Building a Legacy: Bill McDade’s 57-year career

BY BRANDI SMITH

While much has evolved, the focus on relationships as part of real estate has not.

In 1959, the average house cost $12,400. A loaf of bread was only 20 cents and a new car would set you back about $2,200. That year Mattel introduced the Barbie doll and the United States welcomed its 49th and 50th additions (Alaska and Hawaii, respectively). America met its first astronauts that year too. It turns out, 1959 is also the year William “Bill” McDade got his
real estate brokers license.

In the nearly six decades that have followed, he has watched the industry ebb, flow and bust. Technology has developed rapidly, changing how he and his colleagues, like Boyd Commercial principal Mike Boyd and Cushman & Wakefield vice chairman David L. Cook, performed their jobs.

Click here to read the rest of this Article.

Exclusive: Thanksgiving Tribute: Finding hope in Harvey & The Houston Astros

BY BRANDI SMITH

Growing up in rural Southern Oregon, there wasn’t much in the way of TV to watch as a kid. Our giant antenna, which was mounted to our house, only picked up two channels: the local CBS affiliate and PBS. As a result, my after-school TV programming was usually some combination of Sesame Street, Reading Rainbow and Mr. Rogers Neighborhood.

I gleaned important messages from each of those shows, but what might be the most influential piece of advice came from Fred Rogers when I was older. He recalled that when faced with scary situations, his mother told him, ‘Always look for the helpers.’

 

Click here to read the rest of this Article. 

Emerging Evolution: How Retail Is Adapting To The Changing Market

BY BRANDI SMITH

It was the merger that made international headlines: Amazon purchasing Whole Foods, a marriage of e-commerce and brick-and-mortar that acknowledged and leveraged the powerof both kinds of retail.

Grocery being the largest category of consumer retail, the move is being viewed by experts as a power play for Amazon, a way for the giant online retailer to tap into a new revenue stream. It was also a public and financial admission by an e-commerce behemoth that it is still worth investing in a physical store to win the war of retail.

“To paraphrase Mark Twain, the reports of the death of brick-andmortar retail are greatly exaggerated,” says Marshall Mills, President and CEO of Weitzman. “… retail’s alive and well …”

Click here to read the rest of this Article. 

Houston CRE Market Shows Resilience in Face of Hurricane Harvey

U.S. MARKET FLASH – SEPTEMBER 2017

Hurricanes, tropical storms and floods are familiar occurrences in Houston and the surrounding Texas Gulf region; more than eight severe floods/hurricanes have impacted the Houston MSA since 1998.

But when Hurricane Harvey struck the region near Rockport, TX on August 25, the Category 4 storm was the strongest to hit the region since 1961, dumping more than 50 inches of rain in a matter of days and causing extensive property damage due to flooding.

In addition to its devastation on Greater Houston, Harvey’s impact was national in scope as well. Port Houston-the largest U.S. port in foreign tonnage and home to the nation’s largest petrochemical complex– closed for 4 1/2 days after the hurricane and reopened on September 1. Most refineries along the Texas Gulf Coast, which is the nation’s largest producer of oil and
gasoline, have also restarted operations, while others, such as Valero, have returned to pre-storm fuel-making rates. Nationally, consumers will see an increase in gas prices of about $0.08 – $0.10 for the next several months.

Click to read the rest of this Article.

Property Tax Reductions Through SB1 & Hurricane Harvey Loss Documentation

The Texas Senate endorsed Senate Bill 1, a bill allowing for property tax rate elections if county property tax revenues exceeded 4% of what was taken in the year before. The House & The Senate met in a special session on July 26th to vote on the rollback. 

REDNews spoke with Senator Paul Bettencourt about the reason for then failure to pass Senate Bill 1, the tax relief bill, that would decrease the rollback rate from 8% to 4%, which was passed by the Texas Senate during the Texas Legislative Special Session.

Click to read the rest of this Article.

Hurricane Harvey: Where Do We Go From Here?

BY MICHAEL PAVIA

Hurricane Harvey resulted in extensive flooding and massive home damage to the Houston region. “We’ve got probably 30,000 to 40,000 homes that have been destroyed,” said Harris County Judge Ed Emmett. Damage estimates surpass $20 billion. 

While the region recovers from the damage, the community is asking what can be done to avoid this type of devastation going forward? Here we consider some potential courses of action.But before discussing solutions there are several points to consider

Click to read the rest of this Article.