Every day, commercial real estate trends are evolving and changing. It can be tough to keep up with all of the changes, but it’s essential to stay informed so you can make the most advantageous choices for your business. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some of the most anticipated CRE trends for the coming year.

Brick and Mortar Retail Sales

Retailers are working to offer online shopping, in-store pick-up, and two-day shipping options to accommodate ecommerce. However, this is that retailers must figure out ways to entice consumers back into brick and mortar stores. An example of this would be Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods for $13.7 billion, which will allow Amazon to compete in the retail food market.

Another major shift in this area is that millennial consumers move towards shared services, including co-working spaces. This creates an opportunity for retailers to invest in brick-and-mortar stores once again. Retailers are also looking at ways to make shopping more convenient by offering mobile payment options and more in-store product demonstrations.

Multifamily Living

The multifamily living trend continues to grow as more and more people choose to rent instead of buy. This is partly because many millennials are still unable to afford a home. Additionally, many people are moving to larger metropolitan areas where the cost of living is higher.

As a result, developers are building more multifamily complexes, and investors are putting more money into this type of property. The demand for multifamily living is expected to grow in the coming year, so it’s a trend that businesses should keep an eye on.

Digital Technology

The use of digital technology is increasing throughout the commercial real estate industry. The development of artificial intelligence and wearable technology will allow businesses to be more efficient than ever before, which means that CRE trends in this area are an essential factor for business owners and investors alike.

One example would be intelligent offices, which use digital technologies such as wearables and robots to operate more efficiently. Another example would be the use of drones to conduct inspections. Finally, remote working is on the rise, which means that digital technology will also play a role in how people work remotely.

Whether you’re looking for commercial real estate for your business or seeking to invest in CRE trends, it’s essential to keep up with new and upcoming changes. By staying informed, you can make the most profitable decisions for your company.

Originally published on Jack Nourafshan’s website.

Commercial real estate (CRE) is seen as a highly lucrative investment opportunity for investors around the world. However, investing in commercial real estate does not always translate into a guaranteed profit. It involves investing your money on a property with the expectation of making a return at some point in time.

A Common Mistake Investors Make

One of the biggest mistakes people make when investing in commercial real estate is taking their eye off the bigger picture and focusing too much on short-term gains. If looking for guaranteed returns, then it’s best to avoid private equity investments and choose instead to invest your funds into public markets like stocks or bonds..

Types of Commercial Real Estate

The major types are industrial, logistics, office, and retail.

Industrial uses the largest amount of commercial real estate. Offices are the next in line followed by retail and logistics. Industrial space is used for manufacturing industries that require constant production while offices are used for business activities such as sales, marketing, and accounting. Retail stores provide goods that customers will want to buy while logistics facilities provide transport services to localities and countries.

Each Geographic Area is Unique

A geographical area’s supply and demand can be primarily influenced by several factors, including economic condition, population density, or natural resource availability.

Every location has different things to offer its residents. Understanding the unique benefits that a given region offers will help you make an informed decision about investing in it.

Factors to consider include:

* Productivity

* Value chain strength

* Demographics

* Unemployment rates

* GDP growth

The primary goal for investors is to find markets with strong supply and demand while also generating a positive return on investment. The role of the investor in this equation is that they can assess the strengths and weaknesses of each market. This allows them to determine which markets will give them the best return on capital or offer an edge over others who may be considering investing in that specific area as well.

Conclusion

Commercial Real Estate is an important asset that can be used to make money and increase ROI. However, to be successful, it’s necessary to know exactly how to invest in commercial real estate. Do your research, and build a team of experienced professionals who can help you begin your commercial real estate journey.

Originally published on Jack Nourafshan’s website.

The elderly population in Los Angeles has been steadily increasing for the last decade. The city’s Department of Aging reports that the number of people aged 65 and older will more than double by 2030, from one million to two million. This demographic shift has huge implications for those who care about aging well and living with dignity. Fortunately, there are many nonprofits devoted to helping seniors stay independent and healthy as they age!

 Here are five organizations working hard to make LA a better place for all seniors – particularly those without resources or family nearby.

1) Jewish Home & Family Services – Job Training for Seniors

Located in south-central Los Angeles, Jewish Home & Family Services provides occupational therapy and job training to seniors. “We teach them job skills so they can have dignity for the rest of their lives,” says Diana Rios, Executive Director at Jewish Home & Family Services. The organization will soon be moving into a new facility that includes a job training center where seniors will gain valuable skills for hospitality, construction, and healthcare jobs.

2) SilverLining – Free Movies For Seniors

Offering free programs on social services and other topics since 2005, this nonprofit has proven itself as a community center for seniors. It also offers a library of digitized films and books, free rides via its RideShare program, and free concerts in the summer months. In 2014, SilverLining launched its Media Arts Center to help seniors who have trouble navigating digital technology use computers to become more internet-savvy. The nonprofit’s most recent effort is the Silver Screen series, a free movie night for seniors age 60 and over. The film lineup includes classics like A Fish Called Wanda and new releases like The Intern. SilverLining also offers on-site blood pressure screenings to help the community stay healthy.

3) PACE of Los Angeles County – Energy Assistance Programs

A nonprofit network of more than 40 centers across LA County, PACE is committed to helping people age 50 and older stay in their homes. Two of the organization’s programs help seniors cut back on heating costs. The Energy Assistance Program (EAP) provides grants for low-income senior homeowners who need to make home repairs to improve energy efficiency. PACE also provides emergency services, such as furnace and water heater repairs. The program serves over 60,000 people each year. PACE’s Assistive Technology Program helps residents with disabilities by providing free computer devices and games that can help them maintain their independence at home.

4) North Hollywood Interfaith Center – Meals on Wheels

Started in 1966 to assist immigrant families, this nonprofit now provides home care and other services for seniors across Los Angeles. In addition to offering various cultural programs, such as holiday celebrations, free legal advice, and computer training classes, the organization helps seniors avoid eviction by providing temporary financial assistance via its HomeSave program. This service matches clients with volunteers who serve as personal financial advisors. Staff members also offer information about SSI, Medicare, and Medi-Cal programs to help people with low or no income access needed services.

5) Strive – Senior Employment Opportunities

Founded in 2014 to provide job training for seniors, this nonprofit offers several programs that connect older people with employment opportunities. Its Healthy Aging Initiative seeks to combat the skills gap that many seniors face when they attempt to enter a new job market, and it supports adults over age 55 looking for careers in health care. It also offers an online resource hub to help people find paid work opportunities through its Employment Toolbox site. Strive also partners with local businesses to help older adults gain experience through unpaid internships.

Originally published on Jack Nourafshan’s website.

Are you passionate about philanthropy as a business owner? Many people want to be able to give back to the community in meaningful ways, but they struggle to figure out how to make philanthropy a part of their companies. Keep reading to learn how you can build a philanthropic company culture. This should allow you to use your platform to make a difference in people’s lives. 

Partner up with Charities

Partnering up with charities to hold charity drives should be a good place to start. Companies often partner with specific charities to hold events that are beneficial for important causes. For example, you might hold an event to raise awareness about breast cancer while taking donations for charities that focus on finding a cure. Events like this help to develop the philanthropic spirit of your company. 

Give People Time Off to Volunteer

Giving people time off when they want to volunteer for good causes will also help. If you have employees who want to be able to volunteer their time, then you should make it easier for them to do so. It shows that such pursuits are valuable to the company and it allows more people to volunteer when they feel compelled to do so. You could even actively encourage your employees to volunteer some of their time for charitable causes each year. 

Match Employee Charitable Donations

Many companies like to try to match employee charitable donations up to a certain amount. For example, you might want to match the first $1,000 that your employees donate to specific charities each calendar year. This gives employees more of a reason to consider donating to charity since their donations can make a bigger impact than usual. It shows that you’re committed to helping good causes as a company. 

Promote Community Donation Drives

Promoting community donation drives will also be an effective way to build a philanthropic company culture. You should try to regularly hold events where you encourage people to donate food, clothing items, electronics, and other items to those who are in need. Events like these can help people in need to get necessary items and it shows that your company cares. This is also simply a fantastic way to give back to the community. 

Originally published on Jack Nourafshan’s website.

If you are tired of working for someone else and you want to start your own business, it is important to consider whether entrepreneurship is right for you. Take a look at what you need to do to be a successful entrepreneur and decide if this is right for you.

Research Your Idea and Move Slowly

You need to start by taking your idea and researching it. Look at what other people are doing and determine how you will do it better. You should decide on your purpose and what will make your brand unique. If you are going to open a coffee shop, why will people choose it over what is already out there? Move slowly, take the time to research it, and move slowly forward.

Shadow Another Entrepreneur

You should also find an entrepreneur to shadow for a period of time so that you can get a deeper understanding of what it entails. This will help you gain perspective on the types of issues that come up each day and how your time will be used. It is a great way to get a taste of your journey before you embark on it.

Run the Numbers

Before you get started, you need to create a business plan. Part of this plan will be your financial projections. You should consider all of your costs, and estimate your expenses and your revenues. You need to research this information, and you can use it to determine how much money you can make and how hard you will need to work to make it.

Secure Your Advisors

You need advisors to run your own business, including accountants, attorneys, tech experts, sales and marketing, and more. Make sure that you determine who these people will be before you get started. You should put together a team of the advisors you will use and have it in place.

Stay Flexible

When you are an entrepreneur, things don’t always go as planned. You need to be flexible to deal with a number of situations from the Internet going down to employees not showing up to a customer being dissatisfied. You have to stay flexible and be prepared to handle any and all of these obstacles, which can be stressful. This is a critical aspect of becoming an entrepreneur.

Originally published on Jack Nourafshan’s website.

Around the world, working remotely has become the new normal for many companies and their employees. While remote work certainly has a host of benefits and advantages, there are also a number of challenges as well. One of those challenges is fostering remote connections among members of the team. Indeed, working from home has drastically reduced the frequency of social interactions that co-workers usually have, and which binds them together. On that premise, the following presents simple and effective ways to foster team connections remotely.

Video conferences

Although video conferences may seem unnatural and awkward in the beginning, they are certainly imperative for allowing team members to interact with one another. The truth of the matter is that video calls put a face to the voice that is on the other end and make the connection more humanized. In order to avoid employees experiencing feelings of isolation, it’s a great idea to schedule weekly virtual meetings.

Regular communication

Regular communications allow team members to stay connected to one another. That said, depending on the nature of the job, managers and team members should meet often to get updates on each other’s work. This not only gives them the chance to collaborate and support one another if need be but also builds a positive work culture.

Schedule virtual happy hours

Team members should schedule virtual happy hours after work. Virtual happy hours are a great idea for team members to connect with one another in a more intimate way outside of work. Of course, it shouldn’t be mandatory. Simply encourage employees to build relationships with one another. 

Team building activities

Team building activities are a great way to break the ice and allow team members to bond with one another. These activities include Trivia, Netflix party, team fitness challenge, and virtual book club, just to mention a few. These activities will not only increase the team members’ engagement but also allow them to have genuine and meaningful connections with one another. Also, by choosing the right activities that resonate with the members of the team, they will feel happier and more willing to engage and socialize.

Share calendars

Another way to create organic social interactions is through sharing calendars. The latter allows team members to know the availability of one another, which gives them the chance of checking in at spontaneous, yet convenient, times.

Originally published on Jack Nourafshan’s website.

If you read any of the top-flight publications that covers business, such as Bloomberg, Forbes or The Economist, then you cannot help but see numerous articles about emerging technologies, such as AI (artificial intelligence), big data, blockchain and IoT (Internet of Things).

What do all of these new technologies have in common? Simply put, they are transforming the way that business and business processes are being completed. The real estate sector is no exception. At first glance, it may be difficult to understand how something like AI or blockchain could influence the traditional business of buying and selling property assets — however, it’s happening right now.

For example, consider big data. Big data is defined as the availability of larger and more variegated data sets, especially those which are generated by novel sources. How does access to a huge amount of data and new kinds of data help the real estate professional do his or her job better?

Big data is a way to reduce financial risks. It can be used to analyze an owner’s property information, the condition of the asset, renovations and prior condition of the property. The agent then uses this data to get an estimation of the property in a highly precise way. The agent can then give customers a much clearer picture of what they are considering. The agent also gains a superior ability to suggest a suitable home or apartment based on the unique needs and position of the client.

That’s just one instance of how big data can help in real estate. Let’s move on to another emerging technology — AI for real estate application.

AI helps computers and other “machines” perform complicated and sophisticated tasks, such as data evaluation and problem-solving. AI, and its subprocess of machine learning, leverage a superior ability to recognize patterns and glean insights from big data. AI can also automate repetitive tasks that once burned up the time of busy real estate professionals.

AI can significantly improve the business performance of a real estate firm. For example, it can streamline data management for real estate purposes. AI uses algorithms to make recommendations after identifying critical points of customer preferences. AI can even help with real estate advertising by scanning big data and ferreting out the most popular types of real estate or specific real estate assets.

Originally published on Jack Nourafshan’s website.

Businesses in every industry are shifting to remote work environments to cut down on costs, attract talent over large geographic areas, and provide employees with more flexibility. Although there are many benefits to remote work, it can pose challenges for managers. As the pandemic continues it can be difficult to lead a team at a distance. However, there are steps that managers can take to control potential problems and effectively lead a company remotely.

REGULAR CONTACT

Managers should make regular contact a priority to effectively lead a company remotely. Communication is a challenge for remote teams. It is easy for team members to feel disconnected and for messages to get lost. Daily contact with each team member can help ensure that everyone is on the same page and feels connected to the company. Personal contact can include a short virtual meeting, or companies can rely on messaging software to talk to the team each day. As long as every employee receives personal interaction, it can help manage communication issues. There are a number of online tools available to make checking in easy. Check out platforms such as Skype, Zoom, and Slack.

FLEXIBLE SCHEDULES

A part of what makes remote work so appealing to many is the ability for employees to balance their family and personal commitments with work commitments. As employees often have home distractions, it is best to focus on goals rather than work during specific hours. Leaders should set goals and deadlines for employees to meet. Managers need to relay the reasons for the targets and check-in on employee progress. The emphasis on goal-setting over work hours gives employees more freedom to decide how much time they need to commit to individual projects. It also provides managers a basis to hold employees accountable for their work without being overbearing.

TOOLS AND SOFTWARE

A leader can only be successful with managing a remote team when employees have adequate tools to do the job. Managers who want to be effective should be willing to invest to make sure that employees have what they need. Team members working remotely need a strong internet connection and appropriate hardware, such as a computer, to work in a virtual environment. Managers also need to decide the types of software that will help team members succeed virtually as well. Video conferencing software, messaging services, and any software they made need to access company databases are essential for remote work.

A remote work environment does present challenges to managers. It takes a dedicated leader to make sure that a team maintains productivity in a virtual working environment. These tips can help any manager lead a company remotely.

Originally published on Jack Nourafshan’s website.