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A ‘satisfaction guaranteed’ promise holds you hostage to another’s…
Anne Rose Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementWe recently discussed the real hazards of stamping "lifetime warranty" on your products. A close corollary to that is promising "satisfaction guaranteed" on your professional services. You might make that offer because you are proud of the quality of your services — so confident that your work will be above reproach that you are implicitly claiming that you’ll redo the work or refund to make the customer happy. Think about that outrageous promise. How can you possibly guarantee another’s happiness? Why hold yourself hostage to that?
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The ultimate WFH guide: Everything you need to create the perfect home…
Terri Williams Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementWorking from home is the new normal for millions of Americans. In the past, you may have occasionally worked from home — which typically involved balancing a laptop on your knee or creating some space on your kitchen countertop. But now that you’re working from home on a regular basis, neither is a viable option. However, creating an effective (and comfortable) work-from-home office space includes various components. We rounded up a variety of interior designers, organizers and other experts, along with some of the coolest WFH items, to create the ultimate home office guide.
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Confinement is changing our attitudes toward our homes
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesFamiliarity has not bred contempt for our living spaces, but it has set us thinking about what kind of homes we want now that we are spending more time in them. Recent surveys of consumers and home professionals show that after months of confinement homeowners have redesign on their mind. In part, they are motivated by the changes in home life resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. The trend toward greater concern for wellness and more contact with nature has increased as well.
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A look at how different home security systems work and how they help the…
Amanda Kowalski Law Enforcement, Defense & SecurityWhether you just bought a new house or are seeing some things in your neighborhood that make you uncomfortable, you are now shopping for a home security system. So, what kind should you get — company-monitored or self-monitored? And do they really help the police? First, how much is it going to cost? About $400 for the equipment, and, if you choose professionally monitored, between $10 and $50 a month. But that’s negligible compared to what you could lose.
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Shrinking inventories rein in booming home sales
Michael J. Berens Construction & Building MaterialsHome sales in August eased back to a more normal pace after hitting record-setting levels in June and July. So far, the market has recovered quickly from the spring slump caused by the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and is now well ahead of last year’s gains. High demand, however, has significantly cut into the short supply of homes for sale, producing a drag on the market that is likely to linger throughout the remainder of the year.
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Hospitality embraces co-working to entice a new kind of business client
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesAlong with bars and restaurants, hotels have been one of the hardest hit businesses during the pandemic. With fewer international and business travelers, they’ve had to pivot and market themselves in different ways to try to attract the local population to avail themselves of their services. Recently, in a move to increase revenues and entice guests, a number of hotels have announced that they have added co-working spaces and packages for individuals and groups, whether they choose to come for a few hours or stay longer.
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The new commercial real estate reality: Office spaces after the pandemic
Adrian Farren Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementThe effects of the pandemic have created a bleak outlook for the commercial construction sector: nonresidential construction spending in the U.S. fell 1.2% in July and predictions indicate that commercial vacancy rates will rise to 20.2% by 2022. These changes have been caused by new regulations, dictating how we work, shop and exist in public places. With no clear end in sight to the pandemic, all construction stakeholders need to reimagine how office spaces can function in this new commercial real estate reality.
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Have Zoom, will design
Lloyd Princeton Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesInterior designers are on the move — literally and virtually. Concerns about health and safety, including the need for social distancing and limited in-person contact whether with colleagues or clients, have uprooted many designers from their offices. In the months since COVID-19 caused large portions of the populace to shelter in place, designers have adapted to working remotely, and more of them have embraced e-design and virtual design service models.
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7 key remote tech tools all real estate pros need right now
Sam Radbil Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementThe real estate industry has been propelled into its next iteration significantly because of the events of 2020. Few industries have adapted so quickly and so remarkably to the remote world in which we now live. Consider these seven remote tech tools needed by real estate professionals.
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Remodeling activity rebounds, but for how long?
Michael J. Berens Construction & Building MaterialsEven though a large portion of homeowners are undertaking do-it-yourself home repair and improvement projects, demand for professional remodeling services rebounded in the second quarter. Business conditions appeared to be improving further in the first half of the third quarter as well. Come the fourth quarter, however, business may very well begin to taper off, initiating a downward trend that will stretch into the middle of next year and possibly longer.
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