Atomic Commercial Real Estate Group

10/30/2026

A little bit of City of Fort Pierce history on your Friday.

In 1925 the Fort Pierce Chamber of Commerce announced a whole winter city. The plan for San Lucie Plaza called for some six thousand lots along Capron Trail Boulevard, now 25th Street. The street name came from Fort Capron, a United States Army outpost of 1850, and it is about the only part of the scheme that behaved as expected. 🌴

When the land boom collapsed, the National Register nomination for the apartment block that did go up states the outcome plainly. None of the development's plans were realized, in the nomination's words, save for the platting and dedication of a few streets. Six thousand lots on paper, and a handful of streets in the sand.

What did get built was substantial. A Mediterranean Revival apartment block, two storeys, one hundred and seventeen feet by two hundred and thirty five, sixteen apartments arranged in a U. Each ran about seventeen hundred and fifty square feet, with a living room fifteen by twenty, a bedroom thirteen by fifteen, and a sunroom and dining room of comparable size. The architect was Arthur Beck of Elmira, New York. It cost a hundred and twenty five thousand dollars, was finished in 1926, and the Fort Pierce News-Tribune announced it on 22 October under the headline Markert Apartments Just Completed.

In 1928 Alice Binney, of the Binney Crayola money, bought the complex and renamed it Casa Caprona, after the same vanished fort that had named the boulevard. 🖍️ The parcel eventually listed on the National Register comes to approximately one acre of ground. That is the whole arithmetic of the Florida dream in one line. Six thousand lots were promised to the public in 1925. One acre is what the record finally carried, bought by a crayon fortune and named for an army post already long gone.

10/30/2026

Quick question for the investors out there. Which would you rather own?

A) One 200,000 SF warehouse with a single national tenant
B) 20,000 SF of small bays with ten local tenants

Comment A or B and tell us why. We'll share what the market is saying next week.

📍 Engel & Völkers Commercial – Hutchinson Island | Atomic Group

10/30/2026

We need your help!! Echo, the Wild Baby Grevy’s Zebra, has wandered off the map! He’s only one month old and needs to be found. The first five young explorers to bring a map back with the correct location to Admissions will win a prize from the Gift Shop. Where could he be 👀🦓🌾

10/30/2026

Start your week off right! Beat the rush and kick off the week with a great round.

Book your tee time today! https://meadowoodgolfandtennis.com/

10/29/2026

Rates are staying higher for longer. Here's what that means if you own commercial property on the Treasure Coast.

The Fed raised rates in September for the first time since 2023, and markets expect more tightening ahead. But the number that really drives commercial financing is the 10-year Treasury. It's been hovering around 5% after hitting its highest level in more than 20 years this month.

Commercial loans typically price 2 to 3 points over the 10-year, so many owners are seeing quotes of 7% to 8% or more. That changes what buyers can pay and what it costs to refinance.

Have a loan coming due in the next two years? Your options may be narrower than you expect, or better. A short conversation will tell you where you stand. Call us at 772.410.4155.

📍 Engel & Völkers Commercial – Hutchinson Island | Atomic Group

This commentary reflects the professional opinions of Engel & Völkers Commercial, Hutchinson Island / Atomic Group and is provided for general informational purposes only. It is not investment, financial, tax, or legal advice. Market data is drawn from third-party sources believed to be reliable; figures are subject to change.

10/17/2026

Our team spent the day in Port St. Lucie volunteering at the Special Olympics regional bowling competition, and it was one of the best days we've had all year.

We helped keep score, cheered on every frame and handed out medals to athletes who brought real skill, focus and sportsmanship to the lanes. The energy in the building was something else. Every strike got a celebration, and so did every spare, every split and every gutter ball that came with a smile.

Thank you to Special Olympics Florida, the coaches, families and fellow volunteers who make these events happen. Most of all, congratulations to the athletes. You made our day!

We're proud to call the Treasure Coast home and grateful for the chance to give back to it.

Engel & Völkers Commercial – Hutchinson Island | Atomic Group

09/30/2026

Own land on the Space Coast or Treasure Coast? It's value may not match the offers you're getting.

Industrial vacancy along our coasts has been running around 3 to 3.5%, which is about as tight as markets get. Businesses need flex, warehouse and contractor space, and they need land to build it on.
The owners who get top dollar are the ones who show buyers exactly what their property can become: what zoning allows, whether utilities are there, and what a developer could build.
Our new blog post walks through the 5 steps to position your land for its highest and best use. Link below.

Want a confidential review of your property? Call us 772-643-0889

09/28/2026

What would it cost to build your apartment property today?

That is a question more multifamily owners should be asking.
Across the Treasure Coast and Space Coast, new development is becoming more expensive. Land costs, construction costs, impact fees, utility connections, insurance, financing, permitting, and lease-up risk all factor into what it takes to bring new apartment units to market.
For owners of existing multifamily properties, that matters.
A buyer is not only looking at your rent roll, cap rate, and price per unit. They may also be comparing your property to the cost and risk of building something similar from the ground up.
An existing 20-, 40-, or 80-unit property with stable occupancy, in-place income, and operational upside may offer a very different value proposition than new construction.
That does not mean every property is automatically worth more. Buyers are still underwriting carefully. Rents, expenses, insurance, taxes, deferred maintenance, and current NOI all matter.
But replacement cost should be part of the conversation.
Own a multifamily property on the Treasure Coast or Space Coast? Before determining what it is worth, understand what it would cost today’s buyer to recreate it.
Atomic Commercial Group helps multifamily owners evaluate current income, market rents, expenses, cap rates, price per unit, comparable sales, replacement cost, and buyer demand.
If you own 10+ units in Indian River, St. Lucie, or Brevard County, contact Atomic Commercial Group for a confidential property valuation and market review.

09/25/2026

Higher for Longer: What Rising Rates Mean for CRE

The Fed's latest quarter-point hike (3.75%–4%) is its first since 2023 and the 10-year Treasury crossing 5% for the first time since 2007 matters more to your financing costs than any Fed headline.

What this means for owners and buyers:

Commercial debt is now pricing 200–300bps over the 10-year with many loans quoting 7% - 8%+
Lenders are tightening: stronger DSCR requirements, lower leverage, less patience on maturity extensions
Owners who can't refinance at today's rates are facing forced sales and that's creating real opportunity for capitalized buyers

Our read for the next 12 months: the gap between well-capitalized buyers and over-leveraged owners keeps widening and that gap is where the opportunity lives. Buyers waiting for 2021 pricing to return will keep waiting. The disciplined ones underwriting to today's numbers are the ones transacting.

📍 Engel & Völkers Commercial – Hutchinson Island | Atomic Group

This is a professional opinion for general informational purposes only; not investment, financial, tax, or legal advice.