Real estate power brokers are rarely thought of as bookish types. But 'tis the season for hibernating with a good read. And these books will give you a leg up once you're back in the boardroom.

With all eyes focused on the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) CRE Finance conference, multifamily has been sector most of the discussions. But with retail activity either on fire or heating up in several metropolitan areas, it would be short-sighted to neglect the lending trends taking place in the sector.

IdealSpot, an Austin-based real estate analytics startup, has officially announced the launch of its business.

The Pflugerville Community Development Corp.has made waves in recent years with its gung-ho style of economic development, which has included attracting businesses from nearby cities such as Austin and Round Rock with the promise of cash and economic incentives.

The Senate Finance Committee will be discussing two bills of interest to the commercial real estate industry on Wednesday, both of which appear likely to pass.

Transwestern Development Co. said today that it has broken ground on a project that will bring 446,000 square feet of mixed-use development to the former Arnold Oil Co. site in East Austin.

Those are among the amenities taking center stage in today's leasing talks, according to Cousins SVP Tim Hendricks, who'll be speaking at Bisnow’s Austin Office of the Future on Feb. 26 at the Hyatt Regency, starting at 7:30am.

The state of Texas will soon be home to the Irish governmental agency responsible for helping U.S. businesses expand to Europe.

Part of The Domain, a high-profile mixed-use project in Northwest Austin, is up for sale. The offering does not include Simon Property Group’s adjoining retail and mixed-use project that is home to a Neiman Marcus and many other high-end retailers.

After the November, 2014 elections Austinites know that, at least for now, we’re not going to see a new light rail line take shape. But what is in store for the future of transit in Austin? With the population growing and traffic becoming a serious issue, it’s a big question.

The temptation happens often: the deal is done, the ink is dry, the contract is finalized...then someone gets cold feet. Buyers don’t want to buy, sellers don’t want to sell, money gets tight, titles can’t be delivered, etc. What makes breach of commercial real estate contracts unique as opposed to most non-real estate contracts is that every single property is unique.

If you’ve ever tried to sell a house, you know that it’s only slightly less complex than forging a Middle East peace agreement. You have to deal with contractors, agents, inspectors, mortgage brokers and bankers, all of whom can make North Korea look like pretty darn flexible negotiators.

For this reason, many people prefer to buy real estate through real estate investment trusts, which invest in commercial real estate.

Things are starting to simmer in real estate technology. The first phase of technology development in the category, which was primarily focused around listing services for the residential side of the market, has paved the way for industry leaders to broadly reconsider how technology can make their lives better.

The nation's largest professional association of real estate appraisers today released a form intended to help analyze values of commercial buildings' energy efficient features. It is the first of its kind intended for appraisers' use.
"The market has many different ideas of what makes a property green, and this addendum will assist in understanding actual green features," said Appraisal Institute President M. Lance Coyle, MAI, SRA.

Schedule:
Tuesday, February 24, 2015

10AM CENTRAL
(11:00 ET / 8:00 PT / 9:00 MT )
Duration: 60 minutes

$35 for Members
$45 for Non-members

Date: 3/25/2015

Time: 11:15 am - 1:00 pm

JW Marriott
110 E. Second Street