Commercial Investment Real Estate July/August 2018 | Page 14

CCIM
Q& A
Serving Clients A to Z
by Sarah Hoban
ugene Wang, CCIM, is
capitalizing on his diverse
skills in brokerage and in the
Asian-American and Pacific
Islander community to take advan-
tage of Houston’s strong market.
“Houston has experienced tremen-
dous growth over the past few years,
largely due to significant job growth
in the area,” says Wang.
Wang is principal/broker at Agate
Properties,
the Houston commercial
Eugene Wang
real estate company he started in
2016. He began his real estate career in Texas in 2012, working
as an agent for Davis Properties, a Houston firm. He focused on
the retail sector, concentrating on leases and investment sales,
and continues that focus today at Agate. CIRE talked to Wang
about his work in the nation’s fourth-largest city. investment and an upward trajectory for the industry here. I
do mostly investment sales for my clients, buying and selling
shopping centers. I also work with a development group, SGRE
Capital Group. We buy and build neighborhood shopping centers
in Texas.
CIRE: Describe how Houston’s growth has affected
your company. Wang: The retail market is in the midst of major changes, pri-
marily driven by the rapid growth in e-commerce. Retailers and
developers that can provide a unique experience to customers or
are well-insulated from the threat of e-commerce are the ones
that will thrive and survive.
Wang: Houston has a very pro-business climate. There’s been a
tremendous amount of real estate development and new homes
being built in the area, and this has spurred a cycle of real estate
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July | August 2018
CIRE: What have been the long-term effects of last year’s
Hurricane Harvey on the market?
Wang: Nine months after the storm came ashore, many Hous-
tonians are still in the process of recovering. Overall, the city has
shown remarkable resilience. People have supported each other
through volunteering and charity and we are a stronger city now
because of it. One challenge now is to find the balance between
new regulations that will reduce the impact from future flood
damage, while maintaining the appeal of Houston’s real estate
market to families and businesses.
CIRE: What do you see ahead for real estate professionals
in the retail sector in your market?
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