The US is stuck in a slow recovery after cutting 8 million jobs during the recession. While businesses are earning record profits, they aren’t hiring many of these people back – leading to a high unemployment rate. While we all would like to see unemployment decrease, a high unemployment rate isn’t bad for commercial real estate trends.

By David Lebenstein, Senior Managing Director, Principal Not-for-profit organizations face many challenges, including securing space to serve their mission. In fact, space occupancy costs often make up 10% or more of their total expenses. Throughout my years advising not-for-profit organizations on their real estate needs, board members and trustees often ask if they could be saving money by owning their space, rather than leasing it. While buying a building or commercial condominium floor is NOT for everyone, it deserves exploration. Advantages No real estate taxes Most jurisdictions exempt owned real estate from local property taxes if the property is owned by a 501-C-3 organization, and used exclusively for its charitable purposes. In contrast, nonprofits leasing space pay property taxes through their rent – in major cities like NY & DC, these taxes sometimes range from $5.00-$8.00 per square foot or even more. Capital campaign Property ownership is a great vehicle...

By Keith Zeff, Vice President, Principal A growing number of U.S. manufacturers are returning production to the U.S. after some years of experience out-sourcing to China. We’re seeing this new trend– dubbed “on-shoring” with both large and small manufacturers. The list of on-shoring companies includes: - General Electric – energy efficient water heater production from China to Kentucky - Coleman Company – 16-quart cooler production from China to Kansas - Stanley Furniture – Young America products from China and Vietnam to Virginia - Diagnostic Devices – blood-glucose testing strips production from China to Florida - Peerless Industries – audio-visual mounting systems from China to Illinois A September 2011 poll by G+ asked 102 executives involved in off-shoring decisions: Are you considering repatriating off-shored jobs to the U.S. over the next 6-12 months? The rising cost of Chinese labor, which has increased 19% per year for the last five years, compared...