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Terrible Memory Lane

Chicago
Terrible Memory Lane
Our headline pretty much sums up any forthcoming panels that look back at '09. The culprit this time: Yesterday's CoreNet luncheon (dubbed "The Year in Retrospect: Ouch, That's Going to Leave a Mark") at Maggiano's. It recapped the last  five quarters of real estate history, leaving room only for improvement, especially in the suburban office markets where vacancies run as high as 22%.
 
Duff & Phelps' Steve Stoner and Cohen Financial's Christopher Carroll speak at CoreNet event

Duff & Phelps' Steve Stoner and Cohen Financial's Christopher Carroll joined The John Buck Company's William Rolander  and Studley's Rick Schuham  in the hot seats. Christopher says more deals are getting the green light, especially those using life companies as the lender, but deals larger than $35 million are still scarce. Panelists also talked about improving ?Zombie Buildings,? which have no money for TI or renovation, but are still creating  vacancy. Sign of the times: The highlight  of the year, according to the panel, was Rick's golf score falling below 80.

Walker Parking Consultants' Heather Hopkins, Studley's Tony Smaniotto, and Cypress Communications' Amy Nawrocki at CoreNet event

Walker Parking Consultants' Heather Hopkins, Studley's Tony Smaniotto, and Cypress Communications' Amy Nawrocki. Heather is consulting on the new parking structure for the Des Plaines casino under development. Amy's company just leased a spac