The September digital issue of CPE is now available!

From the Editor: The Next Big Thing
Investors and developers are always looking for the next big opportunity, and these days there are plenty of them. What’s more, there are quite a number that so far appear to have strong growth prospects, able to withstand recession and likely offer promise for years to come.

News Analysis: CBRE’s Buying Binge–PKF Consulting’s Perfect Fit
Call it binge buying, call it a shopping spree, but in a nutshell, it’s called expansion, and leading commercial real estate services firm CBRE Group Inc. keeps on doing just that. In one of its most recent acquisitions, CBRE, purchased PKF Consulting USA L.L.C.

TrendTalk
A growing number of companies are developing a preference for sharing office space. Such cohabitation solves two problems: It monetizes space companies otherwise are not using on a daily basis, and it provides a home for those with a mobile workforce.

Cover Story: Hot Sectors

Today’s hungry investors have plenty to chew on. Quite a number of sectors are in fast growth mode, with demand far outpacing supply, solid returns and prospects for long-term expansion. Following are insights into six of the hottest:

Energy Properties: Boom Markets
Data Centers: Linked Up
Student Housing: Payoff for the Well Schooled
University Properties: Making the Grade
Seniors Housing: Back in Favor
Life Sciences: Symbiotic Markets

New Visions: Enhanced Energy Savings
Dennis Quinn, COO of Joule Assets, spoke with editorial director Suzann D. Silverman about the financing market for demand response projects. Joule works with energy equipment contractors to help finance rollout of their technology in commercial properties, so the property owner can realize the benefits of the technology far sooner.

Investment: Prime-Time Players
Non-traded REITs are making waves. Blockbuster Deals, Maturing Practices Boost Non-Traded REITs’ Clout

Finance: Going Up
Will interest rates be rising soon? Some borrowers and lenders may even have come to expect rates to stay low for much longer. But there is growing consensus in the industry that interest rates are really going up this time.

CFO Corner: Investment and the Capital Markets
While the global economy continues to tell a mixed and shifting story, the U.S. economy is showing increasing signs that it is beginning to turn the corner.

Sustainability: Insuring Performance Guarantees
How ESWs are encouraging growth of retrofit financing. More and more energy contractors are offering today, property owners (or lessees) pay for retrofit benefits based on actual realized energy savings–and don’t even have to invest cash up-front.

Property Management: Remote Control
Global communications may make the world seem smaller, but they have not necessarily brought people closer together. In business, communication across hundreds or thousands of miles can produce challenges in managing teams–and by extension, properties.

Technology: Productive Partnership
As the function of IT in corporate real estate planning has expanded in recent years, so has the role of those responsible for overseeing innovations in facilities and property management.

Law & Policy: If it Ain’t Broke …
Prospects for TRIA’s extension. Fears of insurance gaps due to the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act lapsing have largely subsided, as reauthorization is close to certain by the year-end expiration date.