- BBC NEWS 3 August 2016
- China
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Dominos DomiCopter - First Drone Pizza Deliver
Dominos DomiCopter - First Drone Pizza Deliver
If this is the future... I'm ready for it. Finally technology being
used for something important!
Monday, August 29, 2016
Friday, August 26, 2016
Gold Rush: Swelling Numbers of CRE Brokers Making for Tougher Competition in the Ranks
Long-Running CRE Recovery Attracts Younger Brokers; Spurs Larger Firms Expand into Smaller Markets
August 24, 2016
The long-trending CRE up-cycle has created a mini-boom in broker ranks over recent years, with the larger number of younger, first-time commercial brokers reducing the median years of experience among all brokers, and also lowering average annual incomes for brokers.
The number of commercial members with less than two years of experience nearly doubled to 9% in 2016, from 5% in 2015, according to the National Association of Realtors’ 2016 Commercial Member Profile. And the median years of experience in commercial real estate dropped from 25 years to 20 years.
The 2016 NAR Commercial Member Profile was based on a survey of 2,048 members. Approximately 80,000 commercial real estate professionals are members of NAR.
“As the U.S. economy continues to experience strong, steady recovery, NAR has seen more and more members choose to specialize in commercial real estate,” noted NAR President Tom Salomone, broker-owner of Real Estate II Inc. in Coral Springs, FL.
Lynn Drake, president and founder of Compass Commercial in Troy, MI, has experienced the effects of the broker boom first hand. In the last few years, she said she has hired 10 new agents -- eight of them were new to the business. None of them lasted.
“We tell the (new) agents they won’t see any money for the first six months. Then they get four months in and they say they have to leave because they aren’t making any money,” Drake said. “There seems to be a disconnect between what we tell agents to expect, and when what we tell them becomes reality.”
The lure of bigger-dollar deals is great, however, and she said new prospects keep asking to join her firm.
“I’ve had several residential agents approach me in the last 90 days about working for us because the inventory of for-sale homes is so low. They can’t make money in residential so they are looking to make a jump into commercial real estate,” Drake said.
According to NAR, the median gross annual income for commercial members in 2015 was $108,800, down from $126,900 in 2014. Brokers and appraisers reported the highest annual gross income at $145,800 and $130,800 respectively while sales agents reported the lowest at $67,300, which is in line with 2014 results.
Those with less than two years of experience reported a median annual income of $43,400 in 2015, down from $67,200 in 2014; and those with more than 26 years of experience reported a median annual income of $165,385 in 2015, up from $162,800 in 2014.
Compass Commercial's Drake tells prospects to expect to gross between $40,000 and $60,000 in the first year.
“That means they will take home between $20,000 and $30,000,” she said. “The upside is they should expect to double their business every year thereafter.”
The number of commercial members with less than two years of experience nearly doubled to 9% in 2016, from 5% in 2015, according to the National Association of Realtors’ 2016 Commercial Member Profile. And the median years of experience in commercial real estate dropped from 25 years to 20 years.
The 2016 NAR Commercial Member Profile was based on a survey of 2,048 members. Approximately 80,000 commercial real estate professionals are members of NAR.
“As the U.S. economy continues to experience strong, steady recovery, NAR has seen more and more members choose to specialize in commercial real estate,” noted NAR President Tom Salomone, broker-owner of Real Estate II Inc. in Coral Springs, FL.
 |
| Lynn Drake, president and founder of Compass Commercial in Troy, Michigan. |
Lynn Drake, president and founder of Compass Commercial in Troy, MI, has experienced the effects of the broker boom first hand. In the last few years, she said she has hired 10 new agents -- eight of them were new to the business. None of them lasted.
“We tell the (new) agents they won’t see any money for the first six months. Then they get four months in and they say they have to leave because they aren’t making any money,” Drake said. “There seems to be a disconnect between what we tell agents to expect, and when what we tell them becomes reality.”
The lure of bigger-dollar deals is great, however, and she said new prospects keep asking to join her firm.
“I’ve had several residential agents approach me in the last 90 days about working for us because the inventory of for-sale homes is so low. They can’t make money in residential so they are looking to make a jump into commercial real estate,” Drake said.
According to NAR, the median gross annual income for commercial members in 2015 was $108,800, down from $126,900 in 2014. Brokers and appraisers reported the highest annual gross income at $145,800 and $130,800 respectively while sales agents reported the lowest at $67,300, which is in line with 2014 results.
Those with less than two years of experience reported a median annual income of $43,400 in 2015, down from $67,200 in 2014; and those with more than 26 years of experience reported a median annual income of $165,385 in 2015, up from $162,800 in 2014.
Compass Commercial's Drake tells prospects to expect to gross between $40,000 and $60,000 in the first year.
“That means they will take home between $20,000 and $30,000,” she said. “The upside is they should expect to double their business every year thereafter.”
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
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Monday, August 8, 2016
Thursday, August 4, 2016
China's elevated bus: Futuristic 'straddling bus' hits the road
AP
It may look like something from the future, but China's long-awaited "straddling bus" ran its inaugural test in Hebei province this week.
The 2m-high Transit Elevated Bus (TEB) straddles the cars below, allowing them to pass through.
Powered by electricity, the bus is able to carry up to 300 passengers in its 72ft (21m) long and 25ft wide body.
A video of a mini-model of the vehicle caused great excitement when it was released in May.
AP
AP
The trial run was conducted on a 300m-long controlled track in the north-eastern city of Qinhuangdao.
The vehicle is expected to reach speeds of up to 60km per hour, running on rails laid along ordinary roads. Up to four TEBs can be linked together.
"The biggest advantage is that the bus will save lots of road space," the project's chief engineer, Song Youzhou, told state-media agency Xinhua earlier this year.
"The TEB has the same functions as the subway, while its cost of construction is less than one fifth of the subway," another engineer Bai Zhiming told news outlet CCTV.
One TEB could replace 40 conventional buses, according to the firm. However, it is unclear when the vehicle will be widely used in Chinese cities.
AP
It is not a new idea, but it was not seriously considered until a mini-model of it was launched at the 19th China Beijing International High-Tech Expo in May.
A month later, developers announced that the TEB would be ready for a test-run in August.
Thousands took to micro-blogging site Weibo to express their amazement and incredulity.
"I saw images of this not long ago and now it's actually happening?" asked one user. "This is truly build at 'Chinese speed'".
"I swear I just saw ideas of this in pictures. Now it's appeared in real life," said another.
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