Articles

• The Economics of Sustainable Development

  By Mark Casey

  The greening of commercial real estate has the enormous potential to reduce our national carbon footprint, and to put the unemployed to work in new green-collar jobs. However, for the green revolution to fully take hold in the commercial building sector, sustainable buildings need to make financial sense to landlords and tenants. While environmentalists have been advocating sustainable development for years, many property owners have been wondering if green commercial buildings a smart investment? read more...

• Buying Real Estate With Your IRA

  By Mark Casey

  Your Individual Retirement Account (IRA) can be used for more than purchasing stocks and bonds. Section 408 of the IRS Code allows for individuals to purchase commercial real estate, non-owner occupied residential property, and raw land with funds held in your traditional IRA, Roth IRA or SEP-IRA. This is great news for someone who would like to diversify beyond the stock market, and build real estate wealth with her/his retirement account. read more...

• Greening Commercial Buildings

  By Mark Casey

  Greening our stock of existing commercial buildings offers tremendous potential for reducing carbon emissions, conserving fossil fuels and saving money. Estimates suggest that within the City of Boulder, commercial and industrial facilities account for 58% of total greenhouse gas emissions. One of the best ways to green our existing commercial and industrial buildings is to make them to solar generators of electricity. The large roof-tops of industrial buildings and South-facing facades of office building are natural locations for photovoltaic panels and solar hot water tubes. read more...

• Tired of Being a Landlord, Yet You Don't Want a Big Tax Bill?

  By Mark Casey

  Anyone who has owned investment real estate, whether a student rental, a small apartment building, an office building or a strip retail center, knows that two of the most demanding aspects of being a landlord it dealing with tenants and maintaining property. For many, being a real estate investor appears a Catch-22: you want out, but to get out you must give away all or most of what you have worked for. One of the best strategies for freeing yourself of landlord hassles while deferring taxes is 1031 Exchanging into an Absolute-Net-Leased property in which the tenant maintains the building. read more...

• Applying the TripleBottomLine to Real Estate Investing

  By Mark Casey

  There is growing talk these days about Sustainability. This is no passing fad. People from all walks of life and political persuasions are recognizing that good business requires healthy, functional communities and vibrant ecosystems. For companies and investors who are interested in sustainability, a term that is making its way into business lexicon is "TripleBottomLine". This expression was coined by John Elkington, co-founder of the business consultancy SustainAbility, in his 1998 book, "Cannibals with Forks: The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business". As this term, "TripleBottomLine" suggests there are three measure of success: economic prosperity, social fairness, and environmental health. read more...