Aegis Realty Partners » East Bay Office Space Market Report

Tech Rebound Hits Oakland

AEGIS Realty — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:46:47 +0000

Some might argue that while the economy seems to be getting worst or at the very least staying at a standstill one thing that is promising and at least interesting as there seems to be a tech rebirth if you will in downtown Oakland. The reason for the surge in interest is a direct result of the diversity of restaurants and bars similar to the “SOMA” neighborhood in San Francisco and the availability of funky but cool unique office space. A recent gathering attracted over 100 attendees and was highly publicized. Companies such as Pandora Media Inc., tech incubator North Venture Partners LLC and Internet analytics company Skytide Inc. have helped lead the charge and brought solid recognition to valid Oakland as the place to be. Companies are starting to take up Oakland addresses and invent themselves as something different and a new brand that gives life to an identity. There is a lot of promise for companies looking to move out of boring business parks and moving up in the arena. The other reason Oakland seems to be so popular is the transportation that is readily available for those who commute long distances. This will be an interest movement to follow and certainly a good thing for Oakland. For more on the original article please see the link below:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703467004575463590688048652.html?KEYWORDS=tech+rebound

Growth

AEGIS Realty — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:30:15 +0000

Annex a local company in San Leandro recently tripled its footprint with the acquisition of 143,852 square feet at 1345 Doolittle Drive. The company until recently occupied 76,840 feet in Hayward and will move its operations to San Leandro. A broker working on the deal stated that the number of quality warehouses in the Port of Oakland are on the decline and we can expect a number of companies to start looking along the 880 corridor. The site sits on roughly 13 acres and the total square footage for the project is 326,000-square-feet.

Everything You Need to Know In Emeryville

AEGIS Realty — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:22:22 +0000

Click Here for More Emeryville info

Market Update – Emeryville Watergate Office Towers

AEGIS Realty — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 20:03:51 +0000

Just after the sale of Oakland’s City Center to CBRE Investors yet another property is on the market. The Watergate Office Towers in Emeryville is the latest project to fall victim to the economy. Three of the four towers in the project are on the market. This is sort of an interesting story as Hines fell into default last year and eventually forfeited the project back to US Bank. US BANK picked up Pacific National Bank last year with the help of the FDIC. TMG Partners has been appointed by the bank to temporarily manage the project. TMG has said bids were due August 18th and the money should go hard sometime soon. The property was being marketed by local Eastdil Secured who played a role in the Oakland City Center sale. One interesting fact to point out here is that it is very difficult to value these large projects as they have not been traded in quite some time. Norm Hulberg, president of Hulberg & Associates Real Estate Appraisers, one of the largest appraisal firms in California, said the sale will offer one insight into current values but won’t clear confusion. This is due to the fact that there have been so few sales occurring. Properties with larger vacancies we have seen values drop up to 40%. This will be interesting to follow and see who ends up with this project in their portfolio.

Green Means taking the LEED For Many Bay Area Firms

AEGIS Realty — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 23:44:34 +0000

The latest company to make the “Green” news is Scientific Certification. For all of you who don’t know they are a local east bay commissioning firm that specializes in making sure those mechanical systems are up to the latest LEED standards. With a focus on sustainability it is one of the latest and biggest deals in the news taking a full floor at 2200 Powell Street in Emeryville. We have seen recently that the only companies growing at all are those that focus on the green sector. A lot of the funding is coming from the federal government almost creating a “Green” economy if you will. The real question here is how long is this sustainable? We saw this most recently with the emergence of bio-fuels and now the solar movement and one can only think of what is next. My guess is a wave in battery technology. But for now we have LEED and green building to rely on as an economy driver and hopefully we will be able to expand on this and continue to make this planet a better place for all next generations.

East Bay Banks in the Money

AEGIS Realty — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 15:38:53 +0000

Investors are pouring millions of dollars into Bay Area banks anticipating the well run banks will emerge from the downturn stronger than ever. Hopefully this will ease credit and start the flow into the market. The hope there is to fund smaller businesses with the necessary capital to find a place they can call home in the form of office space. As real estate brokers we watch this kind of information very closely and as soon as the news hits the wire it is a race to the finish line. Exciting times to keep a watch on.

Clorox takes the “LEED” in greener products

AEGIS Realty — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 17:02:52 +0000

Clorox Inc., an Oakland based consumer products company announced that it is working on developing a more sustainable way of doing business. The company is investing in using more natural ingredients in its products and cutting back on those harmful chemicals. Rough numbers estimate that by 2012 30% of consumers will be using greener products up from just 3% in 2008. The company is re-inventing its “Green” line of products and hopes the trend is upward. It also estimates that nearly half the $100 million annual revenue will be from that line of cleaners. The company resides in an energy star labeled facility and is one of the many anchor tenants here in the Oakland City Center. Local Sierra Club has endorsed the greener products by approving the use of its label on Clorox brand products. This will be an interesting movement to follow as the whole planet tries to go “greener”.

Oakland’s Newest Green Farms – Not LEED Certified

AEGIS Realty — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 23:52:16 +0000

For all of you green enthusiasts out there Oakland adopted regulations late Tuesday night that will probably not surprise you or go up in smoke, literally. Seriously though Oakland adopted regulations to allow industrial-scale marijuana farms to operate within the city limits. Small farmers are opposed to the measure as it will squeeze them out of business. This will become a very lucrative business for both farmers and real estate brokers placing them in facilities. Interesting times and this will be something to watch. Stay tuned…

The Results Are In…

AEGIS Realty — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:51:24 +0000

Recently the San Francisco Business Times ranked the largest commercial real-estate brokerages in the East Bay and Aegis Realty Partners landed 17th on their list. It was ranked by number of agents so with a whopping 4 that affected our rank. With our primary focus on the tenant rep. side and only one office Aegis secured 376,000 square feet for its clients in 2009. Not too shabby Aegis, we’ll see you this year in 2010!!

LEED for Commercial Interiors

AEGIS Realty — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:47:08 +0000

Did you know exactly what LEED for commercial interiors meant? Well here is a definition and fun fact for the day:

LEED for commercial interiors is the benchmark for the tenant improvement world. It is the recognized rating system for certifying high performance green interiors that promote healthy living and productive places to work; are less costly to maintain and run; and leave a smaller footprint on the environment. LEED for commercial interiors gives the power to make sustainable choices to tenants and designers, who do not always have control over whole building operations.