Against a backdrop of unstable capital market conditions and a growing and increasingly complex real estate market, some institutional decision makers have chosen to augment the traditional consulting services provided by a primary real estate consultant by adding a “bench” of one or more specialty real estate consultants that can be called upon on an ad hoc basis as needs arise.

Philip Glick, senior vice president at ECBM Insurance Brokers & Consultants, answers this month’s reader’s question.

From an insurance and risk management standpoint, LEED-certified construction may represent significantly better risks to the insurance industry.

The idea is that developers and operators of LEED-certified buildings who put a greater emphasis on environmentally clean sites and construction methods, along with the selection of top-quality contractors, building methods and materials, will produce better built projects with lower operational costs.

The current credit crisis has significantly crimped the flow of capital available to real estate investors. Getting a deal financed has become much more challenging due to the lack of funds as well as stricter underwriting standards. Larry Gray, editorial director of Institutional Real Estate, Inc., spoke with John Levy, president of Richmond, Va.–based real estate investment banking firm John B. Levy & Co., to get his take on the current capital market environment.