Category: Thought Leadership

Connecticut needs more residential housing. The state has excess underutilized commercial property. As a result, the state has been encouraging conversion of commercial space, hotels and motels to multifamily housing.

This may seem self-serving, and I’ll be the first to admit it. But unlike some of the artificial intelligence tools now reshaping our industry, I am fully aware of my own bias. So, hear me out. The rise of AI in commercial real estate is not a distant threat or a speculative headline.

Because of the housing inventory shortage, many homeowners have found themselves priced out of the market or frustrated because they could not compete in multiple-offer situations. As a result, many looked at alternatives, including renovating or adding onto their current home – a logical solution given the challenges of moving elsewhere.

A significant portion of real estate in the Greater Boston area hasn’t sold since the 1990s. These owners often purchased at low prices coming out of the Savings and Loan Crisis.

For real estate investors, a 1031 Exchange can be a powerful tax-deferral tool, but in order to benefit, you must meet stringent IRS rules that leave little room for compromise. That’s one of the reasons it is so important to work with an experienced Qualified Intermediary (QI), who understands the complex 1031 Exchange process and IRS requirements.

Landlords should be wary of giving broad representations regarding the environmental condition of their properties. It is difficult to know with certainty that a given property is free from hazardous materials, and even if that statement is qualified to landlord’s knowledge, it would be difficult to prove that one did not know of past contamination should it ever be discovered.

Commercial lease provisions regarding hazardous materials and environmental compliance are often relegated to standard generic provisions near the end of the document. This can be a mistake. Leases for manufacturing or logistics uses should be treated differently from retail or office use

It is both a privilege and an honor to lead the IREM Boston Chapter #4 with the arrival of 2026 – a year that is likely to hold numerous challenges for the ever-evolving real estate industry.

In a unanimous decision on Dec. 16, 2025 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit reversed and remanded the US District Court for the Northern District of Alabama’s stay of the Corporate Transparency Act in Nat’l Small Bus. United v. Dep’t of Treasury. (11th Cir., No. 24-10736, 12/16/25.)

Boston, MA Shawmut announced a national growth strategy to reach $5 billion, adding new leadership roles and expanding into new geographies and sectors, including mission critical. Les Hiscoe, who just completed his 10th year as Shawmut’s CEO, said the company has a clear, deliberate pathway to more than double revenue through strategic acquisitions, key hires, office openings, and building on its demonstrated success in large, complex projects.

As the real estate sector approached 2026, the industry stands on the brink of cautious stabilization after several years of volatility. From pandemic-driven disruptions to shifting interest rates and evolving work patterns, the market has endured a period of profound change.

While headlines are dominated by megaprojects and marquee developments, a quieter and potentially more consequential transformation is reshaping America’s built environment.