Patrick OConnor

Business personal property Valuation

Business Personal Property (BPP) may be difficult to assess because of the limited amount of data available and focused mainly on the sales comparison approach. Relatively speaking, a huge amount of data is available when assessing real estate as opposed ... Read >

Use the Appraisal District's Information to Reduce Your Property Taxes

Homeowners are amazed to learn they can obtain a copy of the appraisal district's evidence at a nominal cost. This is referred to as a House Bill 201 package, and is the only information many homeowners use to successfully reduce their property taxes. ... Read >

Market Study Fundamentals

Market studies are performed to evaluate real estate market conditions with regard to an existing or proposed property. The focus of a market study details competition within the submarket, the strength or weakness of the submarket. Also, market study ind... Read >

Market Rent Analysis

Market rent analyses evaluate the subject property, competing properties, and market conditions to document an equitable level of rent in an arm’s length transaction. Estimates of market rent are developed regularly for market studies, appraisals, lease d... Read >

Leasing Office Space – Part 13 of 23 Due Diligence

Online In most cases, the information from the services will adequately address the issue of criminal activity near the office space you're considering. However, the most current and contextual data you'll be able to obtain is from tenants at the prope... Read >

Leasing Office Space – Part 12 of 23 Lease Negotiations

Amortized TI The amortized cost of your tenant improvements will be the cost over the term of your lease. To keep matters simple, if you are spending $60,000 to renovate your space, and your lease term is five years (60 months), include $1000 per month... Read >

Tax Reduction Benefits of Cost Segregation

Tax reduction and tax deferral are the primary benefits of obtaining a cost segregation study. Tax reduction occurs since more income is taxed at the capital gains rate instead of the ordinary income rate. Tax deferral occurs since depreciation is accurat... Read >

Casualty Loss

Silver Lining from Hurricane Ike Casualty Losses May Significantly Reduce Federal Income Taxes Hurricane Ike inflicted a steep penalty on the Texas Gulf coast. However, there is an inconspicuous benefit – casualty loss tax deductions. Taxpayers may ... Read >

Leasing Office Space – Part 4 of 23

Location Office space location issues can include proximity to existing and potential employees, clients, vendors, and various third parties. For companies with less than 100 employees, the primary criteria for selecting a location is typically proximity... Read >

Commercial Real Estate Appraisal Income Approach

The income approach is often given primary emphasis when appraising a commercial real estate used to generate income. Estimates of value via the income approach are highly sensitive to changes in revenue, expense and capitalization rates.Correctly perform... Read >

San Antonio apartment overview

All metrics for the San Antonio area multifamily sector recorded positive changes in November. Overall occupancy remained over 90% for the seventh month running. Class A properties recorded occupancy of almost 94%, coming in second only to the Austin area... Read >

Houston apartment search tips -- Great List of Questions

Houston apartment leasing agents lease apartments every day. You don't. Here are some questions to help improve your odds of getting a great deal. Listen to both what is said and how they say it. How it is said is often more important than what is said. D... Read >

Commercial Real Estate Appraisal Sales Comparison Approach

The sales comparison approach is the most intuitive and best understood of the three approaches to value. Home buyers, companies renting office space and real estate investors all utilize this approach. Comparable sales are often referred to as comps and ... Read >

Leasing Office Space – Part 8 of 23 Renewal Rates and Amenities

Rental Rate Options Rental rate options include: gross, gross plus expense escalation, modified gross, and triple net. A gross lease simply has a rental rate and no allowance or adjustments for expenses. Gross plus escalations includes a base level of ... Read >

Apartment Walk Through

If possible, visit the property and do a "walk-through" with apartment management several days before you move into your unit. The apartment management will have a checklist of the items to prepare the apartments for new residents. They will also have a c... Read >