Decade Answers: Herbert Agin

Herbert Agin the CEO at Sutton & Edwards Inc., Lake Success, N.Y. What are your predictions for commercial real estate in the new decade? If everyone followed this philosophy we wouldn't be in the mess we are in now. So it turns out industry experts weren't as clever as they thought. Sure, when real estate was on fire from 1995 to 2008, riding momentum seemed sensible-even smart, maybe. Now it's back to reality, and many are repentant especially those who got caught up in the, "it's different this time" mentality. No, it's always the same. The origin of the saying, "buy low and sell high" is unknown, but the concept is simple enough and are both cited in print since 1826. Problem is, it rarely happens. Best advice: Take advantage of and make intelligent decisions based upon traditional principles.