Maclennan Investment Group, Inc.

925.385.8798

  • Home
  • Services
    • Commercial Property Management
    • Commercial and Industrial Leasing and Sales
      • Commercial & Industrial Properties for Sale
      • Office, Retail, & Industrial Properties for Lease
    • Individual Investors
    • Note Purchases
  • About
    • Peter Maclennan
    • Book Peter
  • Blog
  • Investments
    • Contra Costa County Duplexes, Triplexes, and Fourplexes
    • Commercial & Industrial Properties for Sale
    • Investment Properties in Central Contra Costa
    • Alameda County Duplex, Triplex, and Fourplex Invesment Properties
    • Office, Retail, & Industrial Properties for Lease
  • Articles
    • Interest Rates and Investment Property Values
    • 5 Mistakes Instant Millionaires Make
  • Contact
    • eNewsletter
  • Note Purchases
  • Commercial Loans
You are here: Home / Blog

April 25, 2009 by Peter Maclennan Leave a Comment

A Walk in Walnut Creek

This morning I walked downtown to Starbucks for coffee. The cool morning air and the quiet allowed me to think and observe as I walked through the center of the city of Walnut Creek.

When you walk by yourself before the hustle and bustle of the day it is amazing what you notice.

Comings …

Walking past the new Cheesecake Factory I realized what a good decision was made by the city leadership to bring Cheesecake Factory to Walnut Creek. As I idled past the outdoor seating, men were spraying down the patio. The chairs were stacked on the tables. The ground was dark with the water on the stone patio.

The fountains in front of the Cheesecake Factory were babbling as water cascaded down their sides. The flame at the top danced in the wind.

It reminded me of Disneyland before the crowds arrive. Things are still fresh. The cafes are clean before the lunch crowds. It is as if you are walking into an alternate reality where messes aren’t made and people always get along.

I also noticed that the old Bombay store had a sign announcing that it had been leased. That must make the propertyowners very happy.

Of course, Neiman Marcus is still in process of coming to the old David M. Bryan location.

and Goings

The Chocolate Cafe is now closed. It must be hard to compete with a national coffee chain and a national dessert restaurant a block away even though you are 30 yards from the theater’ entrance.

Johnny Rockets’ old store is still closed on Mt. Diablo Boulevard. The tables and chairs are still inside but the sign out front has been removed.

A banner hanging from the Longs’ Drug store welcomed Elephant Pharmacy customers. The Elephant Pharmacy filed bankruptcy a few months ago, and has likely vacated their store.

Character of a City

While the shops and retailers in downtown Walnut Creek may change with time, the character of Walnut Creek does not have to change.

The character of a city is shaped by the character of the people that choose to live in a city, more than the character of the retailers in that city.

As long as honest, hard working, family loving, school supporting, community focused people continue to call Walnut Creek “home”, we won’t have to worry about Walnut Creek changing from the place we have come to love.

I think I will continue my Saturday morning walks, if only to get a better sense of the city I call “Home”.

Share the love:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Contra Costa Real Estate, Walnut Creek

April 24, 2009 by Peter Maclennan Leave a Comment

Bay Area Real Estate News

Here are a couple of items from today’s Contra Costa Times.

First, in Circuits to seafood: New tenants plug into empty buildings the Contra Costa Times shares about the new uses for former Circuit City stores.

A Seafood City Asian market is due to a open in a shuttered Circuit City store in Concord, and another retailer is eyeing a closed Circuit City in Fremont, raising hopes that at least a few empty retail buildings in the East Bay could gain a fresh lease on life.

Second, in Bay Area rents decline, fueled by unemployment we learn:

Housing prices aren’t the only thing that’s falling in the Bay Area. So are apartment rents, but not nearly as much as the hard-hit housing market.

Still, the average asking rent in the nine-county Bay Area during the first quarter for apartment buildings with 50 or more units was $1,556, or a 1.4 percent drop from a year ago, said a report released Thursday by Novato-based RealFacts.

The occupancy rate fell 1.7 percent to 94.2 percent. The average rent applies to all rental units, ranging from studios to three-bedroom townhouses.

The loss of jobs – or the fear of losing jobs – is leading to lower occupancy rates that push down rents.

Deciphering the News

It is encouraging to know that some retailers are willing to expand in the current market. Seafood City is a supermarket for the Asian/Filipino communities.

As rents decline and vacancy increases multifamily values will decline as investors underwrite at lower income values.

Share the love:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Bay Area Real Estate News, CA Real Estate

April 24, 2009 by Peter Maclennan Leave a Comment

The Value of Strict Buying Criteria

For most small or beginning real estate investors, the purchase of a rental home is the only option. Investors that don’t have hundreds of thousands of dollars to invest, are likely going to start with a rental property or two until their capital accumulates to buy something larger.

Many new investors look to buy a foreclosed home based on the recommendation of many real estate gurus. Without knowing what they are getting into it is easy to overpay for a property and not reap the full rewards of being a property owner.

The likelihood of overpaying is even greater. The WSJ.com is reporting that Bidding Wars Are Emerging on Foreclosures in certain areas of the country, including California.

Falling home prices are starting to ignite bidding wars in a few parts of the U.S. as first-time buyers compete with investors for the same foreclosed properties.

In most of the nation, the supply of unsold homes continues to swamp demand. Home prices in many markets continue to fall, and foreclosures, which slowed in late 2008 as mortgage companies delayed taking action against delinquent borrowers, are picking up again.

But real-estate brokers say multiple offers on certain homes have recently become more common in parts of California and Arizona and the Washington, D.C., and Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan areas.

Strict Buying Criteria

It is important to establish buying criteria in advance of the purchase to meet your investment goals.

The easiest way to hit nothing, is to aim at it.

Buying criteria serve as the the yellow and white stripe along the road. As long as the yellow line is on the left and the white is on your right, you are going the right direction.

The same is true with buying guidlines for real estate investors. First, you need to know which way you are going. Second, you need the guidelines in place to keep you on track.

Setting price, income, and expense goals in advance will protect the early investor from venturing to far from their goals and jeopardizing their retirement plans.

If you would like help establishing your buying criteria, feel free to call Maclennan Investment Group at (925) 324-8626.

Share the love:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: CA Real Estate, Real Estate Investing

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18

Commercial Real Estate Search

Commercial Real Estate

Top Posts & Pages

  • Interest Rates and Investment Property Values
  • Calculating Net Operating Income or NOI
  • Alameda County Duplex, Triplex, and Fourplex Invesment Properties

Listings

Commercial Real Estate Financing

Commercial Real Estate Financing

Peter Maclennan

Real Estate Broker
CA DRE #01801793
Twitter: @MaclennanInvest
Facebook: Maclennan Investment Group
[More …]

Topics

  • Bay Area Real Estate News
  • Benefits of Real Estate Investing
  • CA Real Estate
  • Commercial Leasing
  • Concord Real Estate
  • Contra Costa Real Estate
  • Industrial Real Estate
  • Investment Property
  • Listing
  • Martinez Real Estate
  • Mrs.' Questions
  • Real Estate Investing
  • Retirement Freedom
  • Seasons Greetings
  • Tenant Representation
  • Walnut Creek

Stay Informed!

Get notified of new listings, emerging trends, and more commercial real estate news.
* = required field

Recent Posts

  • Light Industrial for Lease in Bay Point, CA
  • Happy Independence Day!
  • Wishing You a Blessed Christmas & 2023!
  • For Lease! Antioch Industrial Building
  • Six Reasons Commercial Tenant’s Need an Agent…

Company Profile

Welcome to Maclennan Investment Group, Inc., your East Bay Area real estate investment advisors. Maclennan Investment Group assists buyers and sellers of real estate maximize the investment potential of their real estate assets.

Learn More about us.
Offering real estate services in the communities of: Walnut Creek, Concord, Pleasant Hill, Martinez, Alamo, Lafayette, and surrounding cities.

Commercial Financing

Commercial Financing
Disclaimer: Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. This site is not meant to offer legal or tax advice.

Equal Housing Opportunity

Contact Us:

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

925.385.8798

Maclennan Investment Group, Inc.
3380 Vincent Rd, Ste HUB
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523
p. (925) 385-8798
Licensed Broker in the State of California, DRE#01871809
Equal Housing Opportunity
Find us on Yelp!
Check out Maclennan Investment Group, Inc. on Yelp

Copyright © 2023 · Maclennan Investment Group, Inc.