Market Knowledge Developers should invest time into building market knowledge, with particular attention to supply and demand trends, economic factors, and demographic shifts that influence property values and occupancy rates. Local news outlets, commercial real estate blogs, and influential thought leaders are good to follow to gain insight into industry trends. For developers coming to real estate from another industry, sitting down with real estate professionals to learn about their personal experiences can help build knowledge. Investing time into understanding the market before development begins will allow your team to better understand the kinds of projects to tackle and how to navigate shifting trends. 12