The Lede

Venture Beat, Mar. 24, 2018--Stephane KasrielThere's an unspoken rule virtually every startup in the last two decades seems to have followed: If you start hiring more people, lease or build bigger offices. It's time to discard this increasingly out-of-date workplace model and find new ways of building teams empowered by new technology.

Washington Post, Mar. 22, 2018--Caitlin Dewey Less than a year after Amazon bought Whole Foods, shaking food retailers to their core, the so-called "grocery wars" have racked up their first two casualties: Tops Markets and Southeastern Grocers.

Slate, Mar. 22, 2018--Henry GrabarOne paradox of the housing affordability crisis in the United States is that one of the most popular ways to create affordable housing is to tax new housing.

Forbes, Mar. 26, 2018--Christopher KellyDespite a tight labor market putting pressure on employers to attract talent, the vast majority of the corporate workforce still works in dull, cubicle-laden office buildings, designed solely for space efficiency and with no regard for human-centered design.

Bloomberg, Mar. 27, 2018--Sarah Mulholland, Scott DeveauBrookfield Property Partners LP's deal to take over retail landlord GGP Inc. is "wholly inadequate," "a negative for the sector" and "neither exciting for GGP shareholders nor a good read-through for mall asset values." In fact, "investors should vote against the transaction as it does not offer sufficient value," said Wall Street analysts.

Commercial and multifamily developments and activities from MBA relevant to your business and our industry.

Commercial/multifamily mortgage debt outstanding at the end of 2017 rose by 6.7 percent to $3.18 trillion, $200.3 billion higher than a year ago, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported.

With the outlook for job creation and overall economic growth rising, demand drivers supporting hotels remain positive, reported Marcus & Millichap, Calabasas, Calif.

No state has an adequate supply of housing for the lowest-income renters, The National Low-Income Housing Coalition reported.

Small balance multifamily lending reached $49.8 billion during 2017, reported Chandan Economics and Arbor Realty Trust.

Despite declining returns in many areas, the single-family rental market continues to grow due to more activity by smaller and middle-tier investors, reported ATTOM Data Solutions, Irvine, Calif.

Grocery retailing's "go big or go home" era is ending as top chains pursue new strategies to cope with market disruptions, said Elkhorn Real Estate Partners, Oakbrook, Ill.

Green Street Advisors, Newport Beach, Calif., launched Atlas, an enhancement to its Real Estate Analytics product suite.