S.E.C. Real Estate Observer

Welcome to the 2010 Winter Issue of the S.E.C. Observer.

The year was 1961 — John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the 35th President of the United States. A country called the Soviet Union rivaled the United States for world supremacy and space exploration, putting the first human in space in April. In May the U.S. answers with Alan Shepard’s flight and the President vows to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade. Construction of the Berlin Wall begins, the Beatles perform for the first time at the Cavern Club, Roger Maris hits 61 home runs for the Yankees and the Vietnam War officially begins in December with the arrival of helicopters and 400 U.S. troops in Saigon.

Knowing the client is one of the major keys. This takes time and preparation. Finding out what is important to the client, and not you, is critical. By approaching the client in this manner a rapport and a relationship is established. This relationship involves establishing an orderly way to address the client’s needs and solving the “problem” the client is experiencing. In order to achieve the relationship one must delve into the client’s past, their current state of affairs and what they expect in the future. This allows you to understand the entire picture of the client’s circumstances. Understanding the total set of circumstances surrounding the client provides us with the information we can draw upon to formulate, create, and design a feasible transaction.

The world of investment real estate has changed. In the 12 short months since the economic recession finally hit Wichita, everything about our commercial real estate market has changed, and those who do not recognize the new environment are destined for frustration and failure.

The client is desperate to transact the listed property to get off of the loan payments and get enough cash to solve some other issue. The listed price is $600K, but the current market will only bring $500K and the client is still in yesteryear on values. The loan is $350K. An S.E.C. broker knows that there are many ways to get people to their objectives over the resistance of advisors, lenders, third party influence, etc. One solution is to disguise the fall in value and avoid the seller’s lack of reality.

The S.E.C. Education Foundation Board looks forward to 2010 and anticipates that creative real estate education will continue to be a valuable tool for commercial real estate practitioners. The Foundation is working to provide you with quality education in various locations around the country. Please consider helping us spread the word about the Foundation’s efforts by contacting your local organizations and suggesting one or more courses that they might consider sponsoring in your area.

The S.E.C. National Invitational Marketing Session will be held at the Planet Hollywood • 3667 Las Vegas Boulevard South • Las Vegas, NV.

The S.E.C. Education Foundation is pleased to announce that Bill Exeter, Rich Michelson, and Todd King will each present a segment of education on Sunday, January 17, 2010, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The S.E.C. National Invitational Marketing Session will be held at the Sheraton Austin • 701 East 11th Street • Austin, Texas • 78701.

The Kansas CCIM Chapter has been awarded the coveted title of the Presidents Cup Award as the best small CCIM Chapter in the United States. All of us should be a part of something that is judged to be the best in the country at some time in our lives.