http://www.smithreservices.com Just another WordPress weblog Sat, 26 Jan 2008 00:41:05 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Last Tuesday, the buzz about the .75% cut in the Fed’s rate (also called the prime) started. People got on the phone to their mortgage lenders asking if now the time to refinance their home loan is. As a result, there is a lot of information about what that rate cut means ... http://www.smithreservices.com/2008/01/25/does-the-feds-rate-cut-affect-commercial-loans/ You had a vacancy in your center and after a few months, you finally have a new tenant.  Hurray!…or is it? As with all of real estate, it depends.  Let’s look at what that new lease might do to the value of your shopping center. I. Local or National: If you signed ... http://www.smithreservices.com/2008/01/23/did-that-new-retail-lease-hurt-you/ Real estate fortunes are made by people who buy low and sell high.  The question is, how do you know when it’s low? You would have to be under a rock to miss that our economy is having challenges.  Listen, anytime the government even thinks about giving the people money ... http://www.smithreservices.com/2008/01/21/ride-the-real-estate-wave-to-wealth/ Last week the Housing Price Index came out with the 3rd quarter housing appreciation numbers. The great news is that Sacramento real estate has appreciated in value 56.9% over the past 5 years.  Do you realize that represents an average growth rate of 11.38% per year over the past 5 years?  So, ... http://www.smithreservices.com/2007/12/02/profits-that-lie-hidden-in-your-real-estate/ When does 3 = 1? The answer is in commercial real estate. When looking at the commercial real estate market, we must actually look at 3 different markets. I. The space market: This is the physical space that exists in the market. The measure of the space market generally comes in the form of absorption rates.  In the space ... http://www.smithreservices.com/2007/11/08/the-secret-to-creating-certainty-with-commercial-real-estate/ The 2nd Annual Sacramento Strip Mall Conference was held this week.  The conference was full of ways for retail property owners to make money.  As your retail real estate expert, I will share a few of them. 1. Charge for your monument signage. Make the fee agreement an addendum to the lease. This gives you additional ... http://www.smithreservices.com/2007/10/27/real-estate-experts-give-money-making-tips/ You own commercial real estate.  This property is likely one of the highest performing assets you own. When you have a problem with it, you call an agent/broker to assist. Who ya gonna call? If you need to have space leased, your needs will best be served by someone experienced in ... http://www.smithreservices.com/2007/10/23/real-estate-experience-leads-you-to-high-returns/ Yes, I am referring to Apple Computer Stock. We have friends who bought 100 shares for $19.95 each.  They are a great example of someone who bought low and sold high in the stock market. What is easy to overlook here is that 20 or so years ago when this purchase ... http://www.smithreservices.com/2007/10/10/apple-for-1995/ Are you waiting for the bottom of the market to buy more real estate?  Whether it’s the stock market or real estate, people try to buy low & sell high.  Very few people get the timing just right. But by waiting for the perfect time, most  people miss the opportunity to build ... http://www.smithreservices.com/2007/10/03/sacramento-real-estateboom-or-bust/ The Sacramento landscape is changing.  Are you keeping up with the changes?  Take this quick quiz to see how well you know the new “Sacramento”.  If you are from outside of Sacramento, you may consider all of the towns listed “Sacramento”.  However, the numbers show some separate and distinct characteristics of each ... http://www.smithreservices.com/2007/10/01/how-well-do-you-know-sacramento/