CRE Thanks!

By the time you read this column, Thanksgiving will be relegated to leftovers and gridiron scores. You’ve all enjoyed family and possibly gone to Irvine regional Park to have your annual Christmas image made. Maybe you’ve even ridden the Christmas train.
 
But as the leaves continue to turn and fall, I wanted to take this opportunity to give thanks for an amazing commercial real estate year and those that made it so.
 
I’m thankful for the folks at the Southern California News Group, especially my editor, Samantha Gowen for your continued confidence and allowing me to publish my missives here on a weekly basis.
 
I’m grateful for all of the offices throughout the Lee & Associates network, which allowed me to take their valuable time and deliver seminars on the QUALIFY framework.
 
This year found me publishing my very first book, The SEQUENCE. The reception among friends, family, colleagues, brokers throughout the United States, and clients has been remarkable. The book has resonated exactly the way I pictured it, as a personal journey and framework for building a successful career and commercial real estate. The title really hits as it is a double entendre. The first meaning of SEQUENCE are the steps of a commercial real estate transaction. The second and more important meaning, in my opinion, are the steps you take and the decisions you make, that allow you to build a foundation to be successful in our business. Thank you to all who have purchased the book, read it, and taking the time to send me a note.
 
I’m thankful to my clients who have trusted me with their precious commercial real estate assets. That e-commerce distributor who expanded their footprint by triple in the in the Inland Empire, that plastic bottle distributor who made a flight to quality, and the national material handling company, who has trusted me with their real estate business for the past 20 years and continues to grow and amaze.
 
I attended some memorable conferences this year, including the SIOR fall conference in Louisville, Kentucky. Thank you to all who made it an unforgettable conference.
 
And finally thank you to my wife of 46 years, my confidant, traveling partner, mother of our three children, grandmother to our six grandchildren, accomplished author and tremendous friend. The life we’ve built together has been nothing short of spectacular and I am forever humbled to be your husband.

Allen C. Buchanan, SIOR, is a principal with Lee & Associates Commercial Real Estate Services in Orange. He can be reached at abuchanan@lee-associates.com or 714.564.7104. His website is allencbuchanan.blogspot.com.