Anna Crook, Author at Ironvest Partners

Blog

Beyond Grateful

We are coming up on our 4th Anniversary of starting Ironvest Partners, and what a wonderful four years it has been. From our kitchen table to an empty office, and now an office overflowing with people, this capitalist adventure has been one of a true partnership. I wanted to take the time to say thank […]

Birmingham: Here to Stay

I grew up in Americus, Georgia, a small town in Southwest Georgia with a rich history and a Mayberry-like feel. My next stop was Statesboro, Georgia, a similarly great small town, where I graduated from Georgia Southern University. I moved to Birmingham one week after graduation to work for a student housing development firm but […]

Huntsville: A Boomtown

What is one word you would use to describe Huntsville, AL? For me it would be “Boomtown”. Wikipedia describes boomtown as follows: A boomtown is a community that undergoes sudden and rapid population and economic growth, or that is started from scratch. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, […]

Commercial Real Estate Update Q1 2021

Recently, I have been asked the following questions on a repetitive basis. I thought it might be helpful to share some insight on some hot real estate topics. Why is commercial real estate doing so well? Interest rates are at all time lows. We can do commercial loans at 3.75% compared to 5% pre-covid. The […]

Fall Forward in 2021

I was recently wrapping up my goal setting for 2021 and surfing the web for some motivation. I came across this outstanding commencement speech by Denzel Washington: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENdVJTKy2Ds. His theme for the speech was “Fall Forward”. We can all agree that this past year was difficult with many falls. However, what matters is how we […]

Pinch Me This Couldn’t Possibly Be Birmingham

A few months ago when the pandemic first hit and there were protests all over our country, I was pessimistic about the future of commercial real estate. Retail, hospitality, and restaurants were closed. Employees were working from home—and there was fear that a large percentage of the workforce would not return to their offices. There […]

To Lease or Purchase? It is time to take advantage.

In order to stimulate economic growth by encouraging borrowing and investing, the Federal government has recently lowered interest rates to all-time lows. Let’s take a hypothetical but realistic example of why every business owner should consider taking advantage of this opportunity. A business owner has identified a building that is available for purchase or lease. The building […]

Uplifting Local Stories and an IVP Update

The world was turned upside down in the first quarter of 2020. The news headlines are surreal, almost as if you are watching a frightening science fiction movie. We don’t want to downplay reality, but for a few minutes, let’s be inspired by some amazing people among us. First, a personal story: At Ironvest […]

Just Do It in 2020

Without a doubt one of my favorite times of the year is the Christmas/New Year season. We get to celebrate our Savior’s birthday, spend time with friends and family, eat and drink a little too much, and get away from work. In my case, I also use this time of year to review the previous […]

The Retail Industry: How Bob Dylan Had It Right

I know most of you don’t follow retail business and retail real estate as close as I do, but I am sure you have seen the headlines in recent years: “Why the Physical Store Model is Dead,” “The Retail Apocalypse,” and “Sick Stores: These are the Chains That are Dying off Fastest”. The truth of […]