Legislation and technology are transforming CRE

10/28/2016 | Real Estate Blog

Many investors in Pennsylvania and around the country stay out of the commercial property market because of the complex paperwork and the amount of regulations involved, but legislation designed to boost investment and the advent of the information age has opened the real estate market up in recent years. In 2012, President Obama signed the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act into law, and one of the provisions of the legislation allows real estate developers to reach a far wider audience by posting their properties online.

In addition to bringing commercial real estate opportunities to a wider market, internet technology also allows developers and investors to communicate more quickly and easily. Computers also make short work of processing even the most complex data, and several online platforms have appeared in recent years that are able to crunch the numbers for investors who do not have the time to pore over complex graphs and charts. More than $2.5 billion was invested in real estate via computer in 2015, and most industry experts expect that figure to be even higher in 2016.

Speed is one of the key benefits of Internet communication, and investors can now be informed of emerging developments or new opportunities within a matter of seconds. While some older Americans may still feel uncomfortable doing business online, the millennial generation seem to have few such qualms. A 2015 survey by the investment company DealIndex found that millennials are 10 times more likely than baby boomers to invest online.

Computers and the Internet make it easier to make both good and bad investment decisions, and investors that skimp on due diligence when large sums are involved could be making a mistake. Attorneys with experience in the commercial property market may be able to help clients identify potentially crucial information in a sea of data, and they could also check the legal track records of online investment companies.