Commercial Real Estate Show Examines How LinkedIn Can Benefit Businesses and the Network’s New Features

ATLANTA, GA (Dec. 27, 2012) – LinkedIn: It’s not just for job-seeking anymore. In fact, the social-media network’s biggest strength may be the ability it affords firms to grow their business-to-business relationships and sales.

 Those were some of the major points made by a renowned social-consultant on the newest episode of the “Commercial Real Estate Show” radio program hosted by Michael Bull. The episode also provided a detailed overview of some of the social-media network’s newest features, such as “endorsements.”

 “If you talk to most people, they would say LinkedIn is the place to find a job or to find new candidates to work at a company … ,” said Eve Mayer, CEO of the Social Media Delivered consulting firm. “But I believe LinkedIn may be the most underestimated business-to-business sales tool ever. This tool has really changed the way business-to-business organizations are able to prospect and to build relationships.”

Mayer has been ranked by Forbes as the fifth-most influential woman in social media, and Klout has named her the second-most influential authority on LinkedIn, behind only the network itself. Mayer does not work for LinkedIn or have a financial interest in the organization.

 LinkedIn recently provided users with the ability to “endorse” the skills of other users. As Mayer described it, endorsements are quick-and-easy versions of the network’s “recommendation” feature.

 “[Endorsements] are basically the Stove Top stuffing version of recommendations – they’re quick, easy and pre-made for you,” she said. “You just click a button, and it’s pretty much done. It’s the lazy-man’s recommendation.”

The entire episode on LinkedIn tips and strategies is available for download at www.CREshow.com.

For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

 Contact:

Stephen Ursery

The Wilbert Group

404.965.5026

sursery@thewilbertgroup.com

Wall Street Comes to Main Street as Chicago’s MACK Companies Sells 196 Single-Family Rentals to American Residential Properties, Inc.

18700 Chestnut, Country Club Hills

CHICAGO, IL – MACK Companies, the largest owner of single-family investment properties in Chicago, and American Residential Properties, Inc., a real estate investment trust, have announced that MACK recently sold 196 investment properties to American Residential Properties for $28 million.

 According to James McClelland, president and CEO of Tinley Park, Ill.-based MACK Companies, the bulk sale to American Residential Properties marks the largest performing single-family asset deal in the U.S. this year, and perhaps ever.

Jim McClelland

  “With good reason there’s been a significant increase in interest from institutional investors wanting to enter the single-family market this year, but the only deals the industry has seen close so far have been bulk foreclosure buys on homes that still need to be redeveloped and leased. There certainly hasn’t been anything on the level of this deal when it comes to performing single-family rentals,” said McClelland.

 MACK and ARP have also reached an agreement in principal that would supply ARP with up to 30-50 properties each month during the next 24-36 months. The transactions would mean another 1,000 properties purchased from MACK, said McClelland

Stephen G. Schmitz

 “What American Residential Properties smartly realizes is that not only is there a shorter return time on their investment by purchasing performing single-family assets, but they’re also buying properties from a firm with proven experience in managing hundreds of single-family rentals. 

"We’ve been at this a long time, we’re not just figuring this out as we go along because single-family rentals happen to be the hottest asset class around,” McClelland continued.

Eric Workman

“We’ve been looking at entering the Chicago market for a while given its high foreclosure volume and robust demand for single-family rentals, but we didn’t want to partner with a firm just because it had a large amount of inventory – it had to be the right inventory,” said Steve Schmitz, CEO of Scottsdale, Ariz.-based American Residential Properties, which until now had invested in single-family properties in the Southwestern and Southeastern United States.

 “MACK doesn’t just grab a random portfolio of distressed properties – it cherry picks its properties. We liked that they were very discerning in their buys, because we’re discerning in ours.”

 “Over the past two years we have had a number of institutional investors offer various partnership models, but they just didn’t fit our business philosophy”, said Eric Workman, vice president of Sales for MACK.

  “What we found with ARP was a true alignment of company cultures and beliefs related to this asset class. Each company believes very strongly in a tenant-focused approach and in a long-term ownership strategy. Those values, along with ARP’s capital structure and commitment to this industry make us confident that this is the right deal for all parties involved.”

For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Mark Thomton

 (312) 267-4523

 mthomton@taylorjohnson.com

www.MACKcompanies.us

www.MACKestates.com

.