Monthly Archives: June 2016

Pennsylvania residents are probably aware of the importance of consumer spending to the U.S. economy. There are approximately 50,000 shopping malls spread across the country to cater to the needs of American consumers, but the advent of the information age has altered the way that the nation shops. Once dominant retail chains like Blockbuster Video, Borders Books and Sharper Image have already closed their doors, and many industry experts believe that more household names will fall victim to online shopping in the near future.

Some Pennsylvania commercial real estate investors may be aware that there are predictions that prices may fall up to 5 percent in the year ahead. This was the prediction of a report released on May 20 by the Pacific Investment Management Co. The prediction comes after six years of rising prices.

With commercial real estate prices rising in most sectors, investors in Pennsylvania may wonder where to invest. According to the CEO of Marcus & Millichap, the nation’s largest real estate brokerage firm, prices for office properties are still below their pre-recession levels. Office properties may be a good investment opportunity as prices are expected to go up.

Last summer was a banner year for corporate mergers and acquisitions. While many multi-billion dollar deals involved pharmaceutical companies looking to lower their federal corporate tax burdens, it appears that this summer will focus on mergers between real estate investment firms.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf announced on June 7 that Royal Dutch Shell had finalized its plans to build an ethane cracking plant in the western part of the state. The announcement was made in the form of a statement released to the press and posted online. Gov. Wolf said in the statement that Shell’s announcement came after more than four years of behind-the-scenes planning and negotiations.

If you are the owner of a Pennsylvania construction firm and you are involved in a government construction contract dispute, our firm may be able to assist you. With several decades of experience, our attorneys will do their best in attempting to resolve your case in an expeditious manner.

A nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania was not allowed to expand its spent fuel storage facility after applying for a permit to do so. Talen Generation LLC applied for a building permit for its nuclear power plant, Susquehanna Steam. The company wanted to expand the power plant’s existing spent fuel storage facility by 22,000 square feet so that it would be able to meet its future storage needs.

Real estate agents in Pennsylvania and around the country have seen the amount of their commissions increase in recent years as the housing market gradually recovers from losses suffered during the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent recession, but these gains have been largely offset by the frequent reluctance of property owners to sell their homes as they wait for prices to climb even higher. The situation is made even more challenging by a recent surge in the number of real estate agents.

Commercial real estate developers in Pennsylvania and around the country are likely paying close attention to the explosive growth currently being enjoyed by companies in the office sharing and coworking segments. The New York-based workspace sharing company WeWork has gone from startup to a valuation of more than $16 billion in just six years, and many industry analysts are predicting that this is just the start of a paradigm shift for the commercial real estate sector.

An active real estate investor and a conservative saver might meet at a real estate club and work together to each get a higher return on investments than either is accustomed to. The conservative saver is a person who has traditionally put money into vehicles such as certificates of deposits and savings accounts. There might be a few stocks and bonds as well, but the return is low.