All of the large tech companies appear to be on a buying spree. Google’s $2.4 billion purchase of the Chelsea Market Place building shows how insatiable these large companies can be. Loaded with cash and apparently feeling bullish about how recent tax reform will affect them, they are on a purchasing and/or expansion binge.  This […]

In  a sign of Florida’s continued attraction as a place to visit, live, work and invest, the National and Miami Association of Realtors 2017 Profile of International Activity states that foreign buyers purchased $153 billion of residential properties last year, approximately $50 billion more than in 2016.  Though purchases were made throughout the U.S., Florida, […]

  Coconut Grove has been experiencing yet another revitalization.  It has been through at least three cycles of boom to gloom since I moved here in the early 1990’s but, thanks to the commercial property owners, who formed the Coconut Grove Business Improvement District and agreed to tax themselves, this boom feels different.  Why?  Because […]

It seems like you couldn’t open a newspaper or business journal in 2017 without the headlines screaming, “Retail Is Dead“.  There are lists of store closures for 2018 and many large retailers are on those lists.  Toys R Us, Macy’s and The Gap are just a few that are closing stores and more companies will probably be added as […]

Although this year’s elections aren’t until November and every one is pretty tired of politics, I have to take this opportunity before all of the other campaigning starts to talk about Amendment 2 and why it matters to you. Amendment 2 is not a tax cut, it would make a current 10% cap on non-homesteaded […]

If you haven’t been to the Miami Design District lately and still need a 2018 New Year’s resolution, here is an easy one.  Go visit the Miami Design District.  It is so Miami!  In case you need more reasons than that, here are 5: Interesting architecture – Okay, between Miami Beach’s art deco district and an […]

If you are a landlord signing new leases in 2018, remember that the state sales tax on commercial leases has dropped from 6% to 5.8%.  As a result, the sales tax rate in Miami-Dade County will drop to 6.8% and in Broward it will drop to 5.8%.  Although the drop in rate may not sound […]

Though the pace of commercial real estate transactions in South Florida has slowed down a bit, Miami continues to rack up big sales with the recent purchase of The Conrad Brickell Hotel for $72 million by Mast Capital and Angelo, Gordon and Company.  The 203-room hotel will be managed by HEI Hotels & Resorts, it’s first […]

I just completed another successful lease transaction with Andrew Trench and Ryan Holtzman of Cushman and Wakefield.  It is the second office lease we have done together and they are wonderful to work with.  In addition to being the consummate professionals you would expect when dealing with Cushman, they are extremely responsive and readily available.    […]

  Food has always been important in retail centers; all you need to do is check out the food court at any major mall to see how much space is devoted to food.  Increasingly, more formal sit-down restaurants are what is needed to drive traffic to malls, strip centers, or downtowns.  Dadeland Mall added many dining […]