21 on 2021: Commercial Real Estate Experts on What Next Year Holds for DFW

Top real estate minds tell us what's in store for CRE in 2021—and why Dallas-Fort Worth is a place for the future.

When COVID-19 hit Dallas-Fort Worth in March, it turned the commercial real estate industry inside out. But what’s in store for next year? Which pandemic-related changes are here for the long haul? And is there any good news out there?

While real estate related to offices, hospitality, and many forms of retail suffered when people stayed at home, those dealing with e-commerce, general industrial, and new home building saw a completely opposite picture. The demand for those spaces remained strong and in some cases skyrocketed.

As Kaizen Development CEO Derrick Evers puts it, “The winners in uncertain times are those that can adapt the quickest.”

To help DFW CRE professionals navigate the challenges in their path, we asked 21 experts representing a wide range of sectors and asset classes to look at their data (and perhaps their crystal ball) and offer their best guess on how to make the most of 2021.

Meet the 21:

OFFICE: Brad Selner, JLL
Yes, the Office Market Has a Future. It’ll Just Look a Lot Different, Says JLL’s Brad Selner

HIGH TECH: Susan Arledge, ESRP
High-Tech Companies, Low Office Demand: It’s Time to Mitigate Risk and Repurpose Spaces

TENANT EXPERIENCE: Torrey Littlejohn, JLL
Tech Is Shaping a New Normal in Office Space—and Flexibility Is Key for Tenants

INDUSTRIAL: Bill Burton, Hillwood
Autonomous Activity Is Coming. And DFW Is Well Suited to Benefit From It

DATA CENTERS: Anthony Bolner, Stream
Working From Home Drives Data Center Demand Through the Roof

LOGISTICS: Allen Gump, Colliers
DFW Has Always Been a Major Trucking Hub. Now It’s Taking Logistics to Undreamed-Of Levels

E-COMMERCE: Reid Goetz, Hillwood
As COVID Has Raged, E-Commerce Has Boomed—Driving the Need for Logistics Real Estate

RETAIL: Alan Shor, The Retail Connection
The Hardest Hit: How Retail and Restaurants are Retooling for an Ever-Changed Future

REDEVELOPMENT: Tamela Thornton, E Smith Communities
We’ll See New Retail Concepts Taking Advantage of Vacancies in the Market

MULTIFAMILY: Tom Bakewell, Streetlights Residential
Multifamily Has Faced Multi-Challenges in 2020, But DFW is Emerging with Renewed Strength

SENIOR LIVING: Anand Patel and Narayan Patel, Journey Capital
With Visits on Hold, Senior Living Locks Down. But Investors Are Still Striving to Unlock Opportunities

HOSPITALITY: Jeffrey Binford, CBRE
Too Much Room at the Inn: As Hotels Struggle with COVID, Some May Transform Completely

VALUATIONS: Chris Gomes, Marcus & Millichap
As Hotels Struggle with COVID, Marcus & Millichap is Finding Investor Opportunities

HEALTHCARE: Lance Hardenburg, Caddis Healthcare Real Estate
Healthcare Real Estate Caught a Huge Case of COVID. But Its Future Prognosis Is Positive

LIFE SCIENCES: John Huff, Transwestern
‘Knowledge Clusters’ Are About to Fuel DFW Life Sciences Growth

MIXED USE: Fred Perpall, The Beck Group
Finding the ‘Mix That Works’: Designing Mixed-Use Communities Where People Want To Gather

AEC: Darren James, KAI Enterprises
Transforming Communities for the Better

CAPITAL MARKETS: Maureen Kelly Cooper
Real Estate as Liquidity, Reimagined Offices, and Demand for Industrial Product

LAND: Robert Grunnah, Younger Partners
This Land Is Your Land, for the Right Price—And More Than Expected Are Buying

URBAN/SUBURBAN DEVELOPMENT: Derrick Evers, Kaizen Development Partners
In Uncertain Times, Winners Are ‘Those That Can Adapt the Quickest’


Read the digital edition of Dallas Innovates’ sister publication, the Real Estate Review, on Issuu.
Sign up for the digital alert here.

Get on the list.
Dallas Innovates, every day.

Sign up to keep your eye on what’s new and next in Dallas-Fort Worth, every day.

One quick signup, and you’re done.
View previous emails.

R E A D   N E X T