The Smart Agency, Inc.

Thank you to Urban Land Institute for a wonderful #FallMeeting packed with valuable information! Key takeaways👇: “Great leaders have patience. They have an infinite mindset. It’s not about winning the game, it’s about advancing the cause.” —Simon Sinek “Scared money doesn’t make money.” Consensus says the time has come for opportunities. Senior Housing has opportune fundamentals. By 2030, all Baby Boomers will be over 65; consistently outpacing unit supply growth. Say it with me: Data Centers. Investor interest is everywhere in this niche. “Lots of interest around alternates.” Capital raising is “much better.” Investors began moving ahead of the market back in May. But stay on your toes: With the 10-year on the rise, “it’s gonna be choppy.” VERY optimistic about retail! #ShoppingAlwaysWins —Nearly no new builds since the Great Recession —All-time highest occupancy —Resilient consumers driving sales —WFH driving daytime traffic —Retailers understand the importance of brick and mortar Gooooo, Dallas! “The absorption in #Dallas has been unbelievable.” Investors are also eyeing Denver, Seattle, Boston. Affordability. The severity of the problem cannot be understated. ULI is working hard to seek and support innovative solutions via its new Homeless To Housed (H2H) initiative. Downtowns: Investment will arrive inch by inch, neighborhood by neighborhood. 60% of people spending time in vibrant DT areas are visitors. Crime and security must be the top focus. Office: Vacancy problems started prior to COVID and are now at peak. “In every cycle, there’s a flight to quality. Lower-quality assets must re-think who they are.” 40% of pre-pandemic office leases have not yet rolled, so there’s more to work out. Some banks are partnering with parts of the government to get office deals done. Financially, “the capital stack is now 20 items long.” Art is the New Anchor In #CRE projects nationwide, Culture in all its forms is proving to be a successful anchor via monetary, social, and equity benefits. This is not limited to visual art. Music, theatre, water-and-light shows and experiences, as well as culinary arts are proving their bottom-line value. Economic Forecast: “We’ve already had a soft landing.” Corporate earnings are at all-time highs. That said, “Commercial Real Estate is not driven by corporate profits; we’re driven by people and jobs.” Labor force growth has historically been driven by immigration, so analysts are watching this carefully. The market expects two more .25 bp cuts before the end of the year. Still, the 10-year rising could make things tricky. Consensus was “it will be slow and steady.” Deconstruction is back: Construction & Design facilities bury and burn $136 Billion in lumber each year. By identifying the reuse potential of everything in the building early on, deconstruction could be a profitable solution. Learn more at ULI.org #CommercialRealEstatePR #UrbanLandInstitute #TrendsInRealEstate #TheSmartAgency

We had a fabulous – and productive! – time at Wild Goose Tavern in Costa Mesa last week, networking with some of the best and brightest professionals in the local Commercial Real Estate industry. Our own Lexi Astfalk and Arleeny E. attended the happy hour mixer, which was hosted by Daniel Herrold of Northmarq and Paul Leu at LeuCo Realty. They represented The Smart Agency and made valuable new connection. It’s always so great to make new friends and reconnect old ones, too! Thank you to the event sponsors: Slatt Capital, EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants, Marterra Real Estate, and Fidelity Bancorp Funding. It was a wonderful event and a fantastic venue. Looking forward to seeing you all again soon! #CRE #Networking #HappyHour #CostaMesa

Team Smart had a blast and learned a ton at GlobeSt.com's fantastic #Multifamily Fall event! Key trends to watch: 📈“The worst is behind us.” General consensus is that the market has hit bottom and now is the time for opportunistic buying. One panelist said, “This is one of the most amazing times to buy that I’ve seen.” 🏛️“Capital is coming back.” There has been a widening of lenders and more clarity in the market over the last 30 to 45 days. The caveat? Lending relationships are vitally important. Fannie and Freddie currently have a full pipeline. Banks are re-emerging, yet still prioritizing depository relationships. Equity is starting to pick up a bit. Right now, the debt fund market is winning the day. 🛫Runway in Institutional U.S. pension funds have $35.6 trillion in asset allocations. Real estate is 4.4% of this. “It’s a good time to be an LP.” 💲“Rents are gonna rip” 2023-2024 has been a record time for deliveries, but little to no construction starts. This leads to a gap in supply that will positively affect rent growth for those who buy in time to benefit from the appreciation of the next 12-24 months. ⏰Residents Staying Longer Decades ago, people rented an average of 2.2 years before purchasing a house. Today that average is 9-11 years. “The multifamily product we’re developing today is for residents that will stay longer. This means larger floor plans and killer amenities.” 🛋️Is the Living Room obsolete? Some are being converted to bedrooms. 🛖ADU development is exploding in California. 💻Technology/automation/AI is a huge opportunity for increased efficiencies. Still, you can’t just rely on technology. There has to be judgment. Special thanks to Natalie Dolce, who our own Jenn Quader was delighted to see and hug in person. Follow Natalie for amazing writing about #CommercialRealEstate and #Finance.

Congrats Richie Watts, our Graphic Designer, on his First anniversary with The Smart Agency! Richie's best lesson learned at The Smart Agency: "Active communication without finished work is always better than no communication with finished work." Thank you for all that you do, Richie! #WorkAnniversary #PRCommunications #GraphicDesigner #SocialMedia #CommercialRealEstate #TheSmartAgency

Just a couple more days to register for Globe St.'s Multifamily Fall event. Use our promo code to save 10 percent, and gain access to some of the biggest leaders in Commercial Real Estate. See you on Monday and Tuesday! https://lnkd.in/g5fw6Xfb

Attention multifamily professionals! Next week is GlobeSt.com’s Multifamily Fall conference at the JW Marriott in Los Angeles. We’ll be going, and we’d love to see you there. In fact, have 10% off on The Smart Agency! Just register with our exclusive promo code: SMART10 Programs will focus on the needs of owners, operators, developers, and investors. Held on Oct. 14 and 15, the event is a perfect opportunity for learning and networking during this crucial time for the commercial real estate industry – and especially the multifamily sector. Hope to see you there! https://lnkd.in/g5fw6Xfb #Multifamily #CRE #Housing #Brokers #Builders #Investors #PropertyManagers

🎉 Big Cheers to our VP, Operations, Renee Gibson-Milch! 👏 Nominated for the Orange County Business Journal's 30th annual “Women in Business Awards,” Renee continues to shine bright as a powerhouse communicator and exemplary woman in business. 🏆 With her leadership, we’ve scaled by 50% during a challenging time for the #CommercialRealEstate industry. Her mastery in managing everything from HR to finance, and cultivating our office culture, has been instrumental to our success. Renee’s impressive background, including over a decade of experience at a Fortune 500 company, continues to drive us forward as we celebrate 30 years in business. Renee, your dedication, passion, and hard work inspires us all! Congratulations to Renee and all other nominees on this well-deserved recognition. Get your tickets now! A luncheon revealing the winners will be held at the Irvine Mariott on October 30th, 2024. Visit the link below to register for this exciting event! https://zurl.co/dHj6 #WomenInBusiness #OCBusinessJournal #OCBJawards #TeamAchievements #TheSmartAgency #TeamSmart #PRAgency #CRE

What a Smartsational night at the PROTOS Awards! 🎉 We’re beyond excited to announce that The Smart Agency took home 2 top awards in this nationally judged competition!    We won for best "Article for Trade Publication - Written" and "Best Single Media Placement - Print or Broadcast." 🏆🏆 It’s a true reflection of the amazing collaboration with our clients and the strength of our team’s creativity. A huge shoutout to our VP of Operations, Renee Gibson-Milch, and our EVP, Lexi Astfalk, for representing our team last night! 💙 Also, a tremendous thank you to OCPRSA - Orange County Chapter of PRSA for hosting such a fantastic event—it was an honor to celebrate with the talented Orange County PR community. Here’s to more success and creativity! #OCPRSAProtos #OCAwardsSeason #TheSmartAgency #CommercialRealEstatePR #TeamworkMakesTheDreamWork #PROTOS2024 #OCPRSA

Looking for something fun to do this week? This Thursday is your last chance to attend our Office Concert series! 🎶💙 Join us at The Smart Agency headquarters (9890 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine, CA) for an unforgettable evening of live jazz, featuring our CEO Jenn Quader as she wraps up her stellar #OfficeConversion Residency. Don’t miss this unique pop-up event that blends creativity, collaboration, and community in a fresh new way. Seating is limited—RSVP now to experience the magic before it's gone! 🔗 https://zurl.co/CYO3 You can also pre-save Jenn's new album "Love in All Its Forms" at https://zurl.co/j25j #OfficeConcert #JennQuader #JazzMusic #AdvancingCRE #TheSmartAgency

Team Smart had an amazing time at ULI’s project overview and tour of the innovative Halcyon House by Quarterra Group! Designed by KTGY, Hendy, and MJS Landscape Architecture, this mixed-use community is redefining living in Orange County with its blend of traditional and modern design. From extraordinary amenities to personalized services, Halcyon House truly inspires creativity and individuality! Huge thanks to ULI Orange County/Inland Empire for the insightful and fabulous tour! #ULI #HalcyonHouse #InnovativeDesign #MixedUseLiving #OrangeCounty #UrbanLiving #TeamSmart #TheSmartAgency Arleeny E., Elisabeth Manville, Samantha Chagollan