East TN Counselors of Real Estate Announce the Top Ten Issues Affecting Real Estate

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., July 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Maribel Koella, CRE®, Owner/Founder, NAI Koella | RM Moore, and Michael Honeycutt, CRE®, Senior Vice President and Principal, Realty Trust Group, announced the current and emerging issues expected to have the most significant impact on real estate, as identified by The Counselors of Real Estate®, an international consortium of 1,000 commercial real estate professionals.  Remote work & mobility was named the top issue that affected commercial real estate in the group's latest report, Top Ten Issues Affecting Real Estate®.

"As we emerge from COVID-19 into a new world replete with local and global disruptions alike, our industry has been forced to recognize that adaptability and resiliency are paramount in real estate markets," said Koella. "It is undeniable that the pandemic's disruption significantly impacted human behavior in how and where people have chosen to work. Now with workers beginning to return to offices, landlords and companies are facing repositioning of the workspace and the benefit of easily adaptable and sharable spaces.  Time will tell as to which population migration and space use behaviors will endure, as all real estate sectors will be watching closely and poised to react. Property owners and managers should be flexible to accommodate these demand-driven changes in the desired use and location of space." Koella added that an immediate effect of a return to the office is the residual benefit to restaurants, transportation, shops, dry cleaners, and other retailers, which will benefit property owners as well.

Counselors ranked the acceleration and adoption of technology as having the second greatest impact on the industry. The pandemic had a universal effect on technology, and the real estate industry was no exception. "The stressors were not about new tech, but about the acceptance of it. Lockdown-driven changes in our work, the economy, in social structures, and in our personal behavior forced the industry to put any earlier reluctance aside and accelerate adoption," explained Honeycutt. 

Rising this year into third place among issues highlighted by the group were Environmental, Social, and Governance or "ESG" initiatives. The issue was fueled by multiple drivers, but led by shifts in consumer preferences, regulatory requirements, trillions of dollars of wealth transferring to younger generations committed to philanthropic living, a blurring of work and societal expectations, and a full sprint to attract and retain top talent.

"The pandemic was a stress test, revealing vulnerabilities, appetites, and new and increased risks.  These themes present themselves in the 2021-22 Top Ten Issues which are highly interconnected and indicative of a newly changed and further evolving real estate environment. We have been awakened to some familiar but nascent areas of importance, namely cybersecurity, supply chain, and price instability. None of these are new concepts, but in a span of months we saw high profile hacks, shortages of resources like microchips, lumber and labor, and rising prices across the board," said Honeycutt.

Supply Chain Logistics, Infrastructure, Housing Supply and Affordability, Political Polarization, Economic Change, Adaptive Reuse, and the Bifurcation of Capital Markets rounded out the 4^th through 10^th place rankings, respectively.

The Top Ten Issues Affecting Real Estate® is developed by The Counselors of Real Estate's External Affairs Committee, with issues identified, debated, and voted on by the general membership.  For additional information and perspective on each issue, visit https://www.cre.org/topten.

About The Counselors of Real Estate®
The Counselors of Real Estate® is an international consortium of commercial property professionals from leading real estate, financial, law, valuation, and accounting and business advisory firms, as well as real property experts in academia and government.  Membership is selective and extended by invitation, although commercial real estate and allied practitioners with 10 years of proven experience may apply. Clients of Counselors seek unbiased, objective advice on the critical factors that will impact all property sectors today, as well as those issues that may affect their decisions over the next ten years. 

Among assignments large and small, Counselors have resolved the dispute between the developer of the World Trade Center and its insurers post September 11, led the privatization of U.S. Army Housing, developed a multi-billion-dollar, 10-year master plan for Philadelphia Public Schools, created and endowed the MIT Center for Real Estate, and valued both the Grand Canyon and Yale University.  Counselors reside in 20 countries and U. S. territories, with only 1,000 professionals holding the CRE® credential worldwide.

About NAI Koella | RM Moore
NAI Koella | RM Moore has been in operation in Knoxville, Tennessee since 1983, providing full-service commercial real estate brokerage support, including the disciplines of Retail, Office, Industrial, Investment Brokerage, Asset Management, Property Management, Consulting & Multifamily. NAI Koella I RM Moore is an organization of professionally trained brokers with international reach and local expertise in commercial real estate. Providing full-service commercial real estate brokerage support to Middle and East Tennessee.

About Realty Trust Group
Realty Trust Group, LLC ("RTG") is a real estate advisory and services firm offering a full spectrum of real estate services including advisory, development, transactions, operations and compliance.

Since 1998, RTG has helped hospitals, physician groups, and property owners navigate the rapidly changing industry with growth strategies that gain market leadership as well as enhance patient and physician experiences for better delivery of care. Our philosophy is to provide innovative solutions to the complex and challenging issues found in today's healthcare real estate market. These solutions include strategic campus and facility planning, portfolio optimization, portfolio monetization, project development, leasing, acquisition and disposition services, portfolio management, regulatory compliance and many other ideas and services. For more information about RTG and our innovative healthcare real estate services, visit www.realtytrustgroup.com, Facebook, LinkedIn, or call 865-521-0630.

Contact: Angie Surface  
Realty Trust Group  
Phone: 865-684-2891  
Email: [email protected]  
Website: www.realtytrustgroup.com

SOURCE Realty Trust Group LLC