Congratulations!! You survived 2016 with its election chaos, race riots, Brexit, and a Dubs’ Finals collapse after 73 games regular season victories. Nationally, we watched a real estate developer become the most powerful man in the world. Locally, Palo Alto decided development is the enemy. San Jose, on the other hand, decided development is OK, but not if you’re a neighboring city.
We are through the first few weeks of the year and it’s been both very quiet and, at times, very active. Some investors are very concerned about the direction of interest rates, others seem excited about the direction of the economy. The stock market is making new highs frequently, interest rates are up, the big office space gobblers are quiet.
Only one thing is for certain, the signals are mixed. (more…)
Warning!! This blog post should not be consumed by if you struggle with depression. It’s effects may be similar to those of a Merle Haggard ballad. You are advised to lockup all sharp objects in advance of your perusal.
Crystal Balls: As a broker, it’s not my job to predict the future, it’s my job to predict behavior. I don’t try to pick market tops or bottoms nor do I think a good investment thesis involves doing so.
That however, doesn’t mean we can stick our heads in the sand by ignoring the world around us. It’s with that perspective I write this post. I don’t know if 2016 is the top of the market. It could be the bottom of the next run. But, I have a certain perspective which comes from being immersed in the Silicon Valley commercial real estate market. So this post is simply intended to point out some of the changes I’ve seen in the last 3 months, since 2016 came upon us.
Negotiating can be complex. It’s a science and an art. It can involve data analysis, people reading, story telling, and numerous skills. At times it can feel like you are in control followed by total bewilderment.
So It’s nice when someone can help you simplify, and I’ve learned a lot of these lessons over the years, but the greatest lesson I learned wasn’t complicated at all. It was very simple yet profound. It’s about something I understood instinctively and you probably do too. I just hadn’t formally arranged it in my mind, so having it articulated was powerful. I hope you find it helpful too.
The Professor:
Over the years I’ve learned negotiation tactics from authors, family members, partners, and opponents, but in the most helpful less came from an actual professor. I found myself sitting in a company training session with a Harvard professor named Guhan Subramanian. He teaches (at the time of this post) negotiation at the Harvard Business School. Guhan is smart, funny, and keeps his students pretty engaged; but since I’d been a casual student of the subject for years, I found myself bored. That was, until he mentioned this concept…this incredibly simple, incredibly profound concept. It’s one I instinctively understood as correct, but hadn’t ever considered, and has since change the lens through which I see negotiating. (more…)
This is my first blog post of my first blog. I’m pumped! In my mind I imagine two potential outcomes of this endeavor. Option one: glory and riches as I persuade the world to agree with all my view points, exalting me unanimously as the undisputed leader of the free world…without even campaigning. Option two: I, in my total lack of consistency and inability to finish what I start, never even post to this blog again let alone start many more blogs on many more subjects. Stay tuned to watch the drama unfold.
Clearly second options is a joke since I already have my second blog post written. White House here I come.
Truth is I have zero political aspirations, I just couldn’t figure how to open my first post, so I deflected my insecurity with humor. It takes a lot of humility to admit insecurity. It’s that type of humility this nation needs to be great again!!
I’m a Commercial Real Estate Investment Broker in Silicon Valley. That’s a long way of saying “I sell buildings” which is what I tell people when they ask about my career. I think it’s simple and seems less pretensions than proclaiming a title. Simple is good. The world is a pretty complicated place and I see no reason to complicated it further since it doesn’t help us enjoy life, stay sane, or make deals happen. So, this blog is partly about making complicated things simple.(more…)
