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Michael Lewis says, “People see what they get paid to see.” Wall Street experts, according to Lewis, are paid to not see certain things, as well. Is Wall Street’s bonus culture unsustainable? Has Wall Street been designed to win when it loses?

The following “60 Minutes” interview is an amazing story from the inside of the mortgage securities industry and how experts made money creating a disaster and are now making money cleaning up the disaster. Imagine being paid to run your organization into the ground…watch it.

Watch CBS News Videos Online

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Donald Teel is a Senior Associate and Principal with Arizona Commercial, an Arizona commercial real estate brokerage and property management firm, headquartered in Prescott, Arizona. Need more information? Please call 1-877-777-9100 or, if you prefer, you may email Donald Teel

It’s not often that you will find me promoting my competitors, much less endorse them as cooperative.

Yet, in this case the endorsement is a necessary and complimentary one that serves the interests of commercial real estate investors in the greater Prescott, Arizona market area.

Although oxymoronic, please meet my “cooperating competitors.”

The Prescott Area Commercial Group (PACG) is a non-profit real estate (is “non-profit real estate” an oxymoron) consortium that promotes investment, training and networking of property information among central and northern Arizona commercial brokers and agents.

The Power of Disciplined Focus

PACG represents a disciplined focus on commercial real estate investment and property performance among perhaps the most experienced and highly trained professionals who know and understand the fundamentals of investing in real estate.

PACG was originally formed as a commercial networking group that met to discuss Prescott, Arizona’s commercial real estate market, properties and opportunities. Now PACG is more than a quiet group meeting over coffee to exchange listing and sales information.

The commercial real estate market demands a disciplined focus in order to stay on top of the rapidly evolving trends.

Risky Business or Cooperative Competitors?

PACG is now the most prominent and perhaps “connected” group of commercial specialists in the northern Arizona real estate market.

Having met with most of the PACG Members and interacted with them, I can state without reservation that they are a qualified and trustworthy group that any owner or tenant can call on for assistance. PACG members know their stuff and they work hard to consistently improve their skills and knowledge in order to meet the needs of each client.

Introducing competitors may be regarded as a bit risky, however, in today’s volatile market I believe having a network of trusted colleagues who can provide a kind of “brain trust” is an asset that can be called upon and tapped into for solutions.

Sounding Rusty and Eroded

At the risk of sounding old or, at least rusty, dated and eroded, I’m going to reach back in time and drag an old principle forward. In decades long gone the industry where I have made my mark and enjoyed my gains (and honestly, some losses too) was one built upon trusted associations where business resulted largely from shared information gained from a trusted network of professionals.

Yes, some of this has been eroded over time, which is why I find my association with PACG PACG members refreshing, non-threatening and beneficial to both me and my clients.

I don’t mind if you meet my trusted competitors.

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Donald Teel is Senior Associate with Arizona Commercial, an Arizona commercial brokerage and property management firm. Need more information? Please call 1-877-777-9100 or, if you prefer, you may email Donald Teel

Posted by Donald Teel, Arizona Commercial

CommercialWebPage.com has been saying that the commercial lending industry was likely to become problematic for current owners and new investors. This creates cause for careful analysis and a strong look at what and where the marketing opportunities will be.

Some small investors need to take a hard look at their refinancing blueprint, especially those with notes coming due in the next 12-36 months. For those owners who are fortunate to be F&C on their properties I advise they give careful consideration to selling with carryback financing.

Listen to this report from Tom Fink, Senior V.P., TREPP, LLC and former CFO for North American Development Bank and then draw your own conclusions.

For more assistance or consulting services with respect to your commercial investment strategies email Donald Teel or, if you prefer, call me toll free at 877-777-9100.

NEWS: CB Richard Ellis CRE Investment

CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) commercial investment firm has some things to say about how investors indulge in the current CRE soup. In a Special Report document published in April, 2009, entitled “Advantages of Investing in Commercial Real Estate,” CBRE addresses both CRE stock and invididual investment strategies and states,

A key difficulty in developing and implementing an exit strategy in the current CRE environment is the wide chasm between the bid-ask spread. A contributing factor to this is the relatively high appraisal values prevailing in the U.S., causing sellers to dig in their heels unless they are truly distressed. At the same time buyers are looking for bargain-basement opportunities. As a result, transaction volume has plummeted 74% in the U.S., according to Real Capital Analytics.

On main street America this analysis has real meaning as commercial property owners experience their own “bid-ask spread” in terms of lease and selling prices, i.e., what owners want and need measured against what tenants and buyers are willing to pay. The “bid-ask spread” truly impacts sellers with mortgages created in the 2005-2007 time period, especially if any cash-out factors came into play on these loans or, more significantly, if second position notes and deeds have been created.

The CBRE report is worth reading even by the most casual and low-keyed commercial investor because it helps bring clarity to the current market situation in which we all find ourselves.

Still, the CBRE document makes a good case for looking long term with respect to CRE investmets, whether securities or real property. CBRE’s “Special Report” is a must read document.

DOWNLOAD THE CBRE DOCUMENT: Advantages of Investing in Commercial Real Estate