Bookmarks: 5 Interesting Articles That May Help You This Week

Each week, I select a few articles that rise above the fray and hopefully help you on your journey in the CRE world. They pull from one of four "corners:" corporate real estate, technology, management science and anything positive. I welcome your comments on these articles.

1. Atlanta's Stalwarts, Newcomers All Flocking To Its Priciest Buildings

The activity still boils down to the key that has driven office tenants this past cycle: recruitment. Amid signs the economy could be heading for a slowdown or possibly a recession, companies' C-suites are aware how their office space directly affects their ability to recruit new talent, Cushman & Wakefield Executive Director Ken Ashley said.

“It's budget season. We'll see how the budgets impact the moves for next year,” Ashley said. "But the reality is the talent war is hotter than ever."

A number of banner deals have already been inked since the start of the year, giving Atlanta a healthy absorption rate of nearly 1M SF through the second quarter, according to Colliers.

2. What to Expect From Apple’s Fall Hardware Extravaganza

David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Images

When Apple’s annual fall hardware event takes place next week, it will come amid an important shift for the company. Sales of the iPhone, the device that has made the company hundreds of billions of dollars over the past decade, have slowed. Jony Ive, the legendary designer responsible for the look and feel of all things Apple, has left. The company has been pushing subscription services like never before, in the form of streaming music, digital news, and star-studded original video series. Somewhat bizarrely, it just started offering a credit card.

To be clear, Apple is still one of the most valuable tech companies in the world, with a stockpile of over $200 billion in cash. It’s doing just fine, and it will continue to try to lock people into its ecosystem with the iPhone as the linchpin.

But the challenges for Apple at this particular moment are complex. At a macro level, Apple faces the regular threat of disruption to its famously efficient supply chain strategy because of President Donald Trump’s trade feud with China.

The security of iOS is falling under greater scrutiny. And Apple’s positions as both a giant store for apps and as a powerful app maker itself are being questioned. Tech, over the past few years, has finally met its skeptics.

3. Why You Need a Password Manager. Yes, You.

You probably know that it’s not a good idea to use “password” as a password, or your pet’s name, or your birthday.

But the worst thing you can do with your passwords — and something that more than 50 percent of people are doing, according to a recent Virginia Tech study — is to reuse the same ones across multiple sites. If even one of those accounts is compromised in a data breach, it doesn’t matter how strong your password is — hackers can easily use it to get into your other accounts.

But even though I should know better, up until a few months ago I was still reusing the same dozen or so passwords across all of my everything (though at least I had turned on two-factor authentication where I could). It’s just too difficult to come up with (and remember) unique, strong passwords for dozens of sites. That’s why, after much cajoling from co-workers, I started using a password manager — and it’s why you should be using one, too. Aside from using two-factor authentication and keeping your operating system and Web browser up-to-date, it’s the most important thing you can do to protect yourself online.

4. A Beginner's Guide To Executing A Social Media Marketing Funnel

You’ve probably heard the term "marketing funnel" being thrown around (or perhaps this is your first time hearing it). Either way, you might not have any idea what it means. If you don’t know how it works, it’s possible that your business could be losing out on major revenue.

Before we jump into how to build a social media marketing funnel, let’s start with what a marketing funnel actually is and why it’s important to your business.

What is a marketing funnel?

In simple words, a marketing funnel is a strategy which creates the necessary steps a customer goes through before getting them to that crucial conversion stage (aka doing what we want them to do).

5. Rent Concessions Near 20-Year Lows But Evident in Some Markets

Nationwide, the percentage of units offering rental concessions is at some of its lowest levels in nearly two decades. Still, some markets–mostly the country’s big construction centers–are offering concessions at notably higher rates, according to a study by RealPage.

After peaking at 65.8% in fourth quarter 2009, the percentage of stabilized apartments in the US offering concessions has been on a steady downward trajectory. As of second quarter 2019, concessions were available in only 14.1% of apartments, one of the lowest rates the market has recorded since mid-2002. Concession rates fell below the 20% mark in second quarter 2017 and have remained beneath that threshold since that time, says the study.

Some markets, however, are still commonly awarding concessions in a sizable portion of stock. These big concession markets have been some of the nation’s most prolific supply centers during the current economic cycle. Also, while it’s relatively rare for concessions to be offered in class-B or -C units, the markets with the most discounts overall logged inflated concession rates in these lower-tier product lines.

Your success blesses others. I wish you a great a hugely impactful week!

Ken Ashley