Don Catalano, Author at iOptimize Realty

Jul

By Don Catalano Article, CRE, IoT (Internet of Things), Leasing, Office Leasing, Return to Office No Comments

AI Is Replacing These 6 White-Collar Sectors First: White-Collar Office Collapse?

By 2030, over 200,000 U.S. accounting jobs alone may vanish (World Economic Forum). McKinsey estimates 60–70% of administrative tasks are fully automatable today. AI already resolves 85–95% of routine customer service queries. These numbers matter—for workforce size, lease demand, and real estate footprints. In the next sections, we break down the top six sectors facing […]

Jun

By Don Catalano Article, Best of Lists, Lease Clauses, Lease Negotiation No Comments

Is Your Office Lease A Liability? 8 Clauses You Need to Lock In

In a market like this, your office lease can either be your greatest strategic weapon—or your most dangerous liability. And for too many companies, it’s the latter. Why? Because legacy leases, signed in a totally different economy, are now albatrosses. The rent is too high, the space is underused, and the terms are rigid. Worst […]

Jun

By Don Catalano Article, Industrial Space, Inflation, Technology, Warehouse Leasing, Warehouse Space No Comments

Amazon Bets Big on Warehouses: What Their $15B Industrial Expansion Means

Amazon is eyeing a $15 billion warehouse blitz, with plans to open 80 new logistics facilities across the U.S. and lock in 15- to 25-year leases. That’s a bold move in a battered CRE landscape. Tariffs are driving up costs, interest rates remain high, and demand is uneven. Office vacancies are stuck near 20%. Industrial […]

Jun

By Don Catalano Article, Building Class, Coworking Space, Hybrid Work, Office Space No Comments

WeWork Bounces Back: What Their Comeback Means for Flexible Real Estate

At its peak, WeWork was valued near $50 billion, leasing over 50 million square feet worldwide. The plan was simple: sign long-term leases on prime office space, then rent it out flexibly to startups and big companies alike. But the pandemic hit hard. By 2023, WeWork was buried under $13 billion in lease obligations as […]

Jun

By Don Catalano Article, Hybrid Work, Office Leasing No Comments

Is Flex Space the New Corporate Real Estate Playbook?

For decades, corporate real estate followed a familiar script: sign a long-term lease, build a gleaming HQ, and tether your workforce to it. But that’s no longer the only tool in the toolbox. A new model is taking hold—faster, lighter, and far more adaptable– even if it is more expensive. One where companies like Amazon, […]

Jun

By Don Catalano Article, Building Class, Inflation, Occupancy Costs, Office Space No Comments

When Every New Tenant Costs More: Inside the Office Market’s Construction Cost Spiral

Landlords aren’t just struggling to fill space—they’re bleeding out trying to build it back. The new reality in commercial real estate? Every tenant that walks out the door leaves behind a deeper hole—and replacing them isn’t just harder, it’s significantly more expensive. So, any way landlords bring in new tenants is through one expensive concession […]

Jun

By Don Catalano Article, Office Space, Problems, Rentable Sqft No Comments

The AI Bloodbath is Here…And It’s Taking the Office Market With It

The Collapse of Entry-Level White Collar Jobs Could Wreck the Office Market There’s no soft landing here. The numbers are out—and they’re grim. The World Economic Forum predicts that 83 million jobs will vanish globally by 2027 due to AI. Goldman Sachs takes it a step further: 300 million jobs at risk worldwide, with 10 […]

Jun

By Don Catalano Article, Occupancy Costs, Office Leasing, Office Space, Problems, Return to Office, Utilization, WFH (Work From Home) No Comments

Will a Vacancy Tax on Commercial Properties Save Downtowns? Probably Not.

Commercial Landlords Are Down—Now California Wants to Finish the Job. California’s Senate Bill 789 is a vacancy tax pitched as a cure for downtown decay. But tenants should ask: what happens when you tax the landlords out of existence? The proposed bill would slap a $5-per-square-foot annual tax on commercial properties vacant for 182+ days, […]

May

By Don Catalano Article, CRE, Recession No Comments

Caught in the Crossfire: Trade Wars, Tariffs, and CRE

Trade tensions are reshaping the global economy—and commercial real estate is right in the crosshairs. As of April 2025, the U.S. has imposed a baseline 10% tariff on all imports, with even steeper rates targeting specific countries: 34% on Chinese goods, 20% on EU products, and 24% on Japanese imports.

May

By Don Catalano Article, Business friendly, Relocation No Comments

NYC Loses Billions to Florida: Migration to Quality Continues

New York City has always been a center of gravity for talent, capital, and corporate ambition. But between 2017 and 2022, that gravitational pull weakened—substantially.

May

By Don Catalano Article, Warehouse Space No Comments

Intermodal Access is the Make or Break Feature for Your Warehouse Site Selection

A warehouse is only as good as its connections. If it’s not near major transportation routes, it’s missing the mark. And today amidst a strained supply chain environment, intermodal access is the backbone of smart site selection.

Apr

By Don Catalano Article, CRE No Comments

Will Tariffs Further Complicate Office to Residential Conversions?

The U.S. office market is in its toughest stretch in decades. Despite aggressive return-to-work pushes, swaths of unused space are becoming zombie buildings—dragging down the value of once-thriving city centers and bleeding millions in lost tax revenue. Now, local governments are scrambling to breathe life (and dollars) back into these dead assets. At the […]

Don Catalano

Don Catalano

AI Is Replacing These 6 White-Collar Sectors First: White-Collar Office Collapse?

Is Your Office Lease A Liability? 8 Clauses You Need to Lock In

Amazon Bets Big on Warehouses: What Their $15B Industrial Expansion Means

WeWork Bounces Back: What Their Comeback Means for Flexible Real Estate

Is Flex Space the New Corporate Real Estate Playbook?

When Every New Tenant Costs More: Inside the Office Market’s Construction Cost Spiral

The AI Bloodbath is Here…And It’s Taking the Office Market With It

Will a Vacancy Tax on Commercial Properties Save Downtowns? Probably Not.

Caught in the Crossfire: Trade Wars, Tariffs, and CRE

NYC Loses Billions to Florida: Migration to Quality Continues

Intermodal Access is the Make or Break Feature for Your Warehouse Site Selection

Will Tariffs Further Complicate Office to Residential Conversions?

Latest Posts

AI Is Replacing These 6 White-Collar Sectors First: White-Collar Office Collapse?

Is Your Office Lease A Liability? 8 Clauses You Need to Lock In

Amazon Bets Big on Warehouses: What Their $15B Industrial Expansion Means

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