CIASF program: Saving Green by Retrofitting Green on

Thursday night, November 12, Becker & Poliakoff, hosted a very informative program on “Greening” existing buildings to the members and guests of CIASF. (Commercial and Industrial Association of South Florida.) It is no accident that the offices of Becker & Poliakoff are in the elegant Alhambra Towers which is an energy star rated building for 2009. The message conveyed by Alan Krinzman, LEED-AP and host of the event, that the business of creating more energy efficient and healthy building environments needs to begin now and that energy efficiency and LEED principles are not a fad, but a necessity that we all need to embrace.

Paul Cohen of CBRE was the moderator of a panel the included Scott Alexander of ProLogis that shared the success ProLogis has in California and Oregon in leasing roof space to the utilities for solar panels. He did share that this arrangement would not work well here for several reasons one minor one being the frequency of hurricanes. Two knowledgeable representatives from FPL attended and shared some very good information on taking advantage of their rebates and other initiatives some of which can be viewed at: http://www.fpl.com/business/savings/rebates_and_incentives.shtml

Hamad Rodriquez, the principal of Hamed Rodriguez Architects Inc. and Co-Owner of Energy Cost Solutions Group, LLC holds the esteemed honor of designing the first LEED Gold building in Dade County. His message was clear. Since LEED is a rating system, there are several points already built into our code and it is not difficult to make some conscientious and simple changes to achieve LEED certification and make a significant difference in the energy and water use of a building while creating a healthy environment for occupants. He also brought up that EA (Energy and Atmosphere) Credit One is just a portion of LEED, yet can still reduce energy costs and help the environment. You can download your own checklist from his web-site to see how close your building might be to earning LEED certification. http://www.energycostsolutionsgroup.com/

For more information of Miami’s office space market, please feel free to contact me at anytime at 786-433-2376.

Louise Bendix
ComReal Miami, Inc.

ComReal Miami and BBU Bank co-host CIASF luncheon

ComReal Miami and BBU Bank co-hosted CIASF's 2009 First Annual Retail Market Report this afternoon at 9500 Doral Blvd. in Doral. Steve Smith, president of ComReal and owner of the 9500 building, completed a remarkable renovation in 6 months and signed BBU Bank as the anchor tenant.

The 120 attendees enjoyed a delicious lunch, a round of "haves and wants", and a presentation on the 2009 Retail Report by David Dabby, JD, MAI, a well know real estate analyst. Following his presentation was a panel discussion by Steven Gretenstein, Chief Operating Officer, Dacra,and Mindy McIlroy, Executive Vice President, Terranova Corporation.

The bottom line for brokers representing retail tenants? If you have tenants bring them to the table to make a deal. Old rules do not necessarily apply today. Retail is driven by consumer spending and it seems as if consumer spending will take a while to recover.

Pictured: Rafael Saldana, President and CEO of BBU Bank

Gail Ackerman, President of Paradigm Interiors and CIASF representative

Steve Smith, President of ComReal Miami and owner/ landlord of 9500 Doral Blvd.

Louise Bendix, LEED-AP and Office Specialist

ComReal Miami, Inc.

786-433-2376

CIASF: America’s Anti-Trade Policies

CIASF Luncheon Event

Topic: “America’s Anti-Trade Policies”

Sponsor: The ComReal Companies in Miami

Date: July 10th , 2009

Location: Flagler Station Business Park in Medley, FL

Good afternoon everyone! My name is Edward Redlich and I’m with The ComReal Companies of Miami. This year, The ComReal Companies celebrate its 30th year in South Florida’s commercial real estate market. ComReal continues to be a proud sponsor of this organization. Although we have invested in a few minutes to speak today about our company, I’d much rather allot my time to introduce a gentleman who is going to educate us on a much more important topic. The topic is “America’s anti-trade policies”. Mr. Neal Asbury is both an excellent communicator on the subject and a true visionary. Personally, I believe that he just might be the “Missing Link” between those of us in the commercial real estate profession and the customers that we serve.

Before I give you the background on Mr. Asbury, allow me just a moment to tell you why ComReal and I support the Miami CIASF organization. We do it to promote the commercial real estate industry and for the knowledge. Today, our South Florida industrial real estate market has experienced three quarters of extremely low deal volume. Rental rates and sales prices have fallen between 20% and 40%; or even more. Vacancy is over 10%. We fear the negative trend may continue. However, our industry can flourish once again with the right stimulus. In my opinion, one solution is for America to aggressively promote the liberalization of international free trade. As international trade increases, so does the activity for industrial real estate properties. Perhaps there is no other area of the country where international trade is more important to the CRE industry than right here in South Florida.

Now, let me tell you how I came across Mr. Asbury. Not only am I a deal junkie, but I’m also a news junkie. I discovered Mr. Asbury over a year ago while surfing the internet I came across his blog at www.asburysworld.com.

I was instantly impressed by the over 100 articles that he has published on global trade issues. He has also been quoted in newspapers such New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Mr. Asbury has addressed the United Nations, various universities and numerous trade associations; such as ours today. In addition, he hosts The Neal Asbury Show from Coral Gables which airs live on Fridays from 5 to 6 PM on the radio at 880 AM. The station is affiliated with Bloomberg Radio and CNBC. In just a few hours from now, he will be interviewing US Ambassador John Negroponte. So be sure to tune in this afternoon and you may also grab his flyers on the front desk to learn more.

Not only is Mr. Asbury an expert commentator on the subjects of international trade and manufacturing, but he actually operates his own companies: Legacy Brands and Greenfield World Trade which manufacturers, sells and services American-made products to over 130 countries worldwide. So, when you hear him speak in a moment, please understand that he is not a politician, but a true American entrepreneur.

Before Greenfield World Trade he had founded Asbury WorldWide in 1987 which became the largest American export management company in its segment with twelve distribution centers around the globe. In 1989, he began FAB Asia in the Philippines which was the Asian exclusive fabricator of commercial kitchens for McDonalds and other restaurant chains. For all of his efforts, he has earned several industry awards. He is chairman of the South Florida District Export Council, appointed to serve by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. He is a member of the International Advisory Committee to the Governor of Florida and a member of the prestigious International Policy Committee of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington.

Now, when my father got me into this business 15 years ago, he always told me, “Ed, when you want to get something done, give it to someone who is busy”. Neal, I do not where you find the time to get all of these things done, but we sure do appreciate your taking the time from your busy schedule to address our group. Thank you very much. Please welcome Neal Asbury….

Ed Redlich and Neal Asbury

Contact: Edward Redlich of ComReal Miami. 786-433-2379 or visit www.edwardredlich.com

Miami Industrial Market Report for Year End 2008 by ComReal

The second half of the year 2008 experienced declines in lease rates;
sales prices and overall transaction volume. Miami’s Industrial Market
has seen lease rates decrease 10-20% and vacancy is now over 8%,
and climbing. A good Tenant Rep Broker can negotiate lease rates
down further and achieve better terms. This is good news for those users
seeking to lease (or purchase) Miami warehouse space. Landlords
have to offer more rental concessions such as free rent and tenant improvement
allowances. Expect the entire year of 2009 and likely into
2010 to be full of major leasing and buying opportunities. (Notice in the
chart below, that lease rates in all regions have declined nearly $2.00
psf from their recent peaks).

Source: CIASF Industrial Report Miami 2009

Financing is still a major problem, especially if you are an investor. So
expect to see more transactions either owner financed, joint ventured,
paid all cash and/or leased with a purchase option. Overall transaction
volume may likely remain low in the upcoming year for 2009. Most
speculative construction is on hold.

ComReal continues to be a leader in the commercial real estate industry.
Since 1979, ComReal has been a reliable firm to advocate its clients’
warehouse needs with experienced professionals. According to
CoStar, ComReal Miami completed the 4th largest lease transaction
and the 3rd largest sale for the year.

ComReal Miami is proud to advertise the Commerce Park Warehouse;
an 127,000 sq. ft. warehouse on the FEC Rail near Miami International
Airport. (Visit www.miamiairportwarehouse.com).

For the complete market reports provided by CoStar and CIASF,
please visit www.edwardredlich.com/News&Press.htm

For commercial real estate info across the country please visit http://commercial-real-estate.cc