1. Insignia/ESG Versus CCIM. … Okay, I know that I’m exaggerating, but I did smile recently as I contrasted Insignia/ESG with CCIM, the Commercial Investment Real Estate Institute. Insignia ran full-page ads in the Wall Street Journal (June 24, 1998) and the Real Estate Forum (inside front cover, June 1998) with no mention of its URL, http://www.insigniafinancial.com. In print, at least, Insignia appears to be Internet-challenged. … On the other hand Westwood Financial has the opposite problem. Westwood ran their URL, http://www.westfin.com, five times on the following page (in the WSJ California edition), pointing to a page announcing a site "Under Construction." Uh-oh.

Meanwhile, I recently spoke to the 1998 CCIM International Commercial Real Estate Conference in San Diego and found an enthusiastic group of professionals seeking to maximize their sales and marketing skills using technology. This reinforced my belief that Internet usage is frequently a bottom-up phenomenon with entrepreneurs moving faster to exploit the net than large companies. Check out the CCIM web site at http://www.ccim.com, which creates an active community using forums, a listing service and broadcast e-mail.

2. USAA Offers Tenant Discount Programs Online. … How’s this for a neat use of the web? … Tenants at USAA Real Estate-managed properties qualify for discount programs and can submit applications over the web. … For example, they can receive 50% off Fed Ex service, 5% off of Sprint rates and insurance from the USAA General Agency/The Hartford, which meets "requirements of their lease." … I’m sure that other landlords and managers offer similar incentive programs, but I don’t remember seeing access to them over the web. … Go to the USAA site at http://realco.usaa.com and drill down through "Services" and then "Tenant Services."

3. Knowledge Base--Need Golf Course Directions? … I’ve spoken about how important golf is for building relationships, and, hey, I’m not even a golfer. … Now you can get door-to-door directions (to fax to your clients) for your next golf match. … Using MapQuest, http://www.mapquest.com, choose the option of entering the name of the golf course rather than a street address. … It’s simple. … You’ll find step-by-step instructions in the PikeNet Knowledge Base (top of home page) under the Maps and Directions section, or use the URL below:

http://www.pikenet.com/pike?func=showPublicPage&page=
questions/questions/question072

4. Web Success--NAI's Planning Guide Online. … NAI has put its entire 1998 Planning Guide online with information on 159 market areas in the U.S., Latin America, Europe and Canada. … With only a page or so on each market, it’s not really comprehensive, but can be useful for some initial investigation. … For step-by-step instructions, look in the Knowledge Base under the Property and Market Information section, or use the URL below:

http://www.pikenet.com/pike?func=showPublicPage&page=
questions/questions/question073

5. Access Speed—28.8 Is Slow! … Last week I lost my ISDN connection for a few days and was forced to access the net at 28.8 baud. … Wow, what a pain! … After two years of ISDN speed I’d forgotten how slow modems can be. That’s why it is so critical for sites to be designed for fast downloading, even at 28.8 speed. … For example, take a look at one of my favorite sites, The Dismal Scientist at http://www.dismal.com. The home page has a ton of information, yet it downloads pretty quickly. … From time to time I’d like to mention faster means of accessing the net. So let me know how you speed up your access. If you use cable, ADSL or satellite hookups, I’d like to pass that along to other Dispatch readers.

6. Web News. … Axiom Commercial Real Estate specializes in retail tenant representation and investment sales in Tacoma, WA. … Eastern Consolidated Properties specializes in building sales in New York City. … Midwest Industrial Properties offers a site selection guide to business and industrial properties in the Midwest. … The midyear Real Estate Outlook Conference on July 16 in Los Angeles has created a web site with program and registration information.

7. PikeNet Marketing Opportunities. … Buy a Top Level Banner (seen thousands of times a month) or a Mini-Banner over a Channel. … Sponsor a Dispatch or an Express. … For full details, click the online "Media Kit" under the Billboard on the home page or use the hyperlink below:

http://www.pikenet.com/advertising/advertising.html

--Peter Pike