REAL Professionals Network

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REAL Professionals Network REAL Professionals is now in 11 cities across the country and accepting nominations for CRE Professionals in all southeast and southwest cities.

Real Professionals Network (RPN) is the business that organizes and
manages facilitated mastermind groups composed of experienced commercial real estate, development, design and construction professionals that share market intelligence, new business opportunities and the terms and conditions of recently completed projects. RPN holds meetings in GA, TX, AL, FL, NC, PA, NJ, NYC and Washington DC.

🌿 CRE Market Pulse: What’s Driving Sustainability Decisions?This week, REAL Professionals Network asked: What ESG or sus...
10/14/2026

🌿 CRE Market Pulse: What’s Driving Sustainability Decisions?

This week, REAL Professionals Network asked: What ESG or sustainability initiative is most influencing CRE decisions?

The results were closely divided:

🔹 Energy Efficiency Upgrades — 21.1%
🔹 Utility Cost Reduction — 21.0%
🔹 Regulatory Compliance — 19.5%
🔹 Not a Significant Consideration — 19.3%
🔹 Tenant Sustainability Requirements — 19.1%

Energy efficiency and utility savings narrowly led the responses, while compliance and tenant requirements also play a role. Nearly one in five respondents indicated sustainability is not a significant consideration.

What’s influencing decisions in your market—and what would move sustainability higher on the priority list?

Thank you to everyone who shared their perspective!

🎉 Welcome Michael Semenzin with RACER Design Studio to REAL Professionals Network’s Chicago Chapter!Michael brings more ...
10/12/2026

🎉 Welcome Michael Semenzin with RACER Design Studio to REAL Professionals Network’s Chicago Chapter!

Michael brings more than 26 years of architecture firm leadership, a passion for lifelong learning, and a talent for making complex ideas easy to understand. His collaborative approach and ability to find common ground make him a wonderful addition to our network.

Based in Chicago and working nationally, RACER Design Studio creates high-performance environments for higher education, science and technology, civic, and cultural projects. Its lean, partner-led approach keeps experienced designers directly involved from concept through delivery, with sustainability, resilience, and adaptability at the heart of its work.

An IIT architecture graduate, Michael also contributes through BOMA’s Codes and Education committees and serves on the boards of the West Central Association and UCP/Seguin Foundation.

Beyond architecture, Michael enjoys reading science for fun and maintaining a single-digit golf handicap! ⛳

Please join us in welcoming Michael to the RPN Chicago community! We look forward to the experience, insights, and connections he’ll bring to our roundtable.

Economic insights and local market perspectives at RPN Raleigh!Our REAL Professionals Network Raleigh Chapter brought to...
10/09/2026

Economic insights and local market perspectives at RPN Raleigh!

Our REAL Professionals Network Raleigh Chapter brought together members and guests for a thoughtful discussion on the economy, commercial real estate, and the forces shaping business decisions.

Thank you to RPN member and featured speaker Matthew Martin with the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond for sharing his insights on strengthening demand, persistent cost pressures, consumer financial stress, and signs of labor market weakness. His update also highlighted the Carolinas’ job growth leadership within the Fifth District and Raleigh’s strong payroll employment growth.

Our roundtable added valuable perspectives from across the market:

🏘️ Housing: Affordability challenges are supporting interest in rentals and “missing middle” housing, including compact infill homes and smaller apartment communities.

🛍️ Retail: Limited supply is driving strong demand for anchor and outparcel space, while some retailers are adjusting store footprints and QSR operators are pursuing compact drive-through formats.

⚡ Infrastructure: Population growth and development are increasing the need for power generation and substation upgrades, alongside ongoing data center site work.

🏗️ Development and deal activity: Members shared updates on industrial expansions, refinancing, acquisitions, office leasing, hotel projects, and PFAS treatment and remediation.

Across these conversations, interest rates, construction costs, and changing consumer behavior remained central to planning and investment decisions.

We also enjoyed meeting new faces, including Rick Veno with LJA Engineering, Russ Schmitz with 347 Water, and Taya Mishin with TradeMark Properties.

Thank you to everyone who contributed their experience and insights. These candid conversations make RPN a valuable place to build relationships and stay connected to our markets!

A Closer Look at the Jersey Shore Housing Market | RPN Philadelphia Chapter!Our October meeting brought Members and gues...
10/07/2026

A Closer Look at the Jersey Shore Housing Market | RPN Philadelphia Chapter!

Our October meeting brought Members and guests together for an insightful discussion with Kevin Gillen, Ph.D., on the forces shaping the Jersey Shore housing market.

Kevin explored how scarce coastal land, affluent second-home buyers, and differences between communities influence pricing—and why evaluating each property’s location, ownership costs, flood exposure, and redevelopment potential is essential.

A few key takeaways:

🔹 Shore prices continue to rise, but performance varies significantly by town and property type.
🔹 Rental income potential and the full cost of ownership deserve careful consideration.
🔹 Older, underbuilt properties may offer redevelopment opportunities, subject to thorough feasibility analysis.
🔹 Location matters—and so does elevation!

Thank you, Kevin Gillen, for sharing your research and valuable perspective. A special thank-you to Bart Mellits and Sara McCormick with Ballard Spahr for their continued leadership and hospitality in support of our Philadelphia Chapter.

Thank you to all our Members and guests for contributing to another engaging conversation!

CRE Market Pulse: Where Is Capital Most Competitive?This week, we asked: Which capital source is currently the most comp...
10/07/2026

CRE Market Pulse: Where Is Capital Most Competitive?

This week, we asked: Which capital source is currently the most competitive in your market?
Local banks led the responses at 40.2%, while the remaining sources were closely grouped:

🔹 Regional Banks — 15.1%
🔹 Debt Funds — 15.1%
🔹 Credit Unions — 14.9%

🔹 Private Equity / Family Offices — 14.7%
The results suggest local banks are standing out among respondents, while a range of other sources remain part of the competitive capital landscape.

Does this reflect what you’re seeing in your market? What’s making a lender stand out—pricing, terms, flexibility, or certainty of closing?

Thank you to everyone who shared their perspective!

Small Group, Great Conversations! | RPN Milwaukee ChapterOur October meeting was a reminder that meaningful connections ...
10/06/2026

Small Group, Great Conversations! | RPN Milwaukee Chapter

Our October meeting was a reminder that meaningful connections don’t require a big crowd! With no featured speaker this month, our Milwaukee Members enjoyed more time for conversation, sharing perspectives, and getting to know one another.

The group may have been small, but the conversation was lively, the connections were strong, and everyone was all smiles!

Thank you to everyone who joined us and made it a welcoming, engaging gathering. That’s what REAL Professionals Network is all about—building relationships through real conversations.

🏙️ Reimagining Chicago’s Downtown | RPN Chicago Chapter October Meeting!What’s next for the Loop? Our October meeting br...
10/06/2026

🏙️ Reimagining Chicago’s Downtown | RPN Chicago Chapter October Meeting!

What’s next for the Loop? Our October meeting brought Members and guests together for a thoughtful discussion about the opportunities shaping Chicago’s commercial real estate landscape.

Thank you to Dr. Suzet McKinney with Chicago Loop Alliance for sharing her vision of a downtown where housing, business, retail, entertainment, and green space come together to create a thriving live-work-play neighborhood.

Key themes included:

🔹 Office-to-residential conversions and their potential to bring more housing and investment downtown.

🔹 Growing momentum in the Central Loop surrounding the Thompson Center redevelopment.

🔹 Continued demand for premier office properties and opportunities to reposition older assets.

🔹 The long-term potential of quantum computing and the importance of community engagement.

🔹 Collaboration as an essential ingredient in downtown revitalization.

A special thank-you to Paul Larkin and BEAR Construction for their continued hospitality, and to our Members and guests for contributing their insights and perspectives.

These conversations help us build stronger relationships and better understand the opportunities ahead for Chicago!

📊 CRE Market Pulse Results: Week of September 28thWhat is the primary reason deals are falling apart during due diligenc...
09/30/2026

📊 CRE Market Pulse Results: Week of September 28th

What is the primary reason deals are falling apart during due diligence today?

Our poll responses show a close spread across all five challenges:

🔹 Property Condition Issues: 21.7%
🔹 Financing Challenges: 20.3%
🔹 Pricing Disagreements: 20.2%
🔹 Insurance or Operating Cost Surprises: 19.8%
🔹 Tenant/Rent Roll Concerns: 18.0%

Property condition issues led the responses, but no single challenge dominated. The results highlight how several factors can put a deal at risk during due diligence.

Thank you to everyone who shared their perspective! Which of these challenges are you seeing most often—and what is helping you keep deals moving?

What’s shaping the next chapter of commercial real estate?At our Dallas Chapter September meeting, we discussed findings...
09/29/2026

What’s shaping the next chapter of commercial real estate?

At our Dallas Chapter September meeting, we discussed findings from the CRE Market Pulse Index annual summary. The outlook points to improving deal activity, though recovery remains uneven. Capital is available, but lenders and investors continue to favor well-structured opportunities. Industrial and multifamily remain areas of interest, while retail is gaining momentum.

The presentation also highlighted the growing role of AI in finding and evaluating opportunities. Even as technology changes how deals begin, relationships and trust remain essential to bringing them across the finish line.

Thank you to Kimber Davison with Griffith Davison for her continued hospitality and leadership of the Dallas Chapter!

What should you know before you break ground?At our Greenville Chapter meeting, Will Huss and Mike Garren of Trehel Corp...
09/29/2026

What should you know before you break ground?

At our Greenville Chapter meeting, Will Huss and Mike Garren of Trehel Corporation shared a builder’s perspective on the decisions that shape a project’s cost and schedule. Their presentation highlighted the value of verifying utility capacity at the site, understanding what a budget includes, and identifying equipment and materials with long lead times while the design is still taking shape.

Thank you, Will and Mike, for the practical insights and examples. And thank you to Josh Lonon and Megan O’Neill with Wyche for your continued support and leadership of the Greenville Chapter!

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