Brad assists Owners, Operators and Receivers of Hotel, Office and Industrial properties with their Real Estate, Finance, Leasing, Construction and Organizational challenges; specifically, negotiating and drafting hospitality, purchase, sale, financing, leasing, construction, franchise and management agreements. He has in the past and presently serves as general counsel and national real estate counsel to several domestic and internationally based public and privately held companies. Brad represents foreign businesses doing business in the United States and U.S. businesses doing business abroad; and is a former Chairman of World Services Group (www.worldservicesgroup.com) an international consortium of legal and other professionals. Brad has achieved the highest rating, AV Preeminent®, from Martindale-Hubbell®. He is an active member of the Illinois Bar and maintains an office in both the firm’s Cincinnati and Chicago offices. Brad is the editor of the Real Estate Advisor Law blog, a tool that highlights articles and observations of Ulmer & Berne attorneys on various trends and opportunities affecting the commercial real estate and construction industry, and is a frequent speaker on internet and social media issues.

 The NCAA men’s basketball tournament is consuming a lot of bandwith in everyone’s offices.  Perhaps even slowing down the speed of emailing all of those contracts, leases and loan documents around the country.  Have you ever wondered if there is a connection between the real estate industry and the NCAA Tournament ?  

We found

Recently, representatives from our firm were invited to meet with and participate in executive level meetings at Cisco Systems headquarters in San Jose, California.  We thought we were going to spend two days playing with top secret tech toys which are being developed behind darkened windows and screens.  Although we did see some really innovative

2011 is the year when the Baby Boomers begin to turn 65 years old.  This trend will continue for the next twenty years.  How is the Real Estate industry going to respond to this demographic reality ?  The impact on society is enormous: housing, transportation and work force issues abound.  

  • Will housing prices be

Thanks to our friend, Norm Khoury of Cassidy Turley, for sharing the 2011 Handbook of Living a Balanced Life.  The start of the year is a good time to remind us of these thoughts.  

Health:

1.       Drink plenty of water.

2.       Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner

          like a beggar.

3.       Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less

          food that is manufactured in plants.

4.       Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy

5.       Make time to pray.

6.       Play more games

7.       Read more books than you did in 2010.

8.       Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day

9.       Sleep for 7 hours.

10.     Take a 30 minute walk daily. And while you walk, smile!

Personality:

11.    Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their

         journey is all about.

12.    Eliminate negative thoughts and things you cannot control.

         Instead invest your energy in the positive and in the present moment.

13.    Don’t over do. Know your limits.

14.    Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

15.    Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.

16.    Dream more while you are awake!

17.    Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

18.    Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner of his/her

         mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.

19.    Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.

20.    Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.

21.    No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

22.    Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are part of the curriculum; they appear and fade away but the lessons you learn last a lifetime.

23.    Smile and laugh more.

24.    You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.



Continue Reading Off Topic: 2011 Handbook of Living a Balanced Life

Jones Lang LaSalle seems to think so.  We hope that they are right.  As reported by Bloomberg JLL is forecasting a 25% increase in hotel/hospitality industry activity in the 2011.  The drivers are REIT money and foreign investors looking for investments which can still be acquired at reasonable discounts while the U.S. economy recovers

  • The residential housing market is stalling; and perhaps non-existent for homes priced in the top third of the market;
  • Public funds for roadway expansions are going to become harder to come by;
  • There is and will continue to be an over supply of low density fringe suburban homes (exurban);
  • Baby Boomers and their children are

The retail industry is changing, or depending upon your current situation, the retail industry has already changed. The days of throwing up a center on every open suburban vacant parcel are long gone and likely not to return anytime soon. Just knowing how to build a retail center is no longer enough. What can you

We have made a concerted effort in this Blog to keep on message for the Real Estate, Retail, Finance and Construction industries.  However, periodically we see the need to go off topic. Lately the flow of unwanted email has become so outrageous that I and several of my partners are actively UN SUBSCRIBING from these