points to remember.

In my opinion, yes, here’s why… Fast casual refers to a type of restaurant that does not offer full table service, but promises a higher quality of food with fewer frozen or processed ingredients than a fast food restaurant. Additionally it is an intermediate concept between fast food and casual dining, thanks Wikipedia…

The importance of nutrition and maintaining an overall healthy self has been embedded in our day-to-day life. As consumers, we continue to find new ways to care for our well-being. This has given room for health and wellness related retailers to enter the marketplace or continue to expand. Whether it’s your doctor, exercise routine or diet, health and wellness oriented tenants have continued to make progress both nationally and locally.

It was 1992, and pre-obituaries were being written about the new Mall of America (MOA) opening late summer that year. The Ghermezian family's project was too ambitious they said – a mega mall of almost 4 million square feet in Bloomington, Minnesota?

This is from a post from the Chief of Police in a small town in Kenyon, Minnesota. Good thoughts to live by.

As most people in the United States know, Medical care in this country is one of the most important social and financial issues of our time. We’ve seen historic change, for better or worse, with the passing of Obamacare in March of 2010, mandating health insurance for all Americans. The stimulus for change was partially rooted in the fact that we have an aging society with the baby boomers moving into their late 50’s and 60’s, and an unsustainable burden of Medicare and Medicaid on the US health system. But even before that, there seemed to have been a large boom in hospital network expansions in most regions of the country.

The Twin Cities are back in a big way. Healthy job growth, increased gross domestic product and one of the nation’s lowest unemployment rates (3.8%) have contributed to a rapid post-recession recovery. Minneapolis–St. Paul takes the cake, figuratively, for the healthiest major city in the country, and Forbes recently named the city #1 in the country for the highest quality of life. So how have these economic drivers impacted downtown Minneapolis, and how has the active and vibrant economy affected downtown retail?

If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a thousand times… creating and sustaining strong relationships is an essential part of any successful team. As you grow as a person you realize this holds true not only professionally, but personally as well. And if you’re fortunate enough, you’ve developed strong enough relationships that many times tie both together.

I recommend that everyone, especially those in real estate, watch the documentary “Money for Nothing: Inside the Federal Reserve” by Jim Bruce. For someone, such as myself, with little prior knowledge of The Fed, I now have a much deeper appreciation and understanding of the entity's power.

For the last century, Milwaukee’s image to the outside world has revolved around beer and manufacturing. While these are still major industries embedded in the backbone of our economy, Milwaukee has since grown to be much more than Laverne and Shirley. Throughout the last two decades, the city has begun to make strides in revitalizing its neighborhoods around Downtown that used to house Milwaukee’s economic engines.

Given the dynamic and fluctuating elements of real estate, if there is one thing that everyone can agree is a key facet of the industry it is the word change. In order to keep up and adapt to the ever-changing market trends, you should immerse yourself in knowledge and read blogs that have an array of characteristics from varying sources.

One of the reasons I got into the retail commercial real estate business and have stayed here for over 10 years is because I have a love for shopping. I love physically walking into a store and combing the racks to find that perfect gift for someone or for myself. I find it therapeutic and an instant mood lifter. Since the option for online shopping became available, there has been the question of its impact on traditional brick and mortar retail stores.