Data is a critical commodity in business, and there is lots of it to be had in commercial real estate. But the abundance of information can lead to some spurious conclusions in strategic planning.

You regularly see studies looking at vacancy, occupancy, rents, prices, cap rates, and more in CRE. Companies large and small with significant amounts of data to be had run reports and analyses. Executives are supposed to use the information to make smarter and more effective decisions.

The vendors making analyses of their data available are likely working with the best of intentions. But there are inherent problems. In recent interviews about conditions in certain sectors—office is a great example—many professionals have lately been telling GlobeSt.com that they're questioning some of the numbers they're hearing. For example, a good number are certain that the occupancy rates they hear of people actually in offices to work seem significantly higher than what they've experienced.