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Welcome to the Clay & Company Blog

Clay & Company is a Houston-based commercial real estate auction, brokerage and investment company serving the needs of governmental agencies, financial institutions, insurance companies, and individuals throughout the State of Texas since 1991.

Our regularly updated blog covers local and national news, events, and happenings affecting Houston commercial real estate.

Author Archives: admin

A synopsis: No More Fear and Loathing of CRE Lending for Banks from CoStar

Below is a synopsis of this article by Mark Heschmeyer of CoStar
Five Years After the Onset of the Great Recession, Banks Are Ready To Venture Back in to Commercial Real Estate

For the first time in five years, a majority of banks are finally talking about their ability to grow their loan portfolios.

Up until the fourth...

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Increasing Seller’s Property Value

We wanted to share the below article form Yahoo about Increasing a Seller’s Property Value. Some of it is directed at residential real estate but many of the same perceptions apply to selling commercial real estate as well. Many improvements like these are important to make before putting your property on the market for sale...

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Defining the type of investor you are…

Investing in commercial real estate is a great way to generate wealth producing relatively consistent returns through monthly income or capital growth
Real estate returns are generated in two ways: income return and capital returns. The income returns comes from tenants’ rent payments and the cash that remains after all property expenses have been paid. Capital returns are...

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Specialty REITS analyzed by The New York Times

An interesting article published in The New York Times about specialty investments like cell towers and data centers.
By Alison Gregor
Real estate investment trusts, or REITs, have largely outperformed other investment vehicles in the sluggish economy of the last few years. But one subset — “specialty” trusts that invest in real estate other than the four...

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Houston Business Journal: Commercial Real Estate Outlook

Today Houston Business Journal’s Commercial Real Estate Outlook was published:
Houston’s outlook continues to offer more options than the rest of the country in regards to businesses and job seekers alike, say local economic and development experts.
Most parts of the city have seen continued growth throughout 2011, and that momentum is not expected to slow down....

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Houston Through the Years

Via culturemap:
When we asked you to show us your best Houston photos to commemorate Houston’s 175th birthday, we had no idea you were just as in love with the city as we are. And we certainly learned one thing in picking the best photos for our contest: There’s nothing like seeing the Bayou City from...

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Self-Rental Rule and Taxes

Below is a valuable article on self-rental properties and the tax consequences. The article was written for CCIM by tax manager, Daniel Rowe, CPA, at the accounting firm Deemer Dana & Froehle LLP in Savannah, Ga.
Don’t get caught in a trap of unintended consequences.
The only thing worse than incurring a loss on investment property is...

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What every tenant should know before signing a lease

From the Houston Business Journal

The cheapest rent does not guarantee the best deal. Make sure your landlord is on firm financial footing. Find a qualified tenant representative to advocate on your behalf.
Those are some of the guiding principles businesses should follow before signing a lease, according to commercial real estate experts.
Committing to leasing space —...

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Learning Real Estate Terms: Escrow

Escrow: A neutral third party holds the documents and money involved in a real estate transaction and ensures that all conditions of a sale are met.. Escrow also refers to a special account that a lender establishes to hold monthly installments from the borrower
Here’s a quick rundown on the term escrow from Yahoo Real Estate...

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Bisnow: 12 PREDICTIONS FOR 2012

12 PREDICTIONS FOR 2012 via Real Estate Bisnow Houston
1. HOTELS IMPROVE
Performance in the hospitality industry is on the up, according to Smith Travel Research and PKF Hospitality Research. Smith reports that Houston is doing particularly well; our hotels rank second in the US (behind Nashville) for year-over-year gain in room demand.
2. WESTCHASE RISES
With at least...

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