S.E.C. Real Estate Observer

In many areas of the country the real estate market continues to strengthen – average property values are up, days on the market are down, and inventory is low. However, many owners of highly appreciated real estate are being encouraged to consider smarter liquidation strategies.

S.E.C. Observer Editor The Society Awards & Installation Banquet was held in Houston on January 22, 2019. The 2019 Executive Committee Officers were sworn in: Lance Warner, President; Steve Fithian, 1st Vice President; Joseph Crowley, 2nd Vice President; and Bryan Neal, Secretary/Treasurer. Congratulations to the 2019 Executive Committee! One of the highlights of the banquet […]

I got a big check today in my California mailbox that came from a closing in Massachusetts. It was the result of an investment made (together with S.E.C. Tom Peterson of Glendora, CA) through the son of an S.E.C. member I had met when he was about 10 years old. It was a buy, lease/option-back, […]

E-commerce has taken and is continuing to take its toll on malls throughout the United States. I believe there is an answer, however. Stop and think—can you ever remember seeing or hearing an advertisement for any mall in your area? Perhaps you’ve encountered them for various shops in the mall but probably few and far […]

How many times have you driven by a property and said to yourself, I think I would like to own that property? Most of the time we do nothing but go about our daily routine. As you casually drive by the property the next time, you notice that the property is listed by a less-than-active […]

Driverless Vehicles and Their Impact on Real Estate and Our Lives Ronald J. Robinson, S.E.C. You don’t have to be wizard to see what is coming down the road, no pun intended, but driverless automobiles will soon have a major impact on real estate development, not to mention our lives and the changes that will […]

Newton’s First Law is often summarized as An object in a state of rest or uniform motion will remain in that state unless an external force is applied. For every action there is a reaction. Have we been in this Goldilocks economy for so long that we have forgotten this law? Interest rates are low. […]

Back on the farm, I hunted rabbit and quail with a single barrel shotgun, but dad had a double barrel. I was envious of that gun. It seemed to me he could get twice the game I could. I see a lot of commercial brokers doing the same—marketing with one barrel. The first barrel is […]

We hear it every day—retail is dying, the internet will make shopping centers obsolete. But is that reality, or is it something that those that do not know retail are saying to hear themselves talk? Is retail dead—or evolving? I would say the latter. But, now more than ever before, successful retail must have a […]

Illinois REALTORS return to MIPIM,
Forge international connections