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Where does Spitzer & Associates
provide services?
We have provided services
all over Texas, in Indiana, Florida, California, Washington,
and Pennsylvania. Our business plan includes providing
services in multiple places through out the United
States.
Does
Spitzer & Associates only handle real estate
work for governmental entities?
No. We also
do public involvement and real estate project management
oversight for governmental entities. In addition to
governmental entities, our clients include privately
owned utility companies, telecommunications companies
and private sector individuals and companies. For example,
Spitzer & Associates is currently in the process
of handling the development process for a residential
subdivision of a ranch property in the Wimberley, Texas
area and has been involved in the development process
of a new campus for the Institute for Individual and
World Peace in Santa Barbara, California. We also handle
site acquisition and brokerage representation for private
sector clients.
What
does Spitzer & Associates mean by “oversight” of
a project?
When we use
the term “oversight” we are referring to
a whole range of services that we provide. An organization
may hire Spitzer & Associates to provide expert
advice for its existing operations to ensure compliance
with federal regulations or to maximize efficiency
and thus save money. Many entities have learned that
it can be very beneficial to have a “second set
of (experienced) eyes” look at the workings of
a project or a department. We may be hired to review
budgets, cost estimates, schedules, and processes.
We can also monitor a project or program and advise
management of potential problems, issues, and opportunities.
Spitzer & Associates is currently a sub consultant
to engineering firms providing these services on behalf
of the Federal Transit Administration. In this scenario,
we represent the federal government to ensure that
the real estate portion of programs it funds are being
handled efficiently and are following the Uniform Act
and other applicable regulations. We also ensure, in
the lingo of the industry, that its real estate programs
have the “capacity and capability” to meet
its budgets and schedules.
Project (Program) Oversight in
some capacity makes sense. It provides unbiased outside
advice and expertise to ensure that your projects meet
schedules and budgets and applicable regulations. It
saves time and money.
What
does “due diligence services” mean?
“Due diligence” means different
things in different industries—yet it all means
essentially the same thing. It originally came into
common use as a result of the U.S. Securities Act of
1933. In the act, Broker-Dealers would not be held
liable for nondisclosure of information that failed
to be uncovered in the process as long as they had
conducted a “Due Diligence” investigation
into the company who’s equity they were selling
and disclosed to the investor what they found.
A due diligence investigation is a reasonable investigation
to find all facts that would be of interest to an investor
or acquirer of a business (or in our industry, property).
It may or may not uncover all such facts, but it should
be done in a manner reasonably calculated to do so.
Thus there are due diligence investigations concerning
stock offerings and similarly, when a company is being
purchased. Even in the real estate industry there are
different kinds of due diligence investigations.
One type is when an entity purchases
a site, usually for subdivision or development of a
specific use. Often there is a period, after the tract
is under contract and before it closes, when a prospective
buyer has the right to determine if the site can be
used as intended. It involves research into a number
of issues that affect the property and its uses. These
may include zoning, flood plain, development restrictions,
environmental issues, title, and a myriad of other
issues that need to be investigated. Spitzer & Associates
can expertly provide this service for you.
Another type of real
estate due diligence is determining exactly what property
and/or easements a company or individual owns. This
is most common when an entity owns a number of tracts
and/or easements, like say a utility or telecommunication
firm does. They may have expanded by buying competitors
who had their own holdings. Spitzer & Associates
has been hired in such a situation to provide due diligence
services to determine where the company held easements,
fee simple tracts, and improvements. We can create
databases to track this information in an orderly efficient
manner. We can acquire additional property rights when
they may be needed to accompany what is already determined
to be owned.
Thus “Due Diligence” is
a broad term that is used in slightly different ways
by a number of different industries. Regardless, it
essentially means a thorough, comprehensive investigation.
Spitzer & Associates is very experienced when the
term is applied to real estate.
Spitzer & Associates
has an attorney as a part of its Leadership Team.
Does that mean you provide legal services?
No. Not traditional
legal services, as you might imagine. It means that
we have someone on our team with extensive real estate
legal experience—especially in the legal end
of governmental real estate and regulations. This is
an asset in a wide variety of projects, such as: project
management oversight, project management, relocation
assistance and acquisition services, due diligence
services, etc. Having an attorney as a part of the
team is a big asset for Spitzer & Associates. It
means we can provide limited legal opinions and strategizing
related to our projects. It is another level of quality
assurance for you.
Spitzer & Associates
is active in many organizations—especially
on the national level—should that matter to me?
I’m just a small local entity.
Because nobody, no matter
how good they are knows everything. If they tell you
they do, turn around slowly and start walking.
Our national involvement means
numerous contacts with experts all over the country.
These are resources upon which we rely (and they rely
upon us) for guidance in unusual or complex situations.
We bounce ideas off each other. Often we team together
to provide services for a project; relying upon the
particular strengths of each company to provide the
client with the best service possible.
This involvement costs Spitzer & Associates
time and money, but it is well worth it. It keeps us
up to date on the latest issues and changes in laws
and regulations. It empowers our employees and helps
us to continue to provide the highest quality staffing
possible. Besides that—it’s fun.
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