QUICK POLL
10-Year Poll
Dumb laws. Over the years, lawmakers have given us a lot to beware of—and laugh about. For instance, in Fresno, it’s against the law to annoy lizards. In Cerritos, you are required to remove your pet’s waste from your yard within one week, and in Downey, it’s illegal to wash your car in the street. We can see the value in some laws, but others think they are just plain dumb, or at the very least, a nuisance.
In honor of Real Estate Southern California’s 10th anniversary, we’d like to hear from readers about their choice for top dumbest, or worst, pieces of legislation in the past 10 years that have to do with commercial real estate.
11% A B 32 (Establishes a regulatory and market mechanisms to achieve reductions of greenhouse gases
11% SB 375 (Creation of regional targets for greenhouse gas emissions reduction tied to land use)
0% AB 1103 (Mandatory disclosure of Energy Star Portfolio Manager benchmarking data on energy consumption and usage within buildings)
78% And Congress, in 2007, allowed the American Jobs creation Act to expire, allowing the IRS to increase the depreciation recover period for tenant improvements from 15 years to 39 years.
QUICK POLL
What Is the Main Culprit of the Economic Malaise?
58% Greed
31% Creative Financing
11% The Media
1013 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
What’s the Best Distressed Asset Playing Field?
40% Dog Properties
60% Trophies
452 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Will Obama’s Economic Recovery Plan Help CRE?
45% Yes
55% No
802 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Should There be Another RTC?
59% Yes
41% No
520 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
We Will See Improvements in 2009:
35% Yes, Things Will Clear Up.
65% No, We’re in a Recession Until 2010.
572 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Can REITs rebound in this market?
41% Yes, They’re Undervalued
59% No, There’s Gonna be Trouble for a While
451 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
What’s Your Solution for Auto Makers?
3% Fed Bailout
18% Fed Loan
80% Chapter 11 Restructure
554 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
The Bailout:
17% Is Already Improving CRE’s Outlook
83% Won’t Help the Industry for a While
392 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Obama Picks Geithner to Head Treasury:
46% It’s All Smoke and Mirrors
54% Now We’ll See Some Action
316 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
ProLogis’ Restructuring:
65% Was Necessary
35% Is an Overreaction
214 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
It's the Time to Buy:
24% You're Crazy.
62% You're Right.
14% Stupid Question.
870 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
This Week’s Election Has a Big Impact on the Industry:
74% True
26% False
543 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Will the Market See More Assets Auctioned Off?
96% Yes
4% No
386 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Are We Out of the Credit Doghouse?
34% Yep. Pain Ahead, but the Worst Is Done
66% No Way. We're Nowhere Near Bottom
639 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Will General Growth Find a Buyer for its Malls?
42% Yes. The Properties Are Very Attractive.
40% Not in This Economy.
18% It Will End Up Not Having to Sell.
518 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Finish this Sentence: Congress OK'd the $700B Bailout . . .
29% Just in Time. There Was No Other Way Out
22% And Derailed Any Private-Sector Solution
49% And Stuck It to the American Taxpayer
590 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Major Bank-Branch Closings Are on the Horizon:
78% True
22% False
538 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
The Feds' Involvement in the Financial Sector:
42% Has Gone Too Far
58% Is Needed to Keep Things Afloat
567 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Instability in the Financial Sector:
76% Is Decimating the Office Market.
24% Won’t Have That Much of an Impact.
344 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
The Fed’s Takeover of Fannie and Freddie:
60% Was the Best Possible Solution
40% Is Unfair to Taxpayers
442 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
The Dollar’s Rebounding. Choose One:
47% It’s the Start of Recovery
53% A Lot More Pain Ahead
351 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Gap Will:
59% Close More Stores Than Announced
21% Find a Real Estate Solution
20% Fall Through the Gap
214 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Lehman Bros.’ $40B Portfolio
33% Will Soon Find a Buyer
67% Will Stay on the Market For a While
611 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Mixed-Use Projects Are:
81% More Important Than Ever.
19% Not as Practical in This Economy.
251 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Looming Job Cuts:
67% Spell Doom For the Office Market
33% Won't Have a Vacancy-Rate Impact
316 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Higher Gas Prices:
84% Are Changing the Way We Do Business
16% Have Little Impact on Real Estate
300 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Do You Expect More Banks to Go South?
84% Yes
16% No
644 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Fannie’s and Freddie’s Problems Will:
64% Hurt the Multifamily Sector
36% Have Little Impact
400 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Will We See More Starbucks Closings?
83% yes
17% no
581 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Financial-Services Layoffs Will
50% Destroy the Office Market
26% Not Have Much Impact
24% Give Other Tenants Expansion Opportunities
227 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Which Sector Is Getting Hit Hardest?
7% Industrial
21% Multifamily
22% Office
50% Retail
627 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Sovereign-Wealth Funds Are a:
61% Growing Presence; Here to Stay
24% Passing Fancy
16% National-Security Threat
204 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
A Democrat in the White House Would:
54% Further Destroy the Economy
28% Turn Things Around
18% Have Zero Impact Either Way
616 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Place Your CMBS Bets:
69% CMBS Is Sleeping
12% CMBS Is Dying
19% CMBS Is Dead
518 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Can a branding shift help a real estate firm during a downturn?
48% Yes
52% No
289 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Has the Downturn Impacted Turnover at Your Firm?
42% Not at all.
34% Tremendously.
24% Looking for a Job. Don't Bug Me.
459 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
What's Your Fun Factor?
23% I Hate Down Markets.
29% I Thrive in Times Like This.
47% Biz as Usual--for Better or Worse.
329 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Where Do You Stand on Concessions?
38% Tenants Have Us Where They Want Us
43% We're Standing Pat--But It's Getting Tough
19% We Don't Need No Stinking Concessions
231 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Affordable Housing in Your Community:
46% NIMBY Is My Way of Life
13% My Neighborhood Embraces It
41% Education Has Helped, but We're Not There Yet
165 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Lessons From This Slump Will:
2% Make the Industry Bulletproof
75% Teach Us That Cycles Always Rule
23% Too Early To Tell
305 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Do You Know Someone Who Has Lost His/Her Job?
65% Yes
25% No
11% Yes—Me!
854 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Brownfield Legislation:
17% Effective Incentive
83% Still Too Expensive
6 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Are things settling down in the credit markets?
5% I’m breathing easier now
21% Yes, but there could still be problems
42% I’m watching and waiting
32% Hang on—we ain’t seen nothing yet!
725 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Standard Chartered is moving 300 jobs to Newark from Manhattan...has the influx finally started?
38% Yes...it's certainly a sign
46% We'll wait-and-see
15% I doubt it
13 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Have We Hit Bottom Yet?
68% Nope--Still More Pain Ahead.
21% Yep--But Upside Is Still Far Away.
11% You Bet--And I Think I See Activity.
710 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
How Do You Spell Economic Relief?
53% Leave It to the Private Sector.
8% The Fed's Got to Bail Us Out.
38% Can't Have One Without the Other.
260 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
What do you think of the Xanadu's color scheme?
14% Eye-catching
18% I can't believe it's such a big deal
68% Eyesore
28 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Florida Crane Legislation:
38% The Sooner, the Better
13% Should Be a Local Issue
50% Laws Can't Prevent Accidents
8 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Can Moynihan Station survive the loss of Madison Square Garden?
14% The project can go on without MSG
39% MSG will come back to the table
47% It’s another nail in the coffin
36 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Another Fed rate cut—think it’ll help restore liquidity?
44% Keep those cuts coming!
33% It can’t hurt
23% Forget it—the markets are down for the count
39 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Residential Downturn Affecting CRE?
25% Other Sectors Staying Strong
58% Starting to Feel the Fallout
17% They'll Take Us Down with 'Em
12 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
If state budget cuts involve department cuts, what’s most expendable?
19% Agriculture
5% Commerce
14% Community Affairs
43% Personnel
19% Something Else
21 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Are You Seeing Rent Growth?
28% Yes, But Slower
21% Same or Better Than Last Year
51% Get Back to Me in Six Months
206 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Gov. Paterson—good for New York real estate?
14% He’ll keep up the momentum
72% Too early to tell
14% He’s not a pro-development guy
36 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Florida's Economy:
26% Recovery Straight Ahead
74% Will Get Worse Before Better
19 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
How safe are construction sites in New Jersey?
57% Very safe
29% OK, but could be better
14% I'm steering clear
7 total votes
View Results
QUICK POLL
Can Green Produce a Real ROI?
24% Nope. It's All Hype and Snake Oil
33% You Bet. We're Living It!
43% Only With Incentives.
201 total votes
View Results