Disrupting Housing Markets: iBuyers as Market Makers

Introduction Instant Buyers, or iBuyers, are companies that make instant offers to buy single family homes based on model driven valuations, such as Redfin, Zillow, and Opendoor.  These types of purchases are all cash offers, and the primary benefit is increased convenience and flexibility to the home seller. The primary drawback is that iBuyers typically… Continue Reading Disrupting Housing Markets: iBuyers as Market Makers

Retail Vacancy & Homelessness: Can two issues accelerated by the pandemic be addressed simultaneously?

The decline of retail over the past decade has been well publicized, with no shortage of creative ideas for the reuse of vacant spaces.  The sharp increase in e-commerce sales over the past decade, coupled with the glut of supply in retail space leftover from the boom in shopping center development, has left the country… Continue Reading Retail Vacancy & Homelessness: Can two issues accelerated by the pandemic be addressed simultaneously?

Private Solutions to Public Problems: Discussing American Infrastructure with Jose Gonzalez

Among the most relevant and pressing challenges facing the United States today is our crumbling American infrastructure. The situation is so dire that the American Society of Civil Engineers gives the US an overall grade of D+. Despite broad bipartisan support, the massive project scope, capital requirements, and time scale required of major infrastructure projects… Continue Reading Private Solutions to Public Problems: Discussing American Infrastructure with Jose Gonzalez

The Advent of Institutional SFR

When describing the aspirations he has for his company, American Homes 4 Rent, Co-Founder and CEO David Singelyn said, “success is providing something of quality to people, and it starts with quality housing.  And if we do not have quality housing, then we’re not going to be a long-term company.”  A pioneer within the single-family… Continue Reading The Advent of Institutional SFR

Outdoor Dining During COVID-19: The Challenges of Winterization

Across the US, the onset of colder temperatures is sending shivers up the spines of restaurant owners.  For many, outdoor dining has been a saving grace during the COVID-19 pandemic.  In New York City alone, an estimated 100,000 jobs have been saved with the expansion of outdoor dining through the Open Restaurants Program, which began… Continue Reading Outdoor Dining During COVID-19: The Challenges of Winterization

Xenia’s Response to the Pandemic—Insights from Barry Bloom (SHA ‘86 & MBA ’01).

On Thursday, October 8th, 2020, the Cornell Baker Program in Real Estate hosted Barry Bloom (SHA ‘86 and MBA ‘01), President & CEO of Xenia Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: XHR), a hospitality REIT focused on the United States’ top 25 markets and key leisure destinations.  Xenia’s hotel assets are primarily in the luxury and upper-upscale… Continue Reading Xenia’s Response to the Pandemic—Insights from Barry Bloom (SHA ‘86 & MBA ’01).

The Power of Purpose – A Conversation with Jonathan Rose

Now more than ever, amid the coronavirus crisis, Americans are aware of the tradeoffs between economic growth and social, environmental, and health concerns.  This is not a new paradigm; the latest crisis has simply revealed these tradeoffs in a more conspicuous light.  Much of our economy relies on extracting limited resources, tangible materials like concrete and steel for buildings as well as people’s finite energy and creativity consumed by unfulfilling work.  Real estate developer, author, and… Continue Reading The Power of Purpose – A Conversation with Jonathan Rose

“Hello, Coffee, Goodbye”: The Integration of Hospitality into Office Space

Ryan Simonetti has been here before.  No, he has not been through the brut of a global health pandemic, much less guiding an eleven-year-old company that he co-founded through the national lockdown – but he’s no spring chicken either.  His entrepreneurship roots run deep; raised by a father who was a small-business hospitality entrepreneur himself,… Continue Reading “Hello, Coffee, Goodbye”: The Integration of Hospitality into Office Space