Q&A: CCIM Institute’s Site To Do Business

2024 will mark the 25th anniversary of the introduction of Site To Do Business (STDB), an integrated suite of online tools built for commercial real estate professionals. . As an industry pioneer in the CRE Tech space, STDB understands the importance of data. Since its inception, STDB has continued to innovate and elevate how technology can change the game for CRE professionals.

STDB is a product of CCIM Technologies, Inc. and available to The CCIM Institute Members as a member benefit. D’Etta Casto-DeLeon, CCIM, CCMS, who will serve as the 2024 Global President of The CCIM Institute, is also a Director at CBRE Capital Markets in Loan Services. As such, she is both an authority on STDB and a beneficiary, using the platform in her work as a correspondent for lenders. Here, she discusses how STDB has evolved, how she uses the tools and how it can benefit both commercial real estate professionals and their clients.

Q: Tell us a little bit about The CCIM Institute.

A: The CCIM Institute’s education is known for both its difficulty and quality, and the CCIM Designation is recognized and respected worldwide. Professionals who earn the CCIM Designation often find that it opens doors to new opportunities in the commercial real estate industry and enhances their credibility among clients and colleagues. I know, in my business, many doors have been opened both because of the education and the relationships I have formed over the years.

While The CCIM Institute is known for education, the organization heavily focuses on networking and provides other technology benefits that will help people be more successful, hence increasing their income. This is done through a suite of tools offered by our sister company CCIM Technologies, Inc and their product, Site To Do Business.

Q: How do The CCIM Institute Members benefit from Site To Do Business? Did you know about STDB before? How would it have served you in prior roles?

A: The CCIM Institute members have access to the suite of tools that allows them to make better data driven decisions; these tools are also available via stand-alone subscription through stdb.com. Whether a user is looking for demographic information, trend data, or creating customized marketing materials, there are solutions within Site To Do Business that can help. There are countless examples of how the data within Site To Do Business has helped professionals close deals, find sites, avoid risk and used data to benefit their clients.

As a correspondent for numerous institutional lenders, I use the Site To Do Business tools to map and visualize various factors such as neighborhood demographics, market trends and nearby amenities. In addition, I search for information on environmental hazard, flood zones, crime and other factors that could impact the long-term viability and profitability of a property. These tools help us analyze real estate market trends, identify emerging markets, and understand supply and demand dynamics. This information can inform lending strategies and help lenders make more accurate risk assessments and identify opportunities for growth.

Q: When you consider the core tenets of The CCIM Institute (Networking, Education, and Technology), how does STDB fit into where the commercial industry is going and how it provides value for members?

A: Data is more important than ever in the commercial real estate industry. Services that can assist in delivering actionable results are incredibly valuable to real estate professionals. When we choose tools that reside within Site To Do Business, we carefully vet them to ensure they have a proven track record of quality data and a solid business model. We offer data from a variety of CRE data experts, including Esri and Core Logic.

The number of businesses focused on CRE Tech has skyrocketed in recent years. These companies have spent enormous amounts of financial capital to attempt to build better data resources; however, there aren’t many services out there that can help as broad of an audience as we have at with Site To Do Business. The tools we add to our suite are vetted and curated by CRE professionals and for CRE professionals.

Q: Within your role at The CCIM Institute, what are some of the success stories of members using STDB?

A: There are countless success stories that I have heard about. Here are some things that our users say about the Site To Do Business:

• “Of all the tools I use, the STDB is by far the best value, period. The Business Analyst tool alone is worth the price of admission. Adding ArcGIS Online and the other tools, makes it a true powerhouse. If I were to subscribe to a group of similar tools, it would likely be at least three times the cost and not nearly as functional.”

• “Site-to-do-Business is a valuable tool that I use to analyze the market area for potential commercial real estate investments that our firm is considering. It is also useful in helping to formulate future strategies for assets that we currently own. “

• “STDB helps me to make better Commercial Real Estate decisions when business gets tough. I know that having a differentiating factor is like having an ace up my sleeve. Being able to use data in our decision-making process helps to ease the nerves of our investors. It also allows us to better understand what our financial partners are looking for in volatile times. When you can provide a level head in tumultuous times, then you are really providing your client a service.”

Q: As the industry continues to evolve, how do you see technology impacting your members and how do you see STDB evolving to fit that need?

A: Technology is poised to have a profound impact on the commercial real estate industry in several key areas. Understanding human movement data and integrating artificial intelligence data will continue to help professionals identify optimal locations for new developments, assess market demand, and understand spatial relationships between properties and amenities. The goal for Site To Do Business is to provide a toolkit that is dynamically responding to the needs of CRE professionals.

Q: New technology is hard to adopt and learn. How does STDB support new subscribers?

A: There are a variety of ways for users to become familiar with the Site To Do Business tools.

1. The staff provides weekly training sessions for new and existing users.

2. Our learning center houses step-by-step video tutorials focused on how to use the tools as well as how to make money using the tools. These tutorials guide users through the different capabilities and workflows of the site.

3. There are multiple webinars delivered each month on special topics and overall use cases.

4. We also offer in-person training in two formats: one day or two-day courses, usually sponsored by a local Chapter of The CCIM Institute.