The Commercial Real Estate Tsunami: A Survival Guide for Lenders, Owners, Buyers, and Brokers

The more than $1 trillion of commercial real estate loan maturities between 2010 through 2013, combined with the commercial real estate markets being battered in recent years, will result in conditions the marketplace has never seen before. The collapse of our economy late in 2008, and the resulting fall of commercial real estate values, has left us with the majority of commercial real estate loans maturing in the next few years-and great challenges to refinance them. While “tsunami” may seem like a rather dramatic term to use for the title of this book, the analogy is precise: a tsunami is an event that is typically unseen and unexpected until it’s too late, then hits with such ferocity that anyone caught in its path has little chance of survival. The Commercial Real Estate Tsunami addresses the issues at hand and what is likely ahead.

Never before has such a group of experts from varied sectors of the commercial real estate industry come together to provide insights and solutions for the anticipated wave of commercial real estate debt maturities, the resulting foreclosures, loss of value, and the battered commercial real estate marketplace. Author Tony Wood-himself a veteran of the commercial real estate industry with over thirty years’ experience-draws on the expertise of many other recognized industry leaders to explain what actions you can take to protect yourself and your company against the hazards that the marketplace now faces.

The author and his contributors describe each phase of this “tsunami,” from its initiation in 2005-2007 to its potential run-up in 2010-2013-which will create an historic level of havoc and destruction throughout the markets-and offer up strategies to survive the ensuing damage. In the wake of this damage to property values and businesses everywhere are the individuals and families struggling to survive these conditions. Also included here are steps you can take to keep your family together through tough times.

The final result of the conditions outlined in this book will be revealed over the coming months and years. Heeding the advice and guidance of the contributors in this book will benefit anyone navigating these turbulent waters and help lead them to higher ground.

Praise for The Commercial Real Estate Tsunami

“A clear and concise analysis of the current commercial real estate crisis.” -Bill Hoffman, CEO, Trigild Incorporated

“The book offers a wealth of critical views, engaging reportage, and hard-hitting data from leading professionals at the front lines. [Wood includes] timely advice, perspectives, and pragmatic techniques for coping with and capitalizing on this massive debt dislocation.” -David J. Lynn, PhD, Managing Director, ING Clarion Partners

“The Commercial Real Estate Tsunami should have a lasting place on any commercial real estate professional’s bookshelf.” -Michael Gottlieb, Editor, California Real Estate Journal

“Those directly engaged in commercial property markets on any level will find many practical suggestions in this book to cope with these dire future events.” -Anthony Downs, Senior Fellow, Metropolitan Policy Department, Brookings Institution, author of Real Estate and the Financial Crisis

“What makes this book stand out is that it is more than just a warning of a challenging market, but an invaluable road map that offers specific strategies to guide brokers, clients, and others through this crisis.” -Doug Frye, President and CEO, Colliers International

An in-depth look at why a commercial real estate collapse is inevitable-and how to survive it

The Commercial Real Estate Tsunami is the first book to address the phenomenon of the pending wave of commercial debt maturities coming in the next five years, and the impact those maturities will have on the commercial real estate markets when combined with the historic economic crisis the world is experiencing at this time.

Drawing on the knowledge of recognized experts in the commercial real estate industry and financial markets, this vital guide not only explores the causes of this crisis, but offers concrete solutions and ways to mitigate the hazards that lie ahead.