"Demand’s Healthy for Medical Offices" - Commercial real estate article for The Miami Herald

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"Demand’s Healthy for Medical Offices" - Commercial real estate article for The Miami Herald

When real estate developer Linda Rozynes lost a South Miami-Dade apartment building to a storm in 2000, she knew she would rebuild the property -- as medical offices.

That was Rozynes' foray into the booming medical real-estate sector, a niche fueled by an expanding senior-citizen population and the trend of performing procedures outside of hospitals. Medical office rents are averaging $28.49 per square foot in Miami-Dade County and $24.05 in Broward, with occupancy at 95 percent in both counties, according to CB Richard Ellis.

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"Landlords Working Hard to Keep Tenants" - Commercial real estate article for The Miami Herald

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"Landlords Working Hard to Keep Tenants" - Commercial real estate article for The Miami Herald

By Rochelle Broder-Singer | 11/2/2008

During the real estate boom, losing a tenant didn't matter so much. Any tenant, whether office, industrial or retail, could easily be replaced.

Now, empty space is taking longer to lease every month. Amid a credit crunch and a slowing economy, tenants who can pay the rent are suddenly a hot commodity.

That leaves landlords working overtime to keep the tenants they have. They are more focused than ever on renewing leases, willing to negotiate terms and offer concessions such as tenant improvements, months of free rent and sometimes even reduced rental rates.

Landlords are also trying to keep tenants happy by paying more attention to the appearance and upkeep of properties and responding faster to maintenance requests and complaints.

''Typically people don't like to give concessions, but the reality is the reality,'' said Barry Sharpe, whose Hialeah-based Sharpe Properties owns retail, warehouse and office properties.

Some landlords are going so far as to extend help to tenants that are struggling to stay in business.

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"Foreign investors may help local real estate market" - Commercial real estate article for The Miami Herald

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"Foreign investors may help local real estate market" - Commercial real estate article for The Miami Herald

By Rochelle Broder-Singer | Special to the Miami Herald | 2/2/2009

Some of the biggest commercial real estate deals of 2008 came from outside the United States:

Nakheel Hotels, managed by the Dubai government, bought 50 percent of the Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel for $375 million. A subsidiary of Japanese investment firm Sumitomo paid $260 million for the Miami Center office tower. Hong Kong-based Swire Properties, which developed most of Brickell Key, paid $41.3 million for 5.5 vacant acres just off Brickell Avenue. And a Mexican company affiliated with the Jose Cuervo Group became partners in 396 Alhambra, a planned $130 million office project in Coral Gables.

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"Office space debate: downtown vs. outskirts" - Commercial real estate article for The Miami Herald

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"Office space debate: downtown vs. outskirts" - Commercial real estate article for The Miami Herald

By Rochelle Broder-Singer | 05/04/2009

When the economy was riding high, companies could pick their office space based on ''location, location, location.'' In today's economic climate, though, that mantra is being challenged by another: ''cost, cost, cost.'' Growing concerns over the bottom line have businesses reassessing whether a pricey downtown location is essential, or whether it is a luxury that can be avoided.

TrèsKoi Public Relations, for instance, considered space in downtown Miami or South Beach, but ultimately settled on The Bank building at Northeast 81st Street and Biscayne Boulevard.

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"Continental Group finding condo renters" - Commercial real estate article for The Miami Herald

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"Continental Group finding condo renters" - Commercial real estate article for The Miami Herald

By Rochelle Broder-Singer | November 03, 2008

The Continental Group made its name managing condominium and homeowners associations -- it now manages 1,300 across Florida. Now the Hollywood-based company is expanding into the trickier business of managing condo units for rent.

Trickier, because there are thousands of condos for rent competing for tenants. Continental's clients, often strapped for cash, have small marketing budgets. And Continental must try to persuade associations looking to pare expenses to invest dollars into sprucing up the building and grounds to lure renters.

So the company must get creative, using back-to-basics techniques such as posting flyers at retail strip centers and paying people to stand on street corners with big signs advertising free rent. Such techniques have helped bring them to 1,120 units in South Florida alone.

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"Investors, sellers in stalemate" - Commercial real estate article for The Miami Herald

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"Investors, sellers in stalemate" - Commercial real estate article for The Miami Herald

By Rochelle Broder-Singer | May 12, 2008

Sales of commercial real estate have fallen sharply in the past year. Just like the residential market, investors aren't finding the bargains they expect given the economy, yet sellers aren't ready to cut prices.

It's a ''stalemate,'' said Stephen Bittel, chairman of Miami Beach-based real estate services and investment firm Terranova.

During the six months ending in April, $1.8 billion of industrial, office and retail property closed -- down 59 percent from the same period a year ago, reports Real Capital Analytics.

Broward sales of retail property fell the most, down 85 percent during the six months ending in April, compared to the previous year. In Miami-Dade, sales of retail property were cut nearly in half. Office sales were down by 61 percent in Miami-Dade and by 14 percent in Broward. Industrial property sales in Miami-Dade were down 48 percent, but up by 96 percent in Broward.

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