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6 CRE Trends to Watch in 2018 (And How They Impact Your Prospects)

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What does the commercial real estate industry look like in 2018? How will today’s emerging market dynamics affect the business in the long run? The commercial real estate industry saw incredible growth in 2016 and 2017 and CRE professionals and investors are anticipating another great year for the industry.
Let’s take a look at 6 CRE trends to watch in 2018 and how they will impact your prospects.

Millennials

Millennials want to live in the city and they flock to communities that “never sleep.” In addition, millennials are not shopping in the same way older generations do – they utilize e-commerce sites like Amazon to do their shopping, rather than spending time in the traditional shopping mall. This will help boost the e-commerce industry and will benefit online retail and industrial sectors. Big box retail chains will have to adapt to the e-commerce trend or risk going out of business. The number of large commercial retail locations surpassing 50,000 square feet is growing.

Mobile Workforce

We have all heard of the co-working trend continuing to make a splash as more and more companies utilize mobile work options. Co-working companies such as SPACES and WeWork are continuing to expand into suburban and urban markets to adhere to this flexible workforce. This trend is changing the office sector and how employees are utilizing the workspace. This will also affect how you should approach prospecting for potential clients looking for office space.

Workforce Diversity

Commercial real estate trends typically follow trends in the business world. As more minorities and women continue to occupy C-suites, commercial real estate companies will increase diversity among brokers and agents as well and will place increased efforts on diversifying when scouting top talent.

The Aging Population

The large baby boomer population will impact housing and healthcare. Boomers, specifically empty nesters, are moving to urban centers and leaving suburban neighborhoods in the dust. The boomers are also impacting healthcare through the expansion of medical retail, like urgent care centers and walk-in healthcare clinics. Obsolete strip malls are also being converted into healthcare centers across the country.

Mixed-Use Developments

Shared services such as Uber and Lyft and bike-sharing services are a huge reason populations are returning to living in urban centers. Mixed-use developments both in urban areas and suburban areas allow for a true live-work-play lifestyle that caters to both millennials and older generations who do not want to drive and want to live in a walkable area. Public transportation is shaping how and where people live and work.  

Alternative Financing

As banks continue to become more constrained about lending because of new regulations, private equity fund and other types of lenders will fill this void, although at higher rates.
ProspectNow is the most effective prospecting system in commercial real estate and can help you expand your brand online. Contact us today with any questions you may have and try out a demo to see how our software can help you boost your sales.

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