Where Are We Going?

For the past many weeks I've been in the field, on the streets, talking with property owners, tenants, investors, commercial brokers, appraisers, bankers,and everyone is waiting for the return of the good old days.

I've also been reading. Reading old newspaper articles, old real estate advertisements, and legal notices dating back to the 1930's.

Some interesting material from that "era" is on the Internet but it requires patience and a great deal of time to sort and shift though the various sites.

Some of the great libraries in this geographic area have a treasure trove of material.

And I have been keeping fairly current on what's happening media wise in various U.S. and wolrd markets.

I think a great many people are in for a big surprise. From my perspective we are in an economic downturn created by Wall Street, the outrageous lack of basic regulations and oversight, and media hype!

Real estate was turned into a just another Wall Street commodity. But this downturn, recession, simi-depression, has another twist or flavor.

We, as a society and culture, are also now just reacting to significant technological changes made and implemented over the past decade.

The Internet, the cell phone,the lap top, alone have altered many old businesses in a highly significant fashion and manner. Combined together they have significantly escalated changes in a broad spectrum of industries.

Add to this stew of recession-depression, technological changes with another powerful ingredient: the emergence of both new and old very powerful, savvy, mega-smart countries that are true competition.

Then sprinkle into the stew the reality of the "energy crisis" which is now on the back burner and just ready to boil over at a precipitous moment.

And like it or not but the entire international world is forcing new worldwide banking and financial rules and regulations to avert another potential global financial meltdown.

I, for one, do not see a return to the old days.

I see emerging an entirely different manner in which many industries and business will operate in the future.

The nature of business is changing; the very core of business is being altered in a major evolutionary manner.

Which leads me to believe that this is a golden time for new, creative ideas and concepts,( beyond tehcnology) which will not be anchored in the dusty past.

The change is just begining.

Bill McInerney