REATA Blog
News & Updates
The Rental Rate Shell Game: Why the Lowest Rent May Not Be the Lowest Cost
You’ve probably seen a shell game. I know I have. Someone puts a ball under one of three shells, moves them around quickly, and challenges you to keep track of where the ball ends up. I lost an embarrassing amount of money to a guy who hustled me with a shell game...
Top 5 Return to Work Objections by Office Employees
I recently read this article by our good friend, Wayne Teig, with ITRA Global Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota and thought his points so salient that I wanted to share them with you here: Even though the pandemic is in the rearview mirror, many employees...
How to Avoid Hidden Tech Costs in Your Office Lease
Our great friend and fellow ITRA member recently wrote an excellent article about hidden costs in tenants office leases. Read on for Buddy Francese with Mutual Trust Corporate Real Estate's article. During a recent call, a national credit tenant with numerous offices...
The Simple Reason 75% of Companies Lose Money on Lease Renewals
Our friend, Wayne Teig with ITRA Global Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota recently wrote an erudite article regarding lease renewals that we wanted to share with our audience as well: There are five questions that help outline the minimum requirements that a company...
Lease Renewals: A Cautionary Tale
Recently read a great article from my good friend, and fellow ITRA member, Buddy Francese with Mutual Trust Corporate Real Estate and wanted to share the informational wealth! Please continue reading: I recently received a call from an accountant who sounded...
6 Ways to protect your office from pending landlord financial stress
As a tenant in an office or industrial building, it's important to be aware of your landlord's financial health, especially in the wake of the recent banking near-crisiswhere many landlords of office buildings are facing financial challenges. It's crucial to ensure...
Increasing Cost of Buildings and Affect of Tenant’s Share of Taxes – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord, Episode #87
Commercial buildings are more in demand than ever. Shortly supply, big demand and where are prices to go? That's right...up! How does that affect the taxes of said building and how are tenant's prorata share of expenses treated? Listen to Bob & Jan discuss all...
When To Begin The Renewal/Relocation Process – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #86
In today's episode, Bob & Jan discuss when to begin the renewal/relocation process. Several factors to consider: Is the organization changing rapidly and not sure how much space they will need? Company is unsure of the right location for their client base and...
Conflict of Interest….Just Cost Somebody $800K – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #85
JLL recently was told that they would not be receiving their $800,000 commission for leasing three floors in a Washington, D.C. office building. Owner of the building claims JLL did not properly disclosure that they were representing both sides of the deal. Listen...
Feels Like The New Retail? – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord, Episode #84
In today's podcast, Bob & Jan cover two main topics: how older office buildings are viewed and the Virgin Hyperloop. Feels like the new retail - how older office buildings are starting to be given back to the lenders Migration patterns from high-cost, colder...
Inflation, Interest Rates and Your Company’s Office – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #83
In today's episode Bob & Jan discuss how the Fed's move today of raising interest rates a quarter point will affect all things CRE. What is inflation? What causes inflation? When have we seen inflation in the past? What do interest rates have to do with inflation?...
Companies Pressuring Russia Over the Ukraine Invasion – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #82
In today's episode, Bob & Jan discuss major companies who are pulling out of Russia and/or greatly reducing their service to that country. Major brokerages pulling out of Russia - CBRE, Knight Frank, Savills Major oil companies pulling out of Russia - BP, Shell,...
$64,000 Question – Just How Much Office Space Do You Need? – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #81
In today's episode, Bob & Jan discuss how to accurately decide just how much office space you need for your company. How much space do you need for your office? Who do you need on your team in order to decide how much space you need? Are rental rates up or down?...
Interview with David George, CEO & Founder of CRUX – Corporate Real Estate User Experience – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #80
In today's episode, Bob & Jan get to grill their new friend, David George, regarding what trends he is seeing regarding employees returning to the office and how those decisions get made. What purpose should the office serve? What's the narrative companies need to...
9 Predictions of What CRE Can Expect in 2022 – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #79
In today's episode, Bob and Jan comment on predictions made by industry leaders for what 2022 holds in store for CRE: The U.S. won't see tangible changes to the supply chain this year, but companies will be better equipped to handle delays and shortages. Industrial...
CRE 2021 Predictions-Were They Accurate; Trends We Saw, High-Paying Jobs Going Remote; What Do Workers Want in Returning to the Office? – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #78
. Bob & Jan discuss crystal ball issues in today's episode among other hot topics! CRE experts were mostly for the 2021 predictions but they definitely whiffed on some. Trends that popped up in 2021 that were surprising. High-paying ($80k) jobs going remote? Hold...
Industrial Tenants Face Huge Rent Hikes; What Elevator Usage Tells Us About Omnicron; Ground Leases – Popular Finance Tool – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #77
In today's podcast, Jan & Bob discuss a lot of current topics, to include: Industrial tenants are most likely to incur huge rent hikes when renewing their expiring leases - an average of 25% Elevator usage tells us info about Omnicron and the workplace - Kone...
Office Gaining Momentum, Sublease Availability Falling, WeWork’s New Tiers, Industrial & Supply Chain – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #76d, Epis
In today's episode, Bob & Jan discuss a bevy of topics including elastic and Thanksgiving! Office gaining momentum for big return in 2022, NAIOP predicts Pandemic subleasing trend declines as available square footage falls in Q3 New office demand retreated in...
Are post Covid plans for commercial office space turning out as predicted??
Today's podcast was, well, how do we say, unusual?? No, Jan, was not drunk during the taping of this show! Where was the spoke moved from the hub-and-spoke model? Who let the dogs out....in the office? Companies are NOT establishing hybrid workplans Jobs report...
Sublease Markets Contracting; Workers Back to Office; 3/2; Shadow Inflation; Libor Going Away; City of Dallas Permits, and more – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #74
Too many topics to count on today's podcast! Sublease markets are contracting....but barely Workers are back to the office at a higher rate than since the pandemic began What is shadow inflation What will take Libor's place Permitting in the city of Dallas....what a...
Last Mile Logistics and The Digital Revolution – Creating New Real Estate Sectors? Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #73
On today's episode several new topics are discussed showing what's happening and what will happen with last mile logistics and what the effect of the new digital revolution will have on CRE. Pandemic highlighted just how important e-commerce is Top 500 retailers have...
DFW Office Leasing Rebounding? Logistics Supply Chain Needs Help. Kastle System Reveals Truth – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #71
Listen to today's podcast where Bob and Jan discuss the following: Is DFW's office leasing really on the rebound? Why is a Chicago law firm reducing its office lease by almost half at renewal? Does the Kastle System reveal the truth between the opposing ends? Why...
The Great Resignation of 2021 – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #70
The Great Resignation of 2021. It is a depressing term to describe the number of people predicted to quit their jobs this year. Why is this happening? How can you prevent it? Listen to Bob and Jan discuss these issues on today's podcast. I had heard of this but...
Stalking Your Employees? – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #69
Should you stalk your employees? Provocative question, right? On today's podcast, Bob & Jan discuss why this is actually very needed for your business. Stalking your employees sounds bad, doesn't it? I'm just talking about where they live. Does that sound...
Will You Require Your Employees to be Vaccinated in Order to Return to the Office? – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #68
The FDA just gave full approval of the Pfizer vaccine. Many large companies have announced they will require their employees to be vaccinated to return to the office. Too Big Brother? Or good solution to avoid an incubator for more infections? All this and more on...
DFW Office Market Trending Up? – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #67
I saw a headline this week that the DFW office market is trending up. Again? We just had this conversation a few weeks ago. How is it different this time around? Listen to today's podcast to find out! The article I referenced was from D Magazine's CRE edition...
Should You Work With a Boutique Tenant Rep Agency or One of the Giants? – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #66
No one ever got fired for buying IBM. That was the saying to justify buying PCs from IBM in the late 1980s. The same could be said for Xerox and of the Big 8 accounting firms, goodness, I'm dating myself bigly!! What does this have to do with negotiating office and...
Top 10 Commercial Real Estate Predictions for 2021 – Are They Coming True? – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #65
It's time for another list of predictions that we can tear apart. Today, the top 10 commercial real estate predictions for 2021. We're halfway through the year already, so let's see just how accurate these really have been so far on today's podcast. I love tearing...
Ways to Accommodate Rapid Growth in Your Office – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #64
One of the most desired characteristics in today's leasing world is flexibility. Listen to to day's podcast to hear Bob & Jan discuss why flexibility is so important and why landlords charge extra for it. Some companies are growing rapidly while others are...
Will Virtual Touring Stay After the Pandemic? – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #63
I love the idea of touring buildings virtually - it can narrow the list quickly and people from all over the world can be a part of it! However, in 35 years of CRE work I never once toured a client virtually. We would collect flyers with photos and floor plans and...
10 Reasons Why You Should Relocate Your Business to DFW – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #62
10 reasons why you should relocate your business to DFW?? Seriously?!? I'm limited to 10?? Listen to today's podcast to find out what Jan thinks is number 1..... Truly shocked we were able to narrow this list down to 10 items and Jan's a bit frosted that her...
8 Things to Consider Before Reducing Your Office Space – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #61
You've heard a ton of talk, including on this podcast, about WFH, returning to work or a hybrid of the two. But before you use the great reset of 2020 as the excuse to pull the trigger on shedding some overhead costs (think office space), there are 8 things you might...
Jobs Reports – Which Ones to Believe and How They Affect CRE – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #60
Just read a jobs reports in the NYT and the headline made me feel good and then the article left me confused. Listen to today's podcast to see if Bob & Jan can make sense of it all! OK, so here's the headline: U.S. Jobs Report for June Shows a Gain of 850,000,...
DFW Office Market on the Rebound – REALLY? Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #59
Last week I saw a headline that read "The DFW Office Market Rebound is Underway". This made me scratch my head - listen to Jan and me discuss why on today's podcast. The article I quoted was a Cushman & Wakefield second quarter report and it quoted one of...
Market Implications – Sublease Availability Hits New High
A new report just out from JLL says that total available sublease space in office buildings in the US now stands at 158 million square feet (SF) up 69% since early 2020. This represents 2.4% of the total US office inventory. Cushman & Wakefield put out their own...
E-Commerce in Covid & Beyond – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #58
Have you been to a grocery store in the last year and seen a store employee rushing around looking at a list and filling a basket? That's e-commerce in a brick-and-mortar store. In today's podcast, Jan & Bob discuss what is e-commerce and how's it's affecting...
7 Red Flags That May Indicate the Need for a Lease Compliance Review – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #57
Red flags. They are everywhere in life. An email shows up with a suspicious link. A call comes in trying to sell you a car warranty when you already have 140,000 miles on your Pinto. In today's podcast Bob and Jan delve into 7 red flags that may indicate the need...
Faster Than Expected Return to Office – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #56
Is the return to the office happening faster than expected? If so, what's the impact on landlords, tenants and investors? On today's podcast, hear Bob & Jan discuss this possibility and possible ramifications. It seems that most return to the office...
Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow (NOT) – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #55
When you sign a lease you focus on what the condition of the space will be when you move in because you want it to reflect the image of the company and be a great place for employees and customers. But few people consider what the space will look like at the end of...
How to Protect Yourself on Operating Expenses – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #54
I recently read a good article from Avogroup the other day regarding two ways to protect yourself on operating expense pass throughs from your landlord. On this episode we discuss these two ways in detail. As always, let's start with a definition: what are...
Office Space and COVID Across the Pond? – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #53
Possibly the closest ally of the United States is Britain. Our roots have been intricately tied for hundreds of years. While we speak the same language, we often don't understand each other - enter Nick! Our good friend, Nick McCalmont-Woods, owner of...
Tenant Improvements – When the Landlord’s & Tenant’s Visions Don’t Match – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #52
Just how do landlords and tenants ever agree on tenant finish out? Who pays for what? Can the tenant do anything they want in the space? What happens if a project doesn't finish on time? Listen to today's podcast to hear Jan and Bob discuss how to protect yourself...
8 Tips For Deciding Whether To Stay Or Move – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, #51
The good news about a lease is that it eventually comes to an end. But what do you do next? And how to you decide? On today's podcast, Bob and Jan discuss 8 tips for deciding whether to stay in your current office or move to a new one. It has been published that...
Everything We Thought We Knew About the Office Was Wrong, BEFORE Covid??? – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast
How much of your office do you actually use? And I don't mean now-I mean before Covid hit. A recent study suggests that office occupancy may not have been used to the extent previously thought. Listen to Bob & Jan talk about this on today's podcast. Before...
What You Should Know About Your Commercial Real Estate Broker, Part 2 – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast
A few weeks ago, we discussed 7 questions you should ask before hiring a broker. That was episode 45. Today, on episode 49, we'll discuss 8 more questions that you should ask before hiring a tenant rep broker. What is the current state of the market and in what...
Covid – Kicking it Down the Road – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord, Episode #48
Covid kicking it down the road is a weird title, but, it's a great concept. In this episode of the podcast, we'll discuss what it is and just how that panned out for one specific REATA client now that the year is expiring. Last year we recommended to several REATA...
Alliance of Tenant Representatives – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #47
Your company has a bunch of office locations throughout the US. You can hire one of the giant commercial real estate companies to represent you in negotiating those leases, but there is a better way. Listen to today's podcast to hear Bob and Jan talk all about...
Touring Vari – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #46
Wait, I thought Vari was a desk company? Well, it is, and a whole lot more. In fact, I toured their spaces this week. Listen to the podcast to hear all about it! I met Jason McCann, the CEO, this week. We didn't talk about the founding of the company, but I had...
What You Should Know About Your Commercial Real Estate Broker – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord, Episode #45
How well do you really know someone before you hire them? What questions should you ask before hiring a tenant rep broker? On today's podcast, we'll give you 8 questions you must ask and we'll answer these questions for REATA as well. The first question you should...
The Future of Logistics Real Estate Demand – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #44
Most of the time we talk about how to negotiate better leases on this podcast. But today we're going to talk about the Supply Chain - how its reliability became invaluable during Covid-19 and how its weaknesses showed up in a recent winter storm in Texas. When you...
12 Reasons and Tips When Moving Your Office From Downtown to the Suburbs – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord, Episode #43
You've probably heard that folks are leaving the big city downtown and moving to the suburbs. On today's podcast, we'll give you 12 reasons and tips for how to make the move! There is so much good about downtown - public transportation with light rail, restaurants,...
A Landlord Creates a Compelling New Reason to go Back to the Office – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #42
It's starting to feel like the pandemic may be winding down now that vaccinations are happening at a pace of 1.7 million a day and plans are for that to nearly double. So it's time to start thinking about going back to the office. But will the office look like it...
6 Things to Avoid When Leasing Office Space – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord, Episode #41
When searching for the perfect office space for your company, people often tell you the many things you should do, but we're going to tell you 6 things you should avoid at all costs. Listen to today's podcast for all the deets. So, what's first? Going it alone ~ You...
Office Vacancies Reach High Point in DFW – Confessions of Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #40
Recently the Dallas Business Journal wrote an article which showed that the Dallas Fort Worth office market has reached the highest vacancy rate seen in decades. They quoted a CBRE study which claims the vacancy rate at the end of 2020 was 23.4%. Bob and Jan talk...
Office Vacancies Reach High Point in DFW
On Friday, the Dallas Business Journal wrote an article which showed that the Dallas Fort Worth office market has reached the highest vacancy rate seen in decades. They quoted a CBRE study which claims the vacancy rate at the end of 2020 was 23.4%. This was a result...
9 Trends That Will Shape Work in 2021 and Beyond – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #38
Recently I read an article in the Harvard Business Review written by Brian Kropp that outlined 9 trend he thinks will shape the workplace in 2021 and beyond. Obviously 2020 was a volatile year and while it would be nice to say that 2021 will be calmer waters, Brian...
Forget Where’s Waldo? More Like Where’s The Office? – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #38
There have never been so many options available to companies for their office space. How do you decide among them and is your tenant rep able to advise you on all the options? That's today's topic on the Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast. Some of those...
5 Advantages to IoT in Your Office Space – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #37
The "Internet of Things" is abbreviated to IoT - and it looks like something from the periodic table! Listen to today's podcast and hear Bob and Jan take a deeper dive into how IoT will affect your workplace. Once again, I was reading Don Catalano's blog. He wrote...
Three Reasons Why Remote Work Won’t Last – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #36
Big corporate's dead and I'll never go back to an office without a body suit and my own breathing system. Oh, no, reality going forward is a hybrid basis. Forget about y'all, I'm going back to the office where I can finally get some work done! Heard any of these? ...
Intermediary, A Fancy Word for a Really Bad Idea – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast, Episode #35
If someone filed a lawsuit against you, would you consider sharing an attorney with that person so you can both save money? Sounds ludicrous, right? That's because it is, but it happens in real estate every day with agents instead of attorneys. Listen to today's...
Evidence of Softening Rents
We’re now nearly 9 months into the COVID recession and I’m amazed at how many landlords continue to quote the same rental rate they were before this started. We received several proposals for an office client recently and many didn’t come off their quoted rate at all....
Subleasing Update (because we don’t talk enough about it as it is!) – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast – Episode #34
Sublease space available in North Texas now tops the 9 million square feet mark - what is going on here? Clearly this is being driven by office tenants being required to go home and then finding out that they really can work remotely. Guess we can call it pandemic...
What Tenants Need to Know About Property Taxes – Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast – Episode #33
Property taxes are usually paid by the landlords, so tenants don't need to worry about them, right?!? Not even close-listen to our podcast to clear up confusion. Because, while landlords may write the check, tenants actually pay for the property taxes as part of...
Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast – Episode #32 – Don’t Let Your Office Lease Kill the Sale of Your Business
By listening to today's podcast the nightmare described below can be avoided. As an asset manager, in the late 90s, working for a large owner of office buildings, I got a phone call from a guy who said he was buying one of the companies in a Dallas building we owned....
Confessions of a Recovering Landlord – Episode #31 – How to Pull Off a Successful Office Move
While COVID and the dumpster fire that is 2020 has most companies trying to decide between returning to the office or working from home - or a hybrid of the two, many will face the possibility of a move in their future. Moving is a giant pain in the behind. It’s...
Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast – Episode #30 – Evaluating Commercial Real Estate Proposals
How does a broker evaluate landlord proposals for the brokers' clients? Especially large spaces with a lot of different options: term, size, finish out, etc. Bob & Jan discuss this in detail in today's podcast. Bob Gibbons is a Real Estate Advisor & Tenant...
Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast Episode #29 – How To Create The Perfect Office During A Pandemic
Jan and Bob are joined today by Andy Jones, President of Jones Commercial Interiors. Learn how to create the perfect office during a pandemic. Bob Gibbons is a Real Estate Advisor & Tenant Advocate with REATA Commercial Realty, Inc. which is a tenant advisory...
Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast Episode #28 – Lack of Technology Affects CRE’s Ability to Hire – Not at REATA!
Commercial real estate, in general, is slow to embrace technology, and this has lead to its aging employee population, but REATA aims to turn that around. Listen to Bob and Jan discuss their shop, the technological advances they have made, and the immediate hire they...
Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast Episode #27 – Top Things a Real Estate Attorney Wants You to Know About Office Leases
What is the number 1 thing people should do first when negotiating a lease? Today's podcast interviews Steve Potts with the Potts Law Group and he let us in on a lot of items tenants normally overlook in a lease negotiation. Listen to undercover his secrets. Bob...
Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast – Episode #26 – Why Industrial Space is Booming…..Because of, or in spite of, COVID?
With COVID killing retail space and pushing the pause button on office, what's happening with industrial space? Is there demand, and if so, why? Listen to Bob and Jan discover all the answers. Bob Gibbons is a Real Estate Advisor & Tenant Advocate with REATA...
Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast – Episode #25 – 11 Ways to Ensure a Healthier Office
This week's episode outlines an article in the September/October issue of Realtor Magazine detailing 11 ways to ensure a healthier office. As we gear up to go back into the office, we thought there couldn't be a better time in which to discuss this topic. Bob Gibbons...
Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast – Episode #24 – Hidden Costs in Your Lease
While rent and common area maintenance are the big obvious charges, there could be many other potential expenses that could surprise you. Listen to today's podcast to hear Bob & Jan uncover these expenses. Bob Gibbons is a Real Estate Advisor & Tenant...
Confessions of a Recovering Landlord Podcast – Episode #23 – Why Commercial Leases are Getting Shorter
We think it's fairly obvious why commercial leases are getting shorter - nobody wants to get tied down with long-term commitments they can't fulfill, but what will this mean for the owners of those buildings and how their assets are valued? Listen to today's podcast...
Confessions of a Recovering Landlord – Episode #22 – Insurance – landlords require so much, but it still falls short in COVID
Brian Hutson of Assured Partners is our guest this week to talk all things insurance. Landlords require so much insurance in leases. Why and is that good or bad for tenants? Brian explains it all to us. It sounds boring, but Brian makes it very tangible and...
Sublease Update
It’s no surprise that some companies are considering eliminating their offices in favor of a work-from-home strategy. If nothing else, the COVID crisis has proven that the technology exists for people to work from home. The jury is still out on whether they want to or...