The beginning of the year predictions that interest rates would drop, has not happened and the current inflation rate actually indicates that there will probably be a rate increase before the year end. The war with Iran and the mid-term elections all add continued uncertainty in the market.

That being said, retail vacancies are still low, shopping centers are in high demand with investors, Class A office space in many Miami markets is being absorbed, and immigration to Florida, while slower than it was, is still a positive.

There is pressure on industrial and multi-family rental rates, but there investors are still bullish on the area, building housing under the Live Local Act or converting office to residential.

In summary, Miami fundamentals are strong and capital is still flowing into CRE.

What do a military family, the Women's Investment Summit, and self storage have in common? Lauren Rothlisberger of Everett & Harvey and Serious Storage.

In this episode Lauren shares her investment journey from residential rental properties into self storage and the nuances of being a General Partner. Her path hasn't been easy, because let's be real, real estate deals aren't easy, but it has been extremely well thought out.

From the conscious tie to family with the business name to the details of scaling a business while living overseas, Lauren's background as a military wife plays a strong role in her investing and operating strategies. Three of the many takeaways include:

1) Assessing real risk vs perceived risk and backwards plan for worst case scenario

2) Always look at the repositioning options further down the road and

3) How to overcome the challenge of obtaining commercial financing when you are new to commercial real estate investing.

Whether you are a current or aspiring real estate investor, this episode will provide you with insights into the self storage niche. Thank you for pulling up a chair!

The World Cup starts today, June 11 and Miami will host our first match on June 15. Planning for this event, that will put Miami on the world stage again - we just wrapped up F-1, started as soon as Miami was awarded the 2026 World Cup four years ago.

From fan transportation to and from the games and events, to the logistics of moving players, equipment, food and beverage to the stadium and events, there are a lot moving parts. Luckily for Miami, a lot of the infrastructure projects including the airports, stadiums and roadwork, had already been underway due to the growth the region experienced during COVID. I am sure there will be some challenges,