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Predictions for commercial real estate

Posted on 5/15/21 at 11:28 pm
Posted by Zachary
Member since Jan 2007
1631 posts
Posted on 5/15/21 at 11:28 pm
Do you think Covid taught people that working remotely is an ample substitute for being in the office to the point that commercial real estate will suffer for the foreseeable future? And if so, is the natural result that commercial rents will decrease?
Posted by molsusports
Member since Jul 2004
36110 posts
Posted on 5/15/21 at 11:34 pm to
My perception is some commercial real estate is being converted to housing to accommodate for scarce housing.

That would reduce the relative oversupply of one and deficit of the other.

I think real estate values are going to be volatile for both commercial and residential over the next two years.
Posted by Powerman
Member since Jan 2004
162217 posts
Posted on 5/15/21 at 11:39 pm to
Of course a counter point might be that people would want more square footage so their employees aren't all stacked on top of each other

I know remote work works for some businesses but I'd have to think a lot of them are looking at production losses
Posted by oklahogjr
Gold Membership
Member since Jan 2010
36761 posts
Posted on 5/16/21 at 12:07 am to
quote:

Of course a counter point might be that people would want more square footage so their employees aren't all stacked on top of each other
I'm seeing lots of forced move to agile workplace, removing cubicles and adding conference rooms. Atleast that seems to be the trend with the folks i know
Posted by kaaj24
Dallas
Member since Jan 2010
606 posts
Posted on 5/16/21 at 5:44 am to
I think flex schedules may dominate. Where in office a few days. Home the others.
Posted by baldona
Florida
Member since Feb 2016
20440 posts
Posted on 5/16/21 at 6:33 am to
I think that once covid is clearly in the review mirror and all thesesoy boy's are over this coodie nonsense employers are going to look at productivity losses and arses will be back in the office. I don't care what anyone says, on avg productivity is down in a WFH environment. Some businesses can accept that and some will use it as a "benefit" which is great, but at the end of the day in a globally competitive business environment competition will force things back to mostly how they were in 2019.
Posted by Strannix
District 11
Member since Dec 2012
48900 posts
Posted on 5/16/21 at 7:34 am to
quote:

My perception is some commercial real estate is being converted to housing to accommodate for scarce housing.


Cost to perform this would be astronomical at this time
Posted by SaintTiger80
Member since Feb 2020
449 posts
Posted on 5/16/21 at 7:53 am to
quote:

employers are going to look at productivity losses and arses will be back in the office. I don't care what anyone says, on avg productivity is down in a WFH environment.


What makes you say this? Just your gut feeling?

I know you announced you don’t care what anyone says, but my team of engineers and CAD drafters have increased productivity and quality since working from home. Stale procedures were replaced with digital processes/tools.

I understand some types of work may benefit or require physical presence, but a lot of work can be done remotely.

Also, is it that much harder to manage productivity in a work from home environment? Send an email asking the status of an assignment or the expected completion date. People can waste just as much time at the office.
This post was edited on 5/16/21 at 9:33 am
Posted by Auburn1968
NYC
Member since Mar 2019
19449 posts
Posted on 5/16/21 at 10:00 am to
My sense of this is that retail stores and malls are going to get hurt by Amazon and all of the Internet stores. They are just too convenient and everything is in stock nearly always. Remote work will erode office space though many factors can affect this trend.

Posted by oklahogjr
Gold Membership
Member since Jan 2010
36761 posts
Posted on 5/16/21 at 10:42 am to
quote:

I think that once covid is clearly in the review mirror and all thesesoy boy's are over this coodie nonsense employers are going to look at productivity losses and arses will be back in the office. I don't care what anyone says, on avg productivity is down in a WFH environment. Some businesses can accept that and some will use it as a "benefit" which is great, but at the end of the day in a globally competitive business environment competition will force things back to mostly how they were in 2019.

in a globally competitive business it makes less sense to go to the office. you may not even have a team at your office. for a while most of the team reporting to me was in europe and asia while i sat in nyc. now my team is just across the US. we could all go to an office, but it wouldn't help us work together we'd do the exact things we do today.
Posted by Strannix
District 11
Member since Dec 2012
48900 posts
Posted on 5/16/21 at 10:59 am to
If anything working from home has helped identify the most productive, responsible team members.

If you need to be babysat in an office we don't need you.
This post was edited on 5/16/21 at 11:18 am
Posted by oneg8rh8r
Port Ludlow, WA
Member since Dec 2003
2700 posts
Posted on 5/17/21 at 12:55 am to
Think about big cities and the cost of having a brownstone, office in New England, CA or Seattle.

Companies have figured out they don't need to spend MILLIONS / yr on a building to operate. This past year has also given them a chance to figure out who can work on their own, who needs babysitting, and who used to simply sit around and look at Facebook while on the clock.

I got out of commercial real estate, prices are dropping.
Posted by hungryone
river parishes
Member since Sep 2010
11987 posts
Posted on 5/17/21 at 6:08 am to
quote:

, but my team of engineers and CAD drafters have increased productivity and quality since working from home. Stale procedures were replaced with digital processes/tools.

I work in higher Ed, and the productivity increase (for most) has been impressive. College campuses are full of distractions and “collegiality”. Flex scheduling is going to be the norm going forward. Majority of workforce in my unit has school aged children—allowing those folks to more easily juggle kid responsibilities has led to increased morale and reduced stress. But it has revealed clearly those workers who lack self discipline and motivation—and some will be replaced as we align skills with new job needs.

No one is putting the work from home genie back into the bottle.
Posted by Auburn1968
NYC
Member since Mar 2019
19449 posts
Posted on 5/17/21 at 9:14 am to
quote:

I think that once covid is clearly in the review mirror and all thesesoy boy's are over this coodie nonsense employers are going to look at productivity losses and arses will be back in the office. I don't care what anyone says, on avg productivity is down in a WFH environment. Some businesses can accept that and some will use it as a "benefit" which is great, but at the end of the day in a globally competitive business environment competition will force things back to mostly how they were in 2019.


I've worked at home for over 20 years, but I'm my own boss. Zero commute time and working all hours and all days worked for me, but for anyone prone to foot dragging it could be a disaster.
Posted by saints5021
Louisiana
Member since Jul 2010
17472 posts
Posted on 5/18/21 at 11:10 am to
The only people who are not more productive in WFH environments (where the job doesn't need to be at a particular site) are people who need social interaction. These are the ladies that hang around the coffee pot or take multiple breaks to walk around the cubicle farm to show pictures of their kids doing something. People that thrive in distraction free environments always are more productive in their own space. I say that as someone who managed a remote work team for several years.
Posted by UBamaJelly
Member since Jan 2013
99 posts
Posted on 5/18/21 at 11:33 am to
I think it depends on what segment of commercial real estate you are referring to (which appears to be office). I think you will see different approaches based upon different corporate strategies. Some will see it as beneficial due cost savings of employees working from home. Others may view it as a negative due to losing workplace community/collaboration. Really a mixed bag.

Retail was already declining pre Covid. I would say Covid just accelerated this trend. I'd say the same is true for warehousing/distribution except in a positive direction.
Posted by Chucktown_Badger
The banks of the Ashley River
Member since May 2013
31104 posts
Posted on 5/18/21 at 11:38 am to
quote:

My perception is some commercial real estate is being converted to housing to accommodate for scarce housing.



They'd have to change the zoning to do that.

My buddy is the director of acquisitions for a major corporate real estate company here, and despite what I would've anticipated they're doing quite well. Breaking ground on a few big projects that have been in the works here and in other cities where they do business.
Posted by Santiago_Dunbar
Atlanta, GA
Member since Feb 2021
214 posts
Posted on 5/18/21 at 12:58 pm to
You’re going to see a lot of mid-size tenants reevaluate their requirements and give back space as leases expire. What that requirement ends up being is going to vary depending on how much term they have left. With the glut in sublease space in most major markets, it’s wishful thinking that you’ll be able to pass off that obligation to another tenant right now.

In Atlanta, plenty of small local groups are still seeing a need for a physical location and on the other end you’ve got people like Google who just stroked a check for 500k+ sf.
Posted by MrJimBeam
Member since Apr 2009
12296 posts
Posted on 5/18/21 at 1:09 pm to
quote:

If anything working from home has helped identify the most productive, responsible team members.

If you need to be babysat in an office we don't need you.


Have definitely seen who has sank and who has swam in my office regarding this WFH policy. I'm amazed at how bad some people are at this.
Posted by Paul Allen
Montauk, NY
Member since Nov 2007
75183 posts
Posted on 8/18/21 at 11:48 am to
Is the jury still out on this?

We’re almost to the fall of 2021 and several reports have indicated that larger metro markets aren’t seeing a slowdown in the commercial real estate sector.

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