When it comes to 1031 Exchanges, beware. Do you know who has been entrusted with your money? A recent report in the Wall Street Journal article highlighted a rash of 1031 exchanges companys that have stolen investors’ funds and used them to fund an expensive lifestyle.
1031s Loosely Defined: Thousands of real estate investors have used […]

When searching for answers regarding the workings of financial markets – past, present and into the future – it is often wise to turn to The Wharton School, one of the most well respected academic institutions, for insights.

In a thoughtful piece entitled, Collateralized Damage: Commercial Mortgage Securities Are at a Standstill, the on-line journal, […]

As we have said on many occassions, commercial real estate is a lagging economic indicator. We have seen the strain in other areas like residential property (sub-prime crisis), rising food and gas prices, and a tightening of consumer finance options (Home Equity Lines Of Credit (HELOC), Credit Card Defaults, etc.).
Now the tail is finally starting to wag the […]

The Wall Street Journals Jonathan Karp provides a fascinating expose’, entitled HARD MONEY: Real-Estate Financier’s Death Hints At Trouble for Lenders, detailing a griping personal tale of Scott Coles and his company Mortgages, Ltd., that outlines a bizarre set of facts even greater than what fiction could believably spin.  
Unfortunately this story is true, and arguably representative […]

The point is often is often raised that there is some value in eliminating title insurance. Kimberly Palmer, in her article in U.S. New and World Report today, makes clear that the answer to whether to opt out of title insurance is: DO NOT!
When attorney Mark Rutzick sold his home in Fairfax, Va., and bought a new […]

So you think title is typically not an integral part of your deal. Think again!
Here is a title story, of epic proportions, told to us InmanNews. Remember this scenario the next time someone poo-poos the importance of securing title, prior to a development deal.
Some Hollywood moguls who were ready to build a $282 million movie production […]

Just to put a point to the notion that the Commercial Real Estate (CRE) market could actually become a lot worse, Seeking Alpha just posted a most interesting thumbnail analysis as to how we could see a huge downturn, with respect to the overall value in the CRE arena in the very near future.
The sale […]

We just reported on some promissing commercial retail real estate news, yet according to MarketWatch, commercial real estate markets in general should weaken in the months ahead, according to reports released May 21, 2008 by trade groups representing realtors and architects. Perhaps the most important thing we can all do, at this point, is simply […]

As reported in the Baltimore Business Journal, nearly 450 new shopping centers were added this year, through May 10, 2008, according to the latest industry report by from the International Council of Shopping Centers.
Here are some interesting supplemental data (and factoids) regarding the commercial real estate sector (and the retail arena, specifically): 

The Big Picture: In 2008 there […]

History does seem to repeat itself more often than not. So here we go again ….
In a fascinating expose in the Wall Street Journal, Jennifer Forsyth chronicles how property mogul, Ian Bruce Eichner, is poised to take yet a second fall from grace in less than two decades.
Forsyths WSJ piece not only documents the present […]