Fickling & Company Realtors

The second quarter of 2006 ended with total available Industrial Property inventory up significantly, as predicted.  The official closing of the Brown & Williamson Tobacco plant added over 2 million square feet to the market, to bring the total vacant to over 4 million square feet. However, the high available inventory is primarily attributed to large…

So you’ve decided to put your house on the market? You must separate yourself from sentimental feelings and price it so that more buyers see it — and notice it. Here’s how. You’re selling your home. Here’s the big question: Should you set the price high, expecting buyers will bargain you down eventually? Or should…

In my articles in the past newsletters I have discussed topics such as office vacancies and occupancy, valuing properties and key commercial terms to name a few.  Most of the time I come up with the different subjects from questions from my clients.  So suffice to say that is the same with this article.  When…

Morgan Law, Director of the Houston County Industrial Authority, announced recently that in Houston County, there are currently 157 residential subdivisions either under construction, approved for development, or submitted for approval.  This is in light of the information we hear in the national news about the housing bubble.  We don’t believe the housing market turmoil…

The Bibb County apartment market continued to be active in 2008, albeit considerably slower than 2007.  The capital crunch caused lenders to adopt more stringent lending standards or stop completely making loans.  The loan to value dropped to 75-80% and actual NOI was used to arrive at the value.  The demand for apartment complexes, especially…

In the late seventies, General Motors introduced a revolutionary electric vehicle designed to address high oil prices and long gas lines.  Unfortunately, battery system problems prompted GM to abruptly scrap the program.  GM bought back vehicles from customers, cleared dealer lots and ran the fleet through the crusher. Thus ended the immediate promise of alternative…

As usual, Warner Robins continues to grow with new projects announced in the second quarter of 2007. A 232-unit apartment project is under construction on Leverette Road west of Hatcher Road.  The Oasis Shopping Center on S. Houston Lake Road is nearing completion.  Circuit City has begun construction at 2951 Watson between Hobby Lobby and…

Why has the sub-prime mortgage debacle resulted in a credit crunch on commercial mortgage backed securities lenders (CMBS) as well?  Well, most insiders don’t believe it is a direct result of the sub-prime hangover.  They believe it has been in the works since the beginning of the second quarter when Moody’s issued a warning that…