Michael
Bull is a 30-year veteran of the commercial real estate industry and the
president and founder of Bull Realty, a full-service brokerage firm based in
Atlanta. He’s also the host of “America’s Commercial Real Estate Show,” a weekly radio program that airs every
Saturday at 10 a.m. on Atlanta radio station Biz 1190 (WAFS-AM). The show also
is available at the show’s website and on iTunes.
We
recently got a chance to chat with Michael about the show, the commercial real
estate recovery and the one album he can’t do without.
HS: Tell
us how you came to host "America's Commercial Real Estate Show." Is
radio broadcasting something you've long been interested in?
Bull: Several
people had suggested I host a radio show saying I had the knowledge, voice and
personality. So I figured the translation was they thought I was full of it.
When Bull Realty started doing well again in
2010, that allowed me the flexibility to go out and promote our services. I
approached some stations and designed the show. I was surprised how informative
the shows were right away and how popular the show has become in only two
years. The show has more fans in California and New York than in Atlanta. Guess
they like southern accents.
I had no longing to host a show, although I am a
talk-radio fan. I did have some experience in front of a microphone, though: I was
briefly a lead singer in a band, and I still enjoy singing. The people in cars
at traffic lights don’t tip well though.
HS: How
much time goes into preparing for each episode?
Bull: That
was another surprise. Between myself and the crew, we spend approximately 50
hours a week on the show, and that does not include our guests’ prep time. If
you have ever put together a panel for an event, think about this: we do that
every week. And the show is not just heard once by a group of people in one
room. It’s heard by thousands of people all over the world on the radio, online
and on iTunes. So we put in a lot of effort to provide informative content
every week. Several companies have told us they use the show for training. I
hope they see my tip jar.
HS: Stepping
away from the show for a bit, what's your general take on the state of the
commercial real estate industry in 2012?
Bull: It’s
in a slow recovery. Multifamily, net lease and medical properties are leading
the recovery, while industrial, office and retail are bringing up the rear and
in that order. Investor demand is high, and sales activity levels are healthy.
The lack of construction has helped with absorption, although Atlanta still
trails national occupancy averages. So depending on your perspective, Atlanta
commercial real estate is a good place to be.
HS: If
you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life, which one would
it be?
Bull: The
Producers! Remember them? They were from Atlanta. “Hey, what’s he got that I
ain’t got? He’s got you, that’s what he got, that’s what he’s got.”
But if I could only listen to one, I would have
to pick a Beatles album.