1. Property Management Firms Online? Hmm, Not Yet. ... Commercial Property News (CPN) features an article on the nation's largest property managers in the current issue (August 1, 1998). Wow, I wondered. What could I learn about their Internet capabilities at their own web sites? Are they communicating with their tenants online? Can their property owners access property management reports online? Can their professionals exchange information electronically? After all, according to Jack Welch, "An organization's ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage."

So I visited the web sites of nine of the top ten listed. I couldn't find a web site for number ten, Apartment Investment & Management Co., but maybe I just didn't know where to look. The CPN Top 10 firms are: Trammel Crow, Insignia/ESG, CB Richard Ellis, ERE Yarmouth, Lincoln Property Company, LaSalle Partners Management, COMPASS Management and Leasing, Cushman & Wakefield, Simon DeBartolo Group and Apartment Investment & Management Co.

Although the CPN article mentions a new service from COMPASS called OLAP (On-line Analytical Processing), which provides "owners or asset managers access to real-time data through high-speed Internet capability," you'd never guess it from their web site. No mention of it. ... Trammel Crow provides a bulleted list describing its Property Management services, but no details. ... Insigina/ESG only mentions property management in a narrative description of the company--again, no details. ... CB Richard Ellis describes property management services in narrative form also. ... ERE Yarmouth, now re-named Lend Lease, shows a bulleted list of features, but no mention of the Internet. ... Lincoln Property Company's web site appeared to be temporarily off the air. At least I couldn’t access it over two days. . ... LaSalle operates a pretty fancy web site with a narrative of its management services, but no mention of the Internet. ... Cushman & Wakefield describes its property management services with a bulleted list. ... Simon DeBartolo manages its own properties, I think, and doesn't mention property management as a separate service.

Bottom line: property management companies don't appear to have made serious commitments to the Internet. ... Am I wrong? What's your opinion? Send e-mail to me at . Thanks! ... Hyperlinks to all sites are included in the HTML mail version. See Paragraph 5 below.

2. Uncle Sam Wants You (To Buy). ... An advertisement in Wednesday's Wall Street Journal for the auction of a 660,000 sf industrial plant in Bristol, TN, led me to revisit the GSA's Office of Property Disposal web site. ... Neat. This large web site needs its own little PikeNet to point you in the right direction. You'll find dozens of links to properties for sale and auctions for everything from HUD foreclosures to surplus ammunition plants. ... Most of this real estate is probably pretty odd, but there must be a few interesting properties scattered around the country. You'll find step-by-step instructions on accessing the site in the PikeNet Knowledge Base (top of home page) under the Property and Market Information section, or use the URL below:

http://www.pikenet.com/pike?func=showPublicPage&page=
questions/questions/question080

3. Web Success--Kensington's Online Loan Submittal. ... Kensington Realty Advisors with offices in Chicago, Columbus and, soon, Detroit, acts as an exclusive advisor for Prudential's PruEXPRESS® and conduit loan programs in IL, IN, KE, MI, OH and WI. ... Kensington will provide a "soft quote" on "pricing and spreads" for a loan. Simply complete an online form and the firm will respond "within one business day." ... Do you have a Web Success story? Send me e-mail. ... For a summary of past Web Success stories, use the URL below:

http://www.pikenet.com/pike?func=WebSuccess08

4. Web News. ... StoreTrax is a retail space locator service for Washington, DC, Northern Virginia, and suburban Maryland. ... This interesting new web site features physical property data, photographs, interactive maps, interactive site plans and leasing representatives with e-mail links. The site is free to the visitor, but requires a subscription of $50 per month for brokers and property owners listing properties. ... Recently launched by Joshua Gurland, who was a broker in DC for six years, StoreTrax aims to be comprehensive in its marketplace. ... And, as I've mentioned many times, it's extremely difficult to get really comprehensive in a local market for free.

5. Dispatch HTML E-Mail Option. ... Remember that you can now receive this Dispatch in HTML format, so that it looks just like a web page with all sites hyperlinked. ... Not every e-mail program can receive HTML mail, including many corporate mail programs, but Netscape, Eudora 4.0, Outlook 98, Outlook Express, HotMail and WebTV can all receive it correctly, I believe. ... If you would like to receive future Dispatches in HTML format, edit your User Profile by going to the home page and clicking the "Edit User Profile" link under the PikeNet logo, or use the following URL:

http://www.pikenet.com/pike?func=emailRequest

6. PikeNet Banners. ... So consider buying a Billboard, Channel or Top Level Banner to promote your service. ... 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