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The Good, Bad and Ugly Offices
By Helen Hill
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Fairchild Partners is now the exclusive leasing
and marketing agent for the landmark Bank of
America Tower at International Place. |
The
results of another one of those surveys revealing things
we’d rather not know have been announced — this time from
Coral Gables commercial real estate investment and
management firm Blumberg Capital Partners. The
national survey conducted last December gauged
the impact of office building conditions on worker
attitudes, productivity and motivation, and
discovered that one in three workers surveyed has either
accepted or left a job because of “the condition of the
building and/or the amenities offered.”
As for complaints, offices with extreme office temperatures due to
poor heating, air-conditioning and ventilation systems,
topped the list at 47 percent of those surveyed. Next
came messy restrooms (31 percent); tacky décor (28
percent); foul or unclean air, theft and crime, and
leaky ceilings and windows tied at 21 percent; and
rodents and insects (20 percent).
About a quarter of the respondents said the cleanliness of their
buildings is either “marginal” or “appalling,” and one
in three workers said they're concerned about getting
sick or injured from unhealthy or unsafe building
conditions.
As for the kicker that should make bosses sit up and take notice —
80 percent of workers said the overall condition of
their office building affects how they perceive their
employers, and 69 percent confirmed that the condition
of their office building affects their own individual
productivity and motivation.
Now we’ll wait for the upside survey: results about those offices —
and there must be some in South Florida — that offer a
healthy and pleasing environment with such niceties as
on-site concierge support, health clubs, conference
facilities, energy-efficient utilities — and clean
luxury restrooms!
Un-neighborly neighbors
In the seven months since it was launched, the Web site
www.RottenNeighbor.com has become a
dirt-dishing favorite for people
to rate and review their neighbors — good and especially
bad. The site’s high-minded intent is to serve as a
high-tech tool
helping people make a smart real estate decision
before moving into a neighborhood. But in reality, the
site serves as a forum for nasty comments about
neighbors who annoy, irritate and distress people living
close by. Type in any address, and if someone has posted
something negative about it, a bright red house pops up
on top of the satellite image. There’s also space for
positive comments, indicated by a green house icons
showing where the nice neighbors live.
The site is said to get more than a million hits a day, as it shows
off the top five cities with the most comments. The
urban residents in
New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego and Houston
appear to have some very nasty habits, while
Miami’s
neighbors are obviously much nicer. The few complaints
mainly highlight nosy neighbors, noisy kids and barking
dogs. Surprisingly, not much shows up on the perils of
living with condo commandos — yet!
Apart from all the dirt-slinging, the site has useful satellite
maps of all areas and plenty of links to informative and
home-buying sites.
Buzz
The latest forecast by the National Association of Realtors
predicts the continuation of soft market conditions for
existing home sales in the months ahead, with
improvement expected by the second half of this year, if
loan limits are increased. “Then we’ll see a faster and
more meaningful recovery by expanding safe, affordable
financing in high-cost areas. That, in turn, would help
to stimulate overall economic activity,” said Lawrence
Yun, NAR chief economist.
Expect to see even more real estate auctions in the coming year now
that the Keyes Company, one of the nation's “Top
100 real estate companies,” has announced a strategic
alliance with Chicago-based Sheldon Good & Company,
known as the largest real estate auction firm in the
United States. According to Steven L. Good,
chairman and CEO of Sheldon Good & Company, “real estate
auctions establish the market value of properties,
particularly in such volatile marketplaces as Florida.”
Auctions also reduce the timeline of the sales cycle,
minimize carrying costs and offer advantages to sellers
of both single properties and multiple-asset portfolios.
On another note, a touch of
Mexico — margaritas, authentic Mexican aperitivos
and live Mexican music from Mariachi Internacional —
livened up the Key Biscayne courtyard in front of
Fortune International’s office when the company
celebrated its new joint venture with Related
International under the Fortune Related International
Sales (FRIS) umbrella. The evening’s fiesta introduced
FRIS’ first project together — ICON Vallarta, a $200
million oceanfront condominium located in Puerta
Vallarta, Mexico.
Kudos to…
Nancy Hogan,
branch manager of Coldwell Banker Residential Real
Estate’s Coral Gables San Remo office, for winning
the 2007 Champion of the Real Estate Profession Award
from the Realtor Association of Greater Miami and the
Beaches. Hogan was selected out of 14,000 real
estate sales associates for her leadership, commitment
and service to the real estate profession and community.
Please send news items on Miami-Dade real estate to
hhill@miamisunpost.com |
