CRE & Boilerplates

1)Boilerplate LANGUAGE 

What do you use for your proposals? My guess is most of you reading this do use a boilerplate in some capacity. Boilerplate language is efficient and even important. It communicates with consistency what we want to say. It also assures that the language is vetted for accuracy, messages are clear and liabilities are avoided.

2)The CHALLENGE 

Is when boilerplate language crosses over to fill-in-the-blank mode. This is an easy response when there is a deadline to meet. Too much to do with too little time opens the door to expediency. "Just cut and paste from the proposal we did last week. It will fit and save us a lot of time."  The challenge is when the uniqueness of a client and the relationship with that client gets lost in the process.

3)Boilerplate in ACTION

Proposals that are presented are typical over 80 percent boilerplate. The boilerplate  addresses areas of the  clients needs, but the overall proposal does not  speak to the specifics of the client's situation.

4)Finding a BETTER way

 The point here is to raise the importance of each clients situation. Begin by listening well. Assure clients that they are heard, and be specific with responses that address their situations. Point-by-point, demonstrate to the client how goals are met, risk reduced and anxiety eased.

5)Gain EFFICIENCIES    

Your efficiencies can equal greater profit, and no one should begrudge that profit,  which is  earned  through years of experience and expertise. However, don't let efficiencies dominate client-facing engagements and responses. Each client is unique, and deserves to be listened to and engaged with in a unique way. Feel free to use a  boilerplate. Just make sure that you're addressing your client's needs in a very specific manner .

Shared by: SHANNON MURPHY  

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CRE DUE Diligence

CRE is currently seeing an unprecedented trend in how fast due diligence needs to be performed. This is especially true in core gateway markets to some extent. There is an increased appetite by investors to deploy capital into real estate that is putting pressure on them to do deals more quickly. This increasing need for speed creates a greater chance of investors being burned on real estate deals, as when times are good in the industry investors are sometimes blind to past failings.

There is no doubt investors have a decreasingly short period to make investments, as right now these gateway markets are hot and more and more equity is available for deployment, causing prices to rise as demand outstrips supply. The fear is that in order to meet expected returns, investors will be required to either move up the risk spectrum or to diverge from their usual investment strategy while on the hunt for attractive assets. Some investors may also face additional risk by moving away from their core property strengths and taking on assets they are less experienced in managing.

In past years it was not uncommon for an investor to have anywhere between 30 to 45 days to complete their due diligence.  However, we are seeing time lines as short as five to seven days for a buyer to either complete their due diligence or waive contingencies. We have heard of several cases where our client released hundreds of thousands of dollars in order for the seller to allow them the opportunity to sign the purchase and sale agreement. The drive for these expedited time lines and deal constraints is simply the competitive nature of the market for these core cities and the class-B+ to class-A quality assets within these markets. 

We are seeing this trend in assets of varying sizes. As the number of potential buyers increases, so does the market demand for fast "go hard" decisions. While the trend is most evident on larger assets in the $100-million-plus range, it is becoming increasingly common on $10 million to $100 million properties. For these properties, it is extremely difficult to get exclusive due diligence periods without leaving some "walk away" money on the table.

There is an obvious, inherent risk with these deal structures, but aligned with a qualified and experienced consulting team a client can often offset this risk.

We are often asked, “How quickly can you prepare a report for my acquisition?” This approach is flawed from the outset. Only after a clients’ risk profile is assessed can an appropriate due diligence scope of work and schedule be established, provided a report is actually even required.

The purchaser’s familiarity with an asset type and market help establish the baseline for review. Flexibility in reporting and communicating findings is essential oftentimes enhanced post-site visit debriefings, detailed conference calls with the team, and preparation of complete summaries with opinions of probable costs may be all that is needed to give meaningful guidance to clients.

Qualified consultants respond to this need for increased speed in due diligence with condensed deliverable, prepared by skilled architects and engineers. The focus is a "get to the point," numbers-driven analysis tailored to a client’s needs, which provides them with the critical data they need to make the best business decision possible.

Creative report delivery strategies must be explored, but nothing can replace the trained eye of a highly experienced due diligence advisor supported by a network of seasoned experts. Having a well-rounded generalist who is a registered architect or professional engineer lead the process is invaluable, especially when specialists are added to the team to review specific building systems and components. And when there is time pressure surrounding the review of real estate, this makes all of the difference.

Shared by: SHANNON MURPHY 

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Push your EGO aside so your BUSINESS can succeed!

Once upon a time, forceful personalities like Rockefeller, Ford and Carnegie drove business empires — and their egos drove them.

But the business climate has changed drastically in recent years. 

With rare exceptions, single companies can no longer monopolize a market. Competition has also increased, especially as advancing technology has made start-ups common. Nowadays, just a few talented individuals can overturn an entire industry — just as  Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates did it for personal computing.

 While there's plenty of room for small, niche providers, today the largest, most successful businesses are best served by diversity — meaning multiple divisions, departments and teams.

Cooperation and co-dependence have replaced competition and ego as desirable characteristics. Whole organizations have fallen apart because of ego-driven issues. A good example is the old Hostess Brands, where management and labor were always at each other’s throats. It wasn't just ego that killed Hostess, but it certainly played a role on both sides.

#1 GOODBYE INNOVATION

When innovation goes out the window because we can't accept challenges to our egos, our companies take a hit. In an episode of the TV series “ Mad Men,”advertising exec Don Draper refuses to accept that a new go-getter's idea for a campaign works better than his own...so he deliberately "loses" the kid's plans in a cab when meeting with the client. He knows intellectually that his rival's campaign is superior, but his ego sabotages the deal.  Ego can also drive you to shift blame, avoid embarrassment or shame or otherwise warp reality to keep you from fully understanding and accepting it. Before you take any of these actions, stop and think about what you're doing — and how it can hurt you and your team if you keep it up.

#2 Forget proving yourself

Often, ego arises from a need to prove yourself to someone — you, your parents, your spouse or your colleagues. Maybe you want to be the first on your block with a new  BMW, and that's what drives you. Fine, as long as your ego doesn't get in the way of what really matters: Solving problems, being productive and helping your customers. In other words, doing your job. Your customers (or downstream users) just want whatever you've promised them. Working isn't about providing how great you are; it's about getting the job done as effectively and productively as possible. That's how you prove yourself.   

#3 Action step 

The days when you could succeed on your own are history. Business is a communal effort, as are most great things in society.

Rather than let your ego get in the way of organizational success, find a way to push it aside when dealing with others. Listen to what they say, and give it due consideration.

If you still think your idea is best, so be it — but don't let your ego blind you to another's brilliance. Team efforts need team players, not loose cannons. Toughness and personal drive may be necessary for success, but so are cooperation and compromise.  

Shared by : Shannon Murphy 

2014.Q3 Survey Highlights:

                             2014.Q3 Survey Highlights:

• In line with the economic upswing, commercial REALTORS® reported market gains in the third quarter 2014.

• Sales of commercial properties rose 7.4 percent on a year-over-year basis, indicating accelerated investment activity.

• Price gains also accelerated, with properties trading at average prices 4.8 percent higher compared with the same period in 2013.

• The average transaction price remained level for the third consecutive quarter, at the $1.4 million mark. The shortage of available inventory retained its number one spot, as members reported not finding enough suitable properties.

• Demand for space increased, with leasing volume rising 2.7 percent over the second quarter.