Monday, March 18, 2019

Commercial Real Estate Trends to Watch for in 2019


Neal Martin Zeavy is a co-owner of, and an angel investor in, Nic’s Organic Fast Food, the first certified organic fast food company in the United States. Additionally, Neal Zeavy serves as the president of NZ Consulting and Zeavy Development, the latter of which acquires and develops commercial real estate around the country.

For those involved in the commercial real estate industry, 2019 will bring plenty of new challenges and opportunities. Following are just a few of these expected trends:

- Brick and mortar will grow in popularity. In recent years, many brick and mortar stores have fallen into obscurity. While larger retailers may continue to go out of business, brick and mortar stores will grow in popularity in 2019 due to the increasing practice of online companies moving into retail spaces.

- Federal Reserve will make things harder. Shortly after the recession, the Fed began buying up bonds to increase the money in the market and drive commercial real estate investment. While it still hopes to maintain economic stability, the Fed will start selling its bonds at attractive rates. In turn, this will leave less money for real estate investing. At the same time, the Fed plans on increasing interest rates for investors, a practice that’s echoed by many Wall Street and other central banks.

- Suburbia will see more millennials. As an increasing number of millennials reach their 30s, they are showing more of an interest to live in suburban areas. As they shift, trendy retailers and other entities will move with them in an effort to attract talent and reduce rent costs.

- Opportunity zone programs will increase. In 2018, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act created what’s known as the Opportunity Zone program, which promotes economic development in underserved communities by offering developers a large tax break for building in such areas. In 2019, the number of these programs will likely increase.

Monday, February 25, 2019

Fast Food Gone Organic


Monday, February 11, 2019

A Few Common Metrics Observed in Commercial Real Estate Investment


Neal Zeavy, a serial entrepreneur based in Seattle, Washington, serves as an angel investor and co-owner of Nic’s Organic Fast Food, the nation’s first certified organic fast food restaurant. Beyond this, Neal Zeavy also serves as the president of NZ Consulting, a raffle fundraising consulting business, and of Zeavy Development, a commercial real estate development and investment company with properties in states such as Illinois, Virginia, Missouri, and Maryland.

When investing in real estate, there are multiple financial metrics that investors will come across. One of the most common metrics used in commercial real estate investing is net operating income (NOI). This metric is an essential part of real estate investments since it includes the total annual income generated by a property, including rent, parking, and laundry. The property’s operating expenses are subtracted from this income, which gives investors an idea of how much a property generates after operating costs are covered.

The capitalization, or cap, rate is another common metric in commercial real estate investment. Responsible for determining the value of an income-producing property, the cap rate is created by dividing annual NOI by the current value of the property. Investors use this metric to find a good average between nearby properties and to figure out what their potential returns will be in the future. Normally, investors prefer high cap rates since they are associated with higher returns on investment.

Finally, there is the cash on cash return (CoC) metric. One of the easiest metrics to generate, CoC, also shortened as CCR, measures the ratio between the down payment of a property and its annual cash flow. With the CoC metric, investors can project the return on their investment.

Tuesday, January 8, 2019

Improving Work-Life Balance When Working from Home


Over nearly two decades, dynamic entrepreneur Neal Martin Zeavy has established several profitable ventures in various industries, including real estate, fundraising, and the food and beverage sector. Despite overseeing four thriving businesses simultaneously, Neal Martin Zeavy leverages his ability to work from home to create an ideal work-life balance and make time for his family.

By planning thoughtfully and establishing routines, remote workers and entrepreneurs who work from home can remain productive and engaged in their work while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Some effective suggestions are listed below.

Create a Separate Space - One way to strengthen the boundary between home and work is to establish a defined workspace. Whether this space is a whole room or a cordoned-off section of another living area, the workspace should be treated like any other office and be considered by all household members as a distraction-free zone most of the time.

Schedule Breaks - Entrepreneurs who blur the lines between work and home often engage in work activities even during their time off. Instead, it is best to establish a set work schedule that includes meal breaks and bans checking work emails or doing other work-related tasks after a certain time. 

Develop Rituals - For people who work from home, rituals can take the place of a commute and provide a transitional space between work and personal time. Some effective rituals include taking a walk before and after work or drinking coffee from a specific mug when on the clock.

Friday, January 4, 2019

Positive Outlook for Kansas City Commercial Real Estate Market


A leading fundraising professional and serial entrepreneur, Neal Martin Zeavy has coordinated fundraising efforts for nonprofit organizations across California. In addition to raising more than $100 million for charitable causes, Neal Martin Zeavy serves as president of Zeavy Development, a commercial real estate firm with holdings in up-and-coming markets such as Richmond, Virginia, and Kansas City, Missouri. 

Since the 2000s, Kansas City has undergone a downtown and urban real estate development boom, one similar to those experienced by other populous cities such as Denver and San Diego, if on a smaller and more extended scale. The growth is driven by an influx of transplants, the majority of whom moved to the city from other areas of Missouri and bordering states. 

While this population growth has primarily translated into accelerated suburban development, shifting housing demands of both retiring boomers and professional Millennials are driving residential development in the downtown core. 

Further, large technology focused companies, keen to attract talent, are moving into well-placed office spaces close to the central Kansas City neighborhoods their candidates prefer. This has decreased vacancy rates and raised average leasing prices for much of the downtown area.

Combined, these dynamics have prompted real estate experts to identify Kansas City as a high-potential market for 2019.

Monday, December 17, 2018

Key Websites from Which Every Entrepreneur Can Learn


An alumnus of the University of California, Santa Cruz, with a BA in community studies, 
Neal Martin Zeavy serves as the CEO of Nic’s Organic Fast Food, which he co-owns, and president of Zeavy Development and NZ Consulting. Involved in numerous business activities over the course of his career, Neal Martin Zeavy also mentors aspiring entrepreneurs and continuously seeks to expand his knowledge.

Requiring many skills to start a business, entrepreneurs can benefit from online educational resources to help them gain new information. The following are just a few of the best online resources for entrepreneurs to support their business endeavors:

AllBusiness.com provides entrepreneurs with many useful tips on a diverse array of business topics, ranging from Internet marketing to office etiquette, as does HubSpot Academy, which offers free courses on subjects such as lead nurturing, landing pages, and website optimization. Furthermore, Moz provides search engine optimization-related learning opportunities through not only its free Moz Academy, but also webinars and guides to link building, social media, and SEO.

LearnVest is helpful for entrepreneurs who want to learn how to manage their business and personal incomes. Some of the site’s classes, including “How to Budget” and “Building Better Money Habits,” are free. Also beneficial for its financial-related information, CrunchBase is especially valuable for providing everything an entrepreneur needs to know about funding his or her new business.

Thursday, December 6, 2018

Key Ways Fructose Consumption Harms Your Health



Seattle-based Neal Martin Zeavy is the president of Raffle Administration, NZ Consulting, and Zeavy Development. An established entrepreneur who enjoys learning, Neal Martin Zeavy is also interested in exercise, nutrition, and following a diet that is low in sugar. Here a few reasons why consuming too much sugar in the form known as fructose is harmful to your health.

A high intake of fructose, a simple sugar, can be harmful to the liver and potentially damage it, since it is the only organ that can metabolize it. Fructose consumption also interferes with the metabolic system by reducing insulin release, thus preventing the production of the hormone leptin, which helps to control appetite. 

Excess fructose consumption is associated with numerous health problems such as increased triglycerides, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, abdominal obesity, and weight gain. Studies have found that fructose nourishes cancer cells so that they grow more rapidly and spread more quickly throughout the body. Research also demonstrates that high fructose consumption is associated with an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.