craighigdon

Assessing the Commercial Real Estate Market

There are many important factors that effect the price of commercial real estate, but perhaps few are as important as that of the local job market. Without a strong and growing job market, it's nearly impossible for an area to support the retail establis... Read >

Commercial Real Estate: Raising Equity

GETTING STARTED WITH INVESTORS Those researching the subject of commercial real estate investment are likely to encounter the term "OPM" on a regular basis. OPM is an acronym for "Other People's Money." I've covered this topic in general in an earli... Read >

Commercial Real Estate: The Importance of Population Trends

While commercial real estate can be an excellent investment, it's all but impossible to succeed in this competitive environment without some sort of game plan. The most successful professional real estate investors are those who are able to look at a giv... Read >

Commercial Loans: How You Win Even If You Lose

I was contemplating the economy, increasing interest rates, slowing real estate sales, and the possibility of us being in a real estate market "top" when I thought about how to protect myself against a potential fall in prices. My best choice for making ... Read >

Commercial Real Estate: Asking the Right Questions

There are many "insider" commercial real estate secrets. One of the most important secrets is knowing the right questions to ask when investigating a commercial property investment. While I'm not going to cover all of the potential questions in detail, ... Read >

Commercial Loans: There are Some New Sheriffs in Small Property Town!

It was hot and dusty in the wide open street. The steely-eyed man with the badge standing in front of the small retail center was perfectly still, totally focused on the bank underwriter who had stopped his scribbling on the yellow pad. The underwriter lo... Read >

Commercial Loans: The Power of Permits

I've had real incentive to consider this week's topic: How permits affect commercial loan underwriting. Those of you in the business for a while have undoubtedly come across an apartment project, office, or retail project with "un-permitted" additions. ... Read >

Commercial Loans: How Mezzanine Debt Closes the Deal

This is the "answer" to a question I received this past week concerning a class of commercial real estate loans called "mezzanine" debt. If you've never heard of it, don't worry. It's usually used by fairly substantial commercial real estate developers ... Read >