Commercial Market Trends

The party's not over, just piping down

BY RICHARD C. STANLAND JR., CCIM, SIOR

Industrial and office practitioners around the country are reporting a slowdown, though slight, in the absorption of space among dot-com and other Internet companies, a group that has been one of the demand drivers for both office and industrial space in recent years.

Last spring's capital market decline slowed the growth of Internet companies, resulting in less growth in space absorption by those tenants.

But don't fret. The Internet economy is just beginning its long-term run-up. That was the clear message sent in June to more than 2,500 people attending Realcomm 2000, the technology and commercial real estate conference produced by the Society of Industrial and Office REALTORS^® and The Jamesan Group.

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20 Questions Buyers Should Ask a Mortgage Lender

Looking for answers about mortgages? You need to know the questions first.

by Carolyn Rogers   

Most buyers - especially first-timers - know only one question to ask when shopping for a mortgage: What is your interest rate?

There is a lot more to the mortgage process than getting a good rate. High costs in fees and poor service sometimes come as a very unhappy surprise.

Here's a list of suggested questions a buyer might ask a lender. . .

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Disclosure

by Ron Walker   

The idea of disclosure is simple — tell prospective buyers what you know about a property.

In practice, though, things can sometimes get a little more complicated. Read on for insights about the obligations for sellers and brokers, the responsibilities of relocation companies, the role of inspection reports, and whether you have a duty to disclose knowledge of registered sex offenders in the neighborhood.

A seller of real property in Texas and a real estate broker must disclose to a prospective buyer any known material defect in the property. The broker’s duty to disclose known defects is the same without regard to whom the broker represents in a transaction.

Texas Property Code Section 5.008–the seller’s disclosure notice statute–requires a seller to complete a seller’s disclosure notice and deliver it to the buyer on or before the effective date of a contract. If the seller fails to timely deliver the notice, the buyer may terminate the contract for any reason within seven days after the buyer receives the notice. Paragraph 7B of the TREC contract forms reflects the provisions of the statute.

Here are some common questions that arise concerning the seller’s disclosure notice. . .

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