Categories Covid19 Impact, Narrative, Office Trends

Stick or Carrot?

As more and more companies around the country are returning to work, big corporations are trying to incentivize their employees to get them back into the office.  Some are even bribing their employees with the promise of charity donations for each day that an employee comes to the office (The Carrot). Other companies are threatening … Continue reading Stick or Carrot?

Categories Covid19 Impact, Narrative, Office Trends

Why Companies are Migrating Back to the Office

The illusion of work from home (WFH) proving more productive than being in the office together, is called out in this great article from The Economist.  The argument against the myth is actually articulated really well.    My simple takeaway is that it’s harder and costlier to collaborate virtually, making job skills suffer.  See below … Continue reading Why Companies are Migrating Back to the Office

Categories Covid19 Impact, Narrative, Office Market, Office Trends

What CEOs are Saying About the Office

We continue to talk about the return to the office in this narrative because it’s at the forefront of our clients’ minds.  The below report from Leesman polled real estate leaders on the state of the workplace following the Covid-19 pandemic.  Here are a few takeaways I found most interesting:   –Almost 40% are planning major changes … Continue reading What CEOs are Saying About the Office

Categories Narrative, Office Market, Office Trends

1 – Minute Phoenix Metro Office Market Update: Q1 2023

The Metro Phoenix Office Market continues to face significant headwinds in 2023.  Net absorption, measured by the net change in physically occupied space, came in at negative 127,468 square feet in Q1. This means the office recovery took a step backward after realizing positive net absorption in the same amount during the last quarter of … Continue reading 1 – Minute Phoenix Metro Office Market Update: Q1 2023

Categories Narrative, Office Trends, Tech Industry

Redefining Location

Location has been the cornerstone of all commercial real estate decisions since the industry began.  Location, Location, Location.  But with the rise of technological advancements, this sure-fire parameter is being tested. Here are just a few of the trends pushing the boundaries of location: —Remote work. People are working from anywhere and everywhere.  This trend … Continue reading Redefining Location

Categories Covid19 Impact, Narrative, Office Trends

Development Strategies for Maximizing E-Commerce Demand

No matter what sector of real estate you focus on, E-Commerce affects us all.  Its disruption of the commercial real estate world has accelerated exponentially due to COVID-19’s effects on our shopping behavior.  This disruption is forcing property owners, especially industrial and retail,  to re-think how they “maximize” the sites they own.  It’s also spilling … Continue reading Development Strategies for Maximizing E-Commerce Demand

Categories Narrative, Office Trends, Original Content, Ten on One

Ten on One- Growing a CRE Brokerage Company

Ten minutes with Jeff Rinkov, CEO and Chairman of the Board, Lee & Associates. Our Leader. We sat down to discuss how we are growing our company and what makes us different.–Bigger, publicly traded CRE companies are focused on growing predictable revenue….CRE brokerage commissions are not that predictable. –How is Lee growing: – NFL cities – Diversification … Continue reading Ten on One- Growing a CRE Brokerage Company

Categories Narrative, Office Trends

Why Employees are Clashing with their Bosses on One Issue After Another

Over the past 18-24 months, our C2 Voice has been writing about the systemic change in office space working norms. The Wall Street Journal has printed a piece that does a great job summarizing all the issues that face workers, owners, corporations, and managers (see full article below my comments). There is a war going … Continue reading Why Employees are Clashing with their Bosses on One Issue After Another

Categories Covid19 Impact, Creative Office Spaces, In the News, Narrative, Office Trends

Will Work from Anywhere Work?

The evolution of hybrid work continues as companies move on from the pandemic. While work from home (WFH) satisfies many, the allure of work from anywhere (WFA) may seem like a dream scenario. The article below from The Economist takes a closer look at the realities of completely untethered work. It’s important for employers and Landlords to understand … Continue reading Will Work from Anywhere Work?

Categories Narrative, Office Market, Office Trends, Original Content, Ten on One

Ten on One- Latest Office Leasing Trends

In our latest Ten on One podcast, we spend 10 minutes with John Orsak, Vice President of Development at Lincoln Property Company, Desert Southwest.  John oversees a huge office portfolio in Phoenix, putting him in the market seven days a week. He is in the know in all things office.  Here are a few nuggets … Continue reading Ten on One- Latest Office Leasing Trends

Categories Economy, Narrative, Office Market, Office Trends

1-Minute Phoenix Metro Office Market Update: Q3 2022

The Metro Phoenix Office Market hit a small speedbump in Q3 on the path to recovery. After posting a big net absoption in Q2 of +918,413 SF, Q3 slipped to -81,621 SF. This puts year-to-date net absorption at +532,634 SF, on track to finish well below our 20-year average of 2 million SF. What’s going with … Continue reading 1-Minute Phoenix Metro Office Market Update: Q3 2022

Categories Covid19 Impact, Economy, Narrative, Office Trends, Tech Industry, Top 10 Issues Affecting Real Estate

Top 10 Issues Affecting Real Estate

As you may recall, Andrew and I are a long time Counselors of Real Estate (CRE). Annually the  Counselors of Real Estate organization  has all the members vote and comes up with the most interesting and comprehensive  list of Issues in our business.  The 2022-2023 Top 10 Issues Affecting Real Estate report came out last … Continue reading Top 10 Issues Affecting Real Estate

Categories Covid19 Impact, Creative Office Spaces, Narrative, Office Trends

Weakening the Work-From-Home Revolution

Everyone is talking about the looming recession.  While I personally think it’s likely to hit in 2023,  no one seems to be talking about how it could bring people back to the office. The article below discusses the reasons why a recession will lead to remote workers heading back into the office. Layoffs are coming (actually, they’re already here), and unemployment … Continue reading Weakening the Work-From-Home Revolution

Categories Covid19 Impact, Creative Office Spaces, Narrative, Office Trends, Tech Industry

The Latest Insights and Stats on Hybrid Office Work

Want to understand how employees really feel about the hybrid workplace? Microsoft has put out a fantastic report called the 2022 Work Trend Index Annual Report. An independent research firm conducted a survey with over 31,000 full-time and part-time works across 31 worldwide markets. This report also used valuable data from LinkedIn and Microsoft 365. Here are … Continue reading The Latest Insights and Stats on Hybrid Office Work

Categories Covid19 Impact, Economy, Narrative, Office Trends

PropTech is Changing Office Space

Office space is changing dramatically right in front of our eyes.  In this Narrative, we have talked about work from home, flex time, and how office space is becoming more experiential. Today I want to talk about another area: PropTech. The article below from prommodo is titled: The Coming Tsunami of PropTech. Proptech companies are showing up at … Continue reading PropTech is Changing Office Space

Categories Covid19 Impact, Creative Office Spaces, Economy, Narrative, Office Trends

Up to 70% Office Building Obsolescene??!!

Zisler Capital Associates released a report that stated up to 70% of the total office inventory might be obsolete. This is a massive disruption for office building owners. Now, we know that how tenants use their space is changing dramatically post covid and with new, rising technologies (Zoom, Slack, everything in the cloud, etc). We also … Continue reading Up to 70% Office Building Obsolescene??!!

Categories Covid19 Impact, Creative Office Spaces, Design, Narrative, Office Trends

Office Space that Works

In 2010, psychologists Alex Haslam and Craig Knight did some experimenting with office space layouts (read the full article below for some fascinating history and thoughts).  Here’s what they found: –Employees want to make their space their own. –When they get that opportunity, they do more and better work. Over a decade later and employees … Continue reading Office Space that Works

Categories Covid19 Impact, Creative Office Spaces, Narrative, Office Market, Office Trends

CA Companies Moving Out

I’ve said it before and it continues to be true: Companies are moving out of California in record numbers. This migration is happening for a myriad of reasons. –rising business costs (taxes, energy, utility costs, etc.) –worker comp litigation and cost issues –cost of talent –cost of simply living The list goes on.  Below is … Continue reading CA Companies Moving Out

Categories Design, Economy, Narrative, Office Market, Office Trends, Tech Industry

Are the Suburbs Back? And other Office Trends from NAIOP

As companies begin to return to the offices which have largely been left empty since the Covid 19 pandemic started, the first trend we are seeing is companies are  going to have to transform the spaces into places where workers will want to be. This is an important move since there is now a shift … Continue reading Are the Suburbs Back? And other Office Trends from NAIOP

Categories Covid19 Impact, Creative Office Spaces, Narrative, Office Market, Office Trends

Back to the Office, Differently

Have you figured out how your office will look in 2022 and beyond?  Below is cool, quick article from Fast Company illustrating some of the changes happening in the office. Yes, they do mention some pretty big tech names, and we don’t all have the same construction budgets as Salesforce, but there are some great ideas … Continue reading Back to the Office, Differently

Categories Architecture, Creative Office Spaces, Design, Narrative, Office Market, Office Trends

The World`s Best Workplace in 2021

Considering how many companies have opted to allow employees to work from home since the pandemic, it’s good to know that many are still investing in workplaces, creating designs that are not only aesthetically pleasing but with features that are beneficial for the employees and the environment. The list below features multiple workplace designs from … Continue reading The World`s Best Workplace in 2021

Categories Covid19 Impact, Creative Office Spaces, Economy, In the News, Narrative, Office Market, Office Trends

Second-Tier Cities Thriving

The pandemic has created some new trends (mask wearing, expanded home delivery, ghost restaurants, etc.).  That said, there has been even more acceleration of existing trends including last mile logistics, flex work schedules, and the rise of second-tier cities like Phoenix. Second-tier cities are growing like crazy and drawing the notice of institutional investors as well … Continue reading Second-Tier Cities Thriving

Categories Creative Office Spaces, Economy, Narrative, Office Trends, Tech Industry

Technology Changing Parking

Parking is not the most exciting topic, but for office developers and users it’s critical. Technology is changing everything in our lives and parking is no different. Yes, Uber and Lyft have already started the change as people can now get to and from locations without having to worry about parking.  And autonomous driving is … Continue reading Technology Changing Parking

Categories Covid19 Impact, Economy, Narrative, Office Market, Office Trends, Tech Industry

Where America’s Developed Areas are Growing?

A few weeks ago I wrote a narrative about rankings, and what I look for in markets where I believe companies will thrive. I posed four questions to ask with the number one question being:  Is the market growing? Below is a great article from the Washington Post on where America is growing by new land … Continue reading Where America’s Developed Areas are Growing?

Categories Covid19 Impact, Economy, Narrative, Office Market, Office Trends

The Hottest Office Topic in the Valley

Office subleases continue to prove a hot topic this year. Tenants in the market are eyeing subleases for their great prices, or are using them as leverage to bargain against traditional options. In the Metro Phoenix market, with 100 million SF of office space, we are now showing over 4.5 million SF of sublease now … Continue reading The Hottest Office Topic in the Valley

Categories Covid19 Impact, Creative Office Spaces, Narrative, Office Trends, Original Content

COVID 19 Office Space Changes

This narrative has been talking about changes in office space design, layout, and work flow for the last year. During COIVD-19, I decided to put together a summary presentation of the 10 changes office space users are making as we come out of the pandemic. I have given this presentation live (well, over Zoom) over … Continue reading COVID 19 Office Space Changes

Categories Covid19 Impact, Economy, Graphs, Narrative, Office Trends

Commercial Sales Volume in a Pandemic

There’s no doubt that the pandemic has had far-reaching consequences for industries worldwide. In my business, the pandemic created several great markets (residential development and industrial); a sandstorm in our area of office space leasing (no one knows where we are going yet) and has devastated other segments (retail and hospitality). One other segment that was … Continue reading Commercial Sales Volume in a Pandemic

Categories Covid19 Impact, Narrative, Office Market, Office Trends

Who is Going Back to the Office?

I am still closely watching the work-from-home (WFH) trend that began a long time ago but really accelerated last year when the Covid pandemic first hit. Many businesses are now returning to the office, with optional WFH schedules or reimagined spaces. Every business is handling the return to their office differently, and some have found … Continue reading Who is Going Back to the Office?

Categories Covid19 Impact, Narrative, Office Market, Office Trends

The Evolution of Office Space Utilization in the U.S.

Below is an older article (9/2016),  that discusses the evolution of office space.  Why am I sending this now, right after the economy shut down and the COVID-19 pandemic?  Because the points made below can and will show you a couple of key topics that are still relevant when discussing  commercial office design and investment: … Continue reading The Evolution of Office Space Utilization in the U.S.

Categories Narrative, Office Trends, Tech Industry

5G and CRE

I’ve lost track of how many narratives I’ve written about how technology is changing the commercial real estate business. Here’s another one. 5G is on the way and it’s coming fast. What does this mean to the Commercial Real Estate Industry?  Below is an article on strategizing for the arrival of 5G technology. Some of my … Continue reading 5G and CRE

Categories Economy, Narrative, Office Market, Office Trends, Top 10 Issues Affecting Real Estate

Top 10 Issues Affecting Real Estate

The Counselors of Real Estate (of which Andrew and I are proud members) have released their annual top 10 issues affecting real estate.  Please read the whole article below.  As you can imagine, COVID-19 is currently leading the way on issues affecting real estate. Big shocker.  We have written about the pandemic a ton in previous … Continue reading Top 10 Issues Affecting Real Estate

Categories Covid19 Impact, Creative Office Spaces, Design, Narrative, Office Trends

C.D.C. Recommends Changes to Office Space

The C.D.C. sent out some “suggested” changes for office space users as we head back into the office.  I wanted to take these suggestions and roll them into what we are seeing our clients do on a practical basis. Additionally, the Wall Street Journal has a nice article on what we know about getting infected. … Continue reading C.D.C. Recommends Changes to Office Space

Categories Creative Office Spaces, Design, Narrative, Office Market, Office Trends

10 + 1 Reasons to Measure Office Space Utilization

Last week, I sent a narrative on some new ways we are working with our clients to measure space utilization (click here to read).  I got quite a few responses about the topic from Real Estate facilities people (and a CEO) asking why we would incorporate new measurements into their spaces when they have corporate … Continue reading 10 + 1 Reasons to Measure Office Space Utilization

Categories Creative Office Spaces, Design, Narrative, Office Trends

New Ways to Measure Workplace Utilization

Every day we negotiate office leases. In 2019 alone, our team completed 145 leases. One item we always negotiate is rent per square foot.  As we negotiate this for our clients, we also talk to them about how they could, and probably should, be looking at the rent differently than just per SF.  Recently, we moved … Continue reading New Ways to Measure Workplace Utilization

Categories Creative Office Spaces, Narrative, Office Trends

Office Space 2020- The Employee Experience- Part 4 of 4

In this final week of my series, I wanted to talk about what companies are doing for their employees.  Yes, we know a few already—meals, bocce ball, corn hole and napping pods all across Silicon Valley.  But what about across the U.S.?  For this I turned to one of our clients and a leader in … Continue reading Office Space 2020- The Employee Experience- Part 4 of 4

Categories Creative Office Spaces, Narrative, Office Trends

Office Space 2020- The Tenant Rules- Part 3 of 4

One of the first lessons you learn when you start representing owners and tenants in leasing office space is that the tenant rules.  They drive everything.  Rates, Tenant Improvements, where buildings get built, what buildings get built — everything.  Deloitte produced a very nice 2020 Commercial Real Estate Outlook (the link to the entire study … Continue reading Office Space 2020- The Tenant Rules- Part 3 of 4

Categories Narrative, Office Trends, Top 10 Issues Affecting Real Estate

2019-20 Top Ten Issues Affecting Real Estate – My Annual Take

One of the best parts of being a Counselor of Real Estate (CRE) is the annual debate about what issues are driving real estate.  Boy have they changed over the last 5 years.  For 2019-2020, our organization has come up with a couple issues that you would have NEVER guessed would have been on the top … Continue reading 2019-20 Top Ten Issues Affecting Real Estate – My Annual Take

Categories Narrative, Office Trends

#1 Item for a Superior Customer Experience Strategy

McKinsey did a pretty interesting study on creating a superior customer experience strategy.  As you can imagine, it’s not just the actions of the front-line, customer-facing workers that adds the ‘customer first’ experience to a company, but the executives and strategy as well. The more a company invests in the interests of their employees, the … Continue reading #1 Item for a Superior Customer Experience Strategy

Categories Creative Office Spaces, Narrative, Office Trends

Ready for an office space deep dive?

Sometimes I geek out over office space.  Today’s narrative is one of those just for the interested.  Here is a link to a survey conducted by the National Association of Industrial and Office Professionals (NAIOP). This 50-page deep dive into the topic asks real estate owners and professionals their thoughts on Co-working vs. Building Collaborative … Continue reading Ready for an office space deep dive?

Categories Creative Office Spaces, Narrative, Office Trends, Tech Industry

Gaining a Competitive Edge in Office Buildings

  Below is an interesting article from The New York Times about office landlords seeking a competitive edge in leasing space to tenants.  Our primary market is Phoenix, so when I travel or read, I am always watching out for trends and changes in what owners are doing and what tenants are leasing.  Here are … Continue reading Gaining a Competitive Edge in Office Buildings

Categories Creative Office Spaces, Narrative, Office Trends

Building Collaborative Areas vs. Coworking Space

  For those who have followed my narrative for a while now, you might recall that WeWork and the overall rise of Coworking office space has been on my radar for the past few years (Click here to read “Rise of Collaborative Workspace” and here to read “WeWork now a $5 billion co-working startup”).   The market … Continue reading Building Collaborative Areas vs. Coworking Space

Categories Economy, Narrative, Office Market, Office Trends, Tech Industry

Game Changing Trend is Happening Right Now

Each January, I attend Abundance 360 produced by Peter Diamandis. One takeaway this year was how fast driverless cars are becoming a reality. This will happen in our lifetime. Google autonomous cars have over 1,000,000 miles in Palo Alto (click here). Tesla has a new package that will drive your car on the highway (click here) and there are at least … Continue reading Game Changing Trend is Happening Right Now

Categories Graphs, Narrative, Office Market, Office Trends

An Analysis of U.S. High-Rise Construction Activity in This Century

Below is a 2013 article Andy Conlin sent me analyzing high-rise construction in the United States. David Holmes takes an in-depth look at the major economic factors affecting skyscrapers (defined as buildings 18 stories or higher in this article) built since 2000. This timeline would include only one construction cycle and two recessions, but the conclusions are interesting. I’ve … Continue reading An Analysis of U.S. High-Rise Construction Activity in This Century