Vaca commented on her new office saying:

“I have visualized his office for five years. Back in 2007, during the banking crisis, I stuck with my strategic plan, which included more agents, more transactions, and growth in all areas. In fact during the economic downturn, my business doubled.”

The office occupies 5081 ft.² which is quite different from Monica’s first offices that totals 800 ft.². The new space includes a training room where staff and agents will have access to cutting-edge technology and industry resources. The supply room is well stocked and agents have access to every gadget they might need, enabling them to focus on their bottom lines. In addition to the beat technology, Vaca has ensured her staff has ergonomic work spaces and new furniture.

Vaca went on to say:

“I have been in the business for more than 25 years. I’ve seen it all. I have been in the agent’s shoes and I have numerous battles cause. I want these agents to feel at home and feel valued. Without my support team, we wouldn’t be standing here!”

The current marketing campaign of the Century 21® System is Smarter, Bolder, Faster. Monica’s personal mantra is “Tell us what you need and consider it done!” Vaca served as the 2012 President of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals Houston Chapter.

The property is located at the southwest corner of 23rd Street and Yale Street in the Houston Heights. Soho Homes Inc. has plans to build a 10,000 square-foot office for their own use. The buyer was represented by Clay Ryan of Ryan’s Real Estate Brokers.

Moody Rambin was established in 1969 and specializes in providing development, project leasing, disposition, tenant representation and consulting and management services to owners and tenants throughout the United States. The company is Houston’s largest locally owned, full-service commercial management and real estate brokerage firm.

mage by porchlife via flickr.com

We’ve already had 4 years to get a feel for Obama’s impact on housing. It shouldn’t be too difficult to make some educated guesses about the best real estate investment strategies, based on what we’ve already seen.

We already know that student loan funding is a priority for the Obama administration. As long as student loans are readily available, rental properties well located in cities with major colleges and universities should see strong demand, low vacancy rates, and the ability to rent for above-market rates, since a 3 bedroom house may be rented to three separate students.

Consider this article from Market Watch, listing the top ten towns for rentals to college students. Most folks probably didn’t know that there are over 40 major educational institutions in the Boston – Cambridge market where Harvard and MIT are located. 3 bedroom homes in the college market are renting for an average total of $3900 a month, when rented to 3 students. Compare that to a typical mortgage payment there of $1370 per month, and you can see how this might be an interesting investing angle.

Atlanta is also on the top ten list, with a 3 bedroom / 3 student rent rate of $1485 compared to average mortgage payment of $650. Atlanta is also a hotbed for foreclosures, many of which are located near various educational facilities within the downtown area. Combine a good buy on a foreclosed home with a student rental in a market like Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Emory University or Spellman College, for a winning combination of low buy price and high market rental income.

Also included on the top ten list were Nashville, TN, South Bend, Indiana, St. Louis, Syracuse, NY, Houston, TX, Washington DC and Chigago, Il. Notably these towns are more likely to see growth in the construction sector as a direct result of expansion of academic facilities. One of the few commercial sectors that has been doing steady business is additions or improvement projects for colleges and universities. I’ve personally seen several colleges in my local area building new facilities or expanding existing facilities since Obama took office in 2009.

Another “holy grail” of the Obama administration will be the full implementation of Obamacare. Many college towns are also home to one or more major hospital or medical facilities that may also be tied to a local university. Demand for workers of all types in the medical profession will be growing in the years ahead, no matter who is president, as a result of the aging of the baby boomer generation.

Rome, Georgia, a small town located in the northwestern mountains did not make the top ten list, but Rome is one of those towns that exemplifies the educational – medical relationship. The population of Rome is only about 37,000 officially, but Rome has several universities and colleges, as well as two major hospitals and lots of other clinical facilities. As such, the employment rate and rental market in this town has not suffered nearly as much as it has in other nearby cities that do not have colleges or major hospitals.

Another related segment that is seeing increasing demand is in the unique niche of providing access to short term housing or apartment rentals for family members of those who are in town to receive medical treatments. When a patient has to undergo several days or weeks of chemotherapy for example, family members would prefer accommodations in the immediate area that, unlike hotels, will allow them more space and the ability to eat “at home” to avoid extra costs. Veterans hospitals have many out of town families with a need to stay close by for extended periods of time.

The rental property market does best where job growth is strongest. The Educational and Medical sectors are primed for major growth over the next four years and probably well beyond that time frame. Incidentally, the advances in medical technology and educational technology have not yet resulted in a reduction of their labor force. Instead labor needs have increased along with the availability of new equipment and applications. This is unique when you consider that technology is also the reason why many industries such as manufacturing, no longer need a large labor force.

In today’s challenging economic climate, it makes sense to think creatively about the economic and legislative fundamentals that lie before us, and develop real estate investment strategies that are most likely to be supported by those fundamentals.
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Donna S. Robinson is a real estate investor, author and residential market analyst located in Atlanta, GA. Follow her on twitter at donnaconsults. Her latest book, Basics Of Real Estate Investing is now available on Amazon.

See Me

In the round-a-bout way most of us surf and find great things on the Internet, I ran across TheSquareFoot (landing above), what has to be the nicest interjection of a set of developers, in this industry niche (commercial space), or maybe ANY real estate channel. Speaking of channels, I spoke with Co-Founder Aron Susman about his fledgling company’s strategy in creating marketing value for commercial real estate owners – as well as those interested in leasing or procuring office and other commercial spaces.

Clearly, the refined site, tools, and even SM presence being built by TSF, shows nothing less than very bright young lions, intent on building something very valuable. Building on Ruby on Rails, getting Hashrocket to help that out, lots of good decisions, TheSquareFoot has already made.

Jonathan Wasserstrum, Aron, and fellow founder Justin Lee, launched their commercial enterprise just 10 days ago. Without telling too much of what I know about such endeavors, suffice it to say your company’s website does not just “jump” into the top 10 SERPs for search phrases like “Houston commercial space” overnight. You see, the competing Houston websites are much older, so they must have done zero to help Google find them compared to these fellows running this new business.

My SEO friends out there might be snickering; “Gray Hat SEO techniques” – but they would be wrong. These young business people “emulate” and take advice from knowledgeable people in the industry. Link building and other Google accepted strategies having been employed, the old adage “knowing someone smart is good enough” applies. You see, being business oriented as a developer is often a disadvantage, but not in cases where the “suits” know what’s good for them. Listening to people in the know… you know?

Tool Feel

Site design and utility, even aesthetic, leads any visitor to this business to one conclusion – finding the space in Houston and/or New York (soon the world) in record, easy, and confident style. Let me show you a couple of cool UI/feature elements. Fist, search for any viable marketing channel like this has to be drop dead simple, crisp and appealing, and fast. This sounds like child’s play, but you’d be surprised how ugly, clunky, and useless most are. If you look at the image below, you’ll see properties described on the left, a clear filter nav on top, and a must have map pin orientation on the right. Interactivity is now a must for such portals, especially moving into mobile (which TSF is bred for). My range was Houston and retail space available, as you can see.

If this new commercial space channel has any “cons” the worst of them would be image size limitations, and to a degree, some lack of description depth where properties are concerned. Of course, much of this depends on the property owner too. However, a best practices for any such startup would be expert help in getting the best property “face” and detail up. Bottom line, tell owners how to do it, or at best, strongly suggest big images and rich presentation aspects. It is here TheSquareFoot falls a bit short. But it’s 10 days in.

Moving on, TheSquareFoot’s simple dogma – find, tour, lease a space is how people want to do things when they do business online. Time has never been more valuable a commodity. That said, let me show you another service in Houston, the one situated at the top of the SERPs for the same Google search, CommGate dot com (screen above). Back about the time Google decided to launch search, this site must have been cutting edge. Today? A jumble of useful, if you can bear to use them, action clicks take users into a pretty deep maze of form filling. Web 1.0, like 99 percent of the American commercial real estate space online.

Houston – You Have A Problem!

Commercial Gateway’s Twitter feed was last used November 11, 2011. Just how engaged are these people in selling your commercial lease or title online? They do post to Facebook once in a great while. Let me be crystal clear here, for agents and others interested in commercial real estate. The top Google search result for any prevalent customer inquiry leads the searcher to a site they will hate, to social media points no one tends to closely, and to absolutely no engagement for the businesses depending on this portal. The customer (renter or whomever) literally has to do every spec of work. Sorry, this is just the rub.

You may say I am being cruel or unusually selective in culling out Commercial Gateway. I say, read my other articles about the state of online real estate. Or, look at TheSquareFoot’s other competing commercial portals. Loopnet (Web 1.0), Cityfeet dot com (Ugly Web 1.0), Boxer Property (lip service), Houston Craigslist , 2MRealty (Could care less), CityWideOfficeSpace (2001). And I could go on. The real issue here is not TheSquareFoot and Houston, but any new face across the landscape of America. Believe it or not, Houston is quite progressive where the digital landscape for Realty goes.

Yes, I am glad I ran across TheSquareFoot. I am 99 percent sure Aron’s team’s endeavors will be successful. I hit him up for a quote during our discussion of just these issues, here is one thing he had to offer:

“We are extremely excited to launch TheSquareFoot and give small and medium sized businesses the tools necessary to help them look for space in an easy and user-friendly way.  We believe our Leasopedia, space calculator, and overall commitment to using terms that a layman can understand will help make the process more enjoyable and reduce the time it takes to find the perfect space.”

Problem Solved

Finding the perfect space. A quote often reveals a lot more than wordy description (even mine). Aron and his fellows have hit on something a tech guru hammered me over the head with, years ago. “What point of pain does this startup solve Phil?” TheSquareFoot commercial portal solves said points on the both sides of business.

Property owners don’t have to be social media gurus and website rocket scientists to get visibility, they have an Expedia of office space ready to sell their unused space online. Busy budding entrepreneuers in need of some office space, they don’t have to fill in 500 forms, call the Realtor, or muddle through hours of painstaking search, just find – explore – and lease. I would bet, via their smart device next (hint hint).

As for Twitter (see two founders Aron and Jonathan pic below), Facebook, G+, and other modes of selling/informing? They’re there and growing following.

Co-founders Aron Susman and Jonathan Wasserstrum via Twitter pic

The business world is full of comparative value. 5 years ago all those lame websites real estate tycoons thought they were smart putting up – they are just obsolete now. But more than this, they are also huge branding issues sitting out there hurting business. Anyone who has been to TheSquareFoot, and then heads over to some Web 1.0 BS site nobody knows or cares about, will certainly feel a bit embarrassed for site owners – and the sellers behind those sites? They could not give away Rolex watches for free to some passers by.

And there is the last moment you business peeps need to get. Opportunity on the web is instant. You have all of 5 seconds to glean the attention of a searcher – 5 seconds and POOF! They are gone. Probably forever. The lost opportunity cost you all get, this is the greatest pain – why? Because you can never measure it. Never. Your kids’ private school tuition, that new Jag, the power bill, may not get paid because of lack of due diligence. It looks like some new business peeps are doing theirs. Are you listening?

I leave you with demo video of Co-founder Jonathan Wasserstrum explaining the core value of this development.

Ken Hunter

Ken Hunter, of Prudential Gary Greene Realtors in Houston was amongst 1,000 Texas realtors attending the Texas Association of Realtors winter meeting last month which was held at the Hyatt Regency in Austin.

The five-day event featured several prominent speakers including Mark Dotzour, chief economist with the Real Estate Center at Texas, Jed Smith Ph.D., managing director of quantitative research for the National Association of Realtors, Douglas Foster, Commissioner of the Texas Department of Savings and Mortgage Lending, Joe Stewart, chairman of the Texas Association of Realtors and Congressman Lloyd Doggett, and state representative Bert Solomons.

The Austin meeting covered topics such as new housing initiatives for Texas homeowners, the latest technology and marketing tools for Texas realtors, the economic outlook for the real estate industry, property management, and risk reduction, as well numerous other important subjects. During the event the Texas Association of Realtors also announced its top Annual Awards Recipients.

Ken Hunter is a member of the National Association of Realtors, the Texas Association of Realtors, and the Houston Association of Realtors. He has earned his accredited Luxury Home Specialist®(ALHS), EPRO® Certification, is a Certified Home Marketing Specialist® (CHMS), is an Accredited Buyers Representative® (ABS), and has achieved his Texas Affordable Housing Specialist Certification (TAHS). Hunter achieved the Prudential Real Estate Leading Edge Award for 2012 and was named GHBA’s Individual Realtor of the Year in 2011.

The Texas Association of Realtors has more than 80,000 members and is professional membership organization representing all aspects of real estate in Texas. The association advocates on behalf of Texas Realtors and private property owners to keep home-ownership affordable, protect private property rights, and promote public policies that benefit homeowners.

Ken Hunter

The Greater Houston Builders Association Sales and Marketing Council named Ken Hunter of Prudential Gary Greene Realtors as Best Individual Realtor of the Year.

Ken Hunter was selected from entries submitted by members of the GHBA and judged anonymously by a panel of industry professionals from around the nation. He was nominated by Matt Mildren, vice president of Provident Realty Advisers as he had assisted Mildren’s company in the sale of homes in Vintage Royale, a new subdivision located in The Vintage development in Houston.

Sharon Teusink, manager of the Champions office of Prudential Gary Greene, where Hunter works says “The fact that Ken was nominated by his client for this honour speaks to the exemplary level of service that he provides. We are proud to have someone of Ken’s skill, dedication and expertise on our team.”

Mildren’s nomination letter stated that “Ken’s assistance with his market knowledge and professionalism in his field was invaluable to the project.” Mildren went on to complement Hunter on his work ethic, saying “Ken has gone above and beyond the normal scope of a realtor and has been truly instrumental in the success of our project.”

Ken Hunter was honored by Mildren’s letter of recommendation saying “To have a client go out of his way to nominate me and then to be recognised by one of the premier groups in the Houston area has been a truly wonderful experience”

Hunter works with both sellers and buyers and takes a balanced approach to the market and feels his success is due to listening to his clients, and says  “You have to hear what they are telling you as well as what they are not saying. I always want to understand their desires and anticipate their needs.”

Hunter attained his certification from the Graduate Realtor Institute with the Houston Association of Realtors and his ePro designation from the National Association of Realtors. In addition he is certified as an Accredited Buyers Representative through NAR and as a Texas Affordable Housing Specialist from the Texas Association of Realtors. Prior to his career in real estate Hunter was involved in the construction industry which has given him further insight into the real estate industry.

The Southern Living Showcase Home

The Tuscan styled four-bedroom home features a study, formal dining room, mom’s office, games room and downstairs media room, and numerous architectural features such as a brick barrel vaulted ceiling in the kitchen and a mosaic tiled barrel vault in the master bath. The home has been built to incorporate the green building principles of the Greater Houston Builders Association Green Built Gulf Coast Initiative and technology includes iPad applications to control security, heating and cooling and lighting. The home embraces outdoor living, as there is a drop-down screen projector for movie watching while entertaining guests on the veranda.

The property is located at 15026 Hidden Valley Waters Drive in the Hidden Falls Subdivision in Cyprus, Texas. From October 6 to the 23rd the home will be open on Thursdays from noon till 8 PM and from Friday through to Sunday from noon to 6 PM, and will be benefiting HomeAid Houston. From November 3 through to the 20th the home will be open for the same hours, but will be benefiting the charity Be An Angel, and will be decorated for the holidays. Donations of $10 for each tour are accepted online at homesbymorningstar.com  or at the door.

Morning Star Builders Ltd has received numerous awards including an award for Houston’s Best Custom Home Design Award from $1.2 million to $1.8 million by the Greater Houston Builders Association. Southern Living selects custom home builders who have extensive knowledge and experience, and an excellent reputation in the marketplace, and the Showcase Home incorporates emerging design trends, and technology updates and green building techniques.

HomeAid Houston is a local charity sponsored by the Greater Houston Builders Association, and the charity identifies long-term, stable homeless care providers who need additional capacity, pairing them with builders, vendors and suppliers who donate their time, materials and labour to help build transitional homeless shelters.

Be An Angel Fund was created in 1986 by concerned parent upon realising the overwhelming needs of the moderately handicapped and profoundly deaf students at TH Rogers Elementary School. Twenty five years on the charity serves thousands of children in the local area providing services, specialized programs and equipment.

Prudential Gary Greene Realtors is the top listing and selling real estate firm in Houston, and was established in 1963 by Gary Greene before growing to multiple offices and later becoming a franchise brand of Better Homes and Gardens in the 1970s. In 2000 Gary Green Realtors affiliated with Prudential Real Estate Services, and partners Marilyn Eiland and Mark Woodroof manage day-to-day operations of the firm.

Mark Woodroof, partner with Prudential Gary Greene said “With the Asian and Hispanic population growing at three times the rate of the traditional home buying population, there is a need to accommodate the cultural and language additions of this home buying segment.”

Cathy Trevino, director of the Multicultural Division commented “We have designed the Multicultural Division to help meet client needs by analyzing demographic changes, understanding purchasing behavior and recognizing life-cycle stages. Our goal is to reach this consumer base with impactful and culturally correct service.”

The Multicultural Division will be the largest and most comprehensive program of this type which has been set in motion by a real estate brokerage in Houston, and the service was officially launched on September 16, Mexican Independence Day.

Prudential Gary Greene Realtors is the top listing and selling real estate firm in Houston, and is also one of the oldest as it was established in 1963 by Gary Greene. It later grew to become multiple offices, and eventually became a franchised brand of Better Homes and Gardens in the 1970s. Gary Greene Realtors affiliated with Prudential Real Estate Services in 2000. Partners Mark Woodroof and Marilyn Eiland manage the day-to-day operations of the firm which has 20 company-owned offices in the Houston Metropolitan area. For more information visit GaryGreene.com

3030 S Gessner Rd. Image courtesy of Moody Rambin

The buildings are located in the Westchase and Energy Corridor districts in Houston, and the portfolio contains approximately 285,499 ft.² of office space, with 106,168 ft.² of office space still available. The four office buildings are located at 1250 Woodbranch, 11931 Wickchester Ln, 2950 S. Gessner Road and 3030 S. Gessner Road. The portfolio is being handled by Derek Beck and Griff Jaggard, on behalf of Moody Rambin Interests.

Moody Rambin Interests was established in 1969, and with over 100 employees is the largest locally owned, full-service commercial real estate management and brokerage firm in Houston. Its size means it is large enough to deal with institutional clients, but small enough to ensure that clients receive a personalized service.

It’s real estate divisions include office services, as it has been leasing and managing office properties within the Huston market for 42 years, and the company ensures it listens to the goals and needs of owners so that the appropriate course of action can be taken. It works with corporate, institutional and private investors.

1250 Woodbranch. Image courtesy of Moody Rambin

Its investment services group offers clients senior level management who are able to take full advantage of local market knowledge ensuring property achieves the maximum exposure and value. The company specializes in single tenant and multi-tenant office, retail and industrial properties. Moody Rambin Interests also has a dedicated land division who are able to help in the acquisition and disposition of land for industrial, retail, office and multi-family and single family developments.

Peloton Commercial Real Estate has been operating since 2002, and now has a portfolio of more than 18.8 million square feet of leased or managed properties. The firm utilizes state-of-the-art technology and its experienced professionals offer clients a service based on integrity.

This latest property will be called Silver Oak, and luxury home builders Toll Brothers intend to build 305 homes, with building predicted to begin at the end of the year.

Toll Brother's model home which they plan to build at Silver Oak. Courtesy of Biz Journals

Karl Mistry, Houston Division Vice President says “I am thrilled about the acquisition of this premier land opportunity in Katy and all the other communities we have recently opened. This reflects how interested we are in securing luxury sites locally to boost future growth in the Houston Division.”

Toll Brothers have successfully purchased lot options in several communities since first entering the Houston market 18 months ago. The communities include Player Vista at Stirling Ridge in The Woodlands, Creekside at West Branch in Friendswood and Vintage Lakes in Houston. The company is also building luxury home communities in San Antonio and Dallas.

Luxury home builders the Toll Brothers have won numerous awards, including the National Housing Quality Award and the National Builder of the Year titles. Courtesy of Vaparade

Toll Brothers first opened the business in 1967 and became a public company in 1986 with common stock listed on the New York stock exchange under TOL. This luxury developer builds single-family detached and attached home communities, master planned luxury residential homes, and resort style golf communities and is active nationwide. It also built urban low, mid and high rise communities. The type of people who buy Toll Brothers homes tend to be empty nesters, active adults or second home buyers.

The company has won three of the most prestigious awards in the home building industry which are the National Housing Quality Award, National Builder of the Year and America’s Best Builder. Toll Brothers supports the communities in which it builds, and philanthropic interests include the Toll Brothers Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network which brings opera to neighborhoods throughout the world.