Perspectives

The Challenge of Data in ESG

With the SEC expected to release a final version of its climate disclosure rule in the near future, the impact of this ruling is anticipated to be far-reaching as investors demand greater visibility into the risks that climate change may have on their investment strategies. That reach not only includes publicly traded companies but also… Read more

Perspectives

A Proposed Methodology to Explore Racial and Ethnic Bias in Multifamily Appraisals

Abstract Current industry research to identify racial and ethnic bias has mostly focused on single-family appraisals but the primary players in multlifamily lending (Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and the Federal Housing Finance Agency) are not addressing bias with the same resources or attention. Racial or ethnic bias is more than a single observation of a… Read more

The Office Market Reckoning is Nigh

Remote working is still upending the office property sector. In an article I wrote for Real Estate Issues in 2021, I considered the early evidence that working from home and hybrid work arrangements were likely to be lasting legacies of the pandemic.1 Two years later, the “will they or won’t they return to the office“… Read more

Features

Evolving the Office Space: How Commercial Spaces Are Adapting for Hybrid Employees

Workplaces have changed significantly recently. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led many companies to send their employees home until governments deemed it was safe to return. Some thought remote work was only a temporary solution, but the last three years have shown telework is here to stay. Remote work has become increasingly popular and companies… Read more

Features

The Office Real Estate Market: From COVID Disruption to Uncertain Future

The Pre-COVID Decline Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. office real estate market had been subject to contraction for approximately a decade as businesses tried to lower overhead by implementing various “open office” concepts such as hoteling and/or hot-desking.  The results of these methods have been mixed, with prime locations still maintaining their luster… Read more

Features

How Using Property Management Software Can Increase Your Rental Property Income

Real estate investors who want to make more money on their rental property can increase rent, decrease costs, or work more efficiently. Over the past ten years, rental rates have increased by 31%. Renters typically pay 30% to 35% of their income on housing.1 Increasing rent would therefore be difficult to justify. In addition, construction input costs (steel, lumber, gas, asphalt, etc.) are 46% higher than pre-COVID, so cutting costs would also... Read More