THE WEEK IN REVIEW

Welcome to my weekly newsletter featuring a personal note on the ever-evolving world of real estate along with a few news-worthy updates. Enjoy!

ACCeLERATED INTELLIGENCE?

We are all familiar with the meteoric rise of Artificial Intelligence. Hype and investment in the AI space reached a fevered pitch in 2024. But the next big thing is already emerging....Artificial SUPER intelligence.

Some predict that we are about 5-6 years away from computers being so incredibly smart that they won't need humans anymore. Yes, computers will be so “smart” (fast, full of data and knowledge with the ability to think and rationalize) that Super AI may render certain humans and the work they do extinct.

For anyone in an information delivery business, the pressure to remain relevant is real. But A.I - not unlike a laptop or the internet - is merely a tool. So how do you best utilize and indeed leverage this tool?

• Think of A.I. as ACCELERATED intelligence, a tool that accelerates knowledge and speeds up procedures and processes. Time is the last luxury.

• Anything that saves us time allows us to focus on the high value aspects of our business: more face time with clients, more personalization, and more focus on the client experience.

• Professionals will have even greater responsibility to be the best EDITORS of all the information and noise out there. Data without context is not knowledge. Professionals provide context.

• Anyone can ask A.I. all the questions, but focused, experienced professionals know how to ask the RIGHT Questions.

  
  

Knowing how to direct A.I.'s tremendous capability will define the next generation of successful professionals.

real estate & the news

• Since February, the number of homes sold for $10 million or more has surged in major US markets. Between Feb. 1 and May 1, 2025 sales at that price point in Palm Beach, surged 50% from the same period last year, while sales in Miami-Dade County jumped 48.5% year-over-year. In Aspen, sales jumped 43.75% in that same period, followed by Los Angeles County at 29% and Manhattan at 21%. (WSJ)

• Are Data Centers experiencing NIMBY-ism?  Would YOU want a data center in your backyard? Some do, some don't.... Data centers, while providing essential services, can negatively impact neighborhoods through increased energy consumption, water usage, noise pollution (60db-plus), and potential environmental concerns. They can also lead to changes in land use, property value fluctuations, and visual impacts like loss of scenic views. Data centers typically employ 15-50 people depending on their size. Data centers often qualify for big tax breaks. (WSJ-plus)

• Young workers up to the age of 24 are coming to the office an average of three days a week, higher than all other age groups, per a recent global study of 12,000 employees by real estate firm JLL. (CNBC)

• Moody’s Ratings has downgraded the US’s credit rating one notch from Aaa to Aa1, leaving the U.S. government without a top grade among any of the major rating agencies. Moody's cited rising debt and interest payment ratios that are significantly higher than similarly rated sovereigns. (USA TODAY)

• In the most recent fiscal year, US banks flagged more than 4 million suspicious transactions and nearly 21 million transactions involving more than $10,000 in cash, federal data show. The volume of corruption is staggering. (WSJ)

around dc

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Lee Arrowood

Principal, Arrowood Advisory at Compass

M: 202.251.3175

O: 202.448.9002

lee.arrowood@compass.com

+$173M Sold In 2023

#3 Team Lead 2022