Commercial Investment Real Estate is the magazine of the CCIM Institute, the leading provider of commercial real estate education. CIRE covers market trends, current developments, and business strategies within the commercial real estate field.
Issue link: http://cire.epubxp.com/i/700533
July | August | 2016 Commercial Investment Real Estate Commercial Investment Real Estate Here's what the best in commercial real estate use every day. Top Tech Tips from CCIM Pros i by Sara Drummond Integrating technology into the day-to-day business of commercial real estate can be diffi cult, given the steep learning curve of some programs and the sweet familiarity of tried-and-true methods. But technology disruption is remaking the industry at both ends of the spectrum. On the major playing fi elds, new forms of data analysis along with online brokerage and lending platforms are changing how deals are done. In local markets, CRE pros are try- ing to meet new client expectations by adopt- ing the work-from-anywhere philosophy. Commercial Investment Real Estate sur- veyed CCIMs, the designated experts in commercial real estate, and asked them to share their day-to-day lifesavers — the tools and tips they use to stay on the cutting edge of chasing leads and closing deals. Top 3 Tools for Success Just as the cellphone freed CRE profession- als from the offi ce, the cloud is freeing them from the offi ce computer network, allow- ing CCIMs to fully transact business from any location — a property site, the car, or a beach in Cabo. In addition, CCIMs are experimenting with apps that increase their productivity wherever they are doing deals. And fi nally, at least one CCIM is steeped in the hyperlo- cal, accessing zoning and property data for his specifi c market. It's probably the wave of the future. The following three applications were suggested by several CCIMs, and taken together, they represent a decent tech toolkit for today's CRE professional. Analyst Pro. "Analyst Pro is my favor- ite secret tool," says Debi Carter, CCIM, executive vice president of Hudson Peters Commercial in Dallas. "I used it in front of a group of medical offi ce investors and their eyes lit up when they saw the report. One of them said to me 'I was using 10 spreadsheets trying to get that information.' " Carter points out that Analyst Pro was developed by Todd Kuhlmann, CCIM, a CCIM Institute senior instructor who currently teaches High Tech Marketing for Commercial Real Estate. His online instructor-led course delves into creating a personalized lead generation plan using social media and other tech-based programs. CCIMs like Analyst Pro for its ease of use on the go. Danny Zelonker, CCIM, SIOR, broker/partner at Real Miami Commercial Real Estate in Miami, uses it on his iPhone or iPad when showing properties to clients. "It gives me a fi ve- or 10-year analysis such as buy vs. sell or sale leaseback, internal rate of return, and net present value, even cash-on- cash return. e pro version lets me custom- ize with my logo and contact information." DropBox. is cloud storage service is a favorite of many CCIMs for fi le sharing across personal devices as well as across personnel teams. " e one thing I can't live without is data storage," says Chris Bornho , CCIM, a sales and leasing broker with Windermere Manito Commercial in Spokane, Wash. "DropBox is the Swiss army knife I have with me at all times. Every fi le saved is automatically backed up for a year. So if I overwrite a fi le by hitting 'save"' instead of 'save-as,' with a few clicks, I can get my original fi le back. At $99 a year for 1 terabyte of data storage it's also aff ordable." "On DropBox, all information is available to me and my group at anytime from any- where," says Ron Koenigsberg, CCIM, presi- dent of American Investment Properties in Garden City, N.Y. "How do you beat that?" Buildout. Buildout is a cloud-based mar- keting platform specifi cally geared toward commercial real estate. It fulfi lls the dream of many CRE professionals: Enter data once and publish everywhere. e information populates fl iers, proposals, and eblasts, and websites, as well as syndicated listing ser- vices and aggregators. "Buildout is amazing," says Steve Gries, CCIM, central region vice president of DP Management/TCN Worldwide in Omaha, Neb. "It has streamlined the production of all of my marketing materials greatly while, at the same time, expanding my marketing capabilities." Beyond the Basics Along with analysis, cloud storage, and marketing programs, CCIMs touted the importance of a good customer relationship management program. "We manage a client database of over 10,000," says Linda Gerchick, CCIM, des- ignated broker for Gerchick Real Estate in Scottsdale, Ariz. "We live and breathe