Throughout 2012, it is as though a starting gun was shot and therace to dive back into the commercial real estate game officiallycommenced. Investors from all over the globe are increasinglyre-entering the market and making deals. Several large portfoliotransactions have already taken place, with several others inplay. The bid/ask spread seems to be narrowing with buyersand sellers. The floodgates have opened, and hundreds of millionsof dollars are now being moved into play. With the increase in dealflow and activity, companies must look at their strengths to seehow their team can stay relevant in the ever-changing commercialreal estate landscape.

Overall, there are indications of a resurgence of excitementabout real estate. Commercial real estate professionals who havebeen focused on helping financial institutions and owners ofdistressed properties are increasingly being recruited to assistinstitutions and investors as we re-enter a more activeacquisitions phase market cycle.

There is an enormous amount of pent-up demand by equity fundsthroughout the globe, and market conditions seem to have restoredthemselves enough to instill confidence in an emerging recovery,while providing risk adjusted returns that meet investorthresholds.