»  bytes from the bird

The days when uptown condo projects were shooting into the Charlotte, NC skyline with ease have come to a screeching halt. A dozen are either planned or under way, but Center City Partners said one-third are having problems. Catalyst was supposed to have more than 400 condos. Now the developer is thinking about renting some out instead of selling them because of low sales. Three major projects are currently on hold. The Park Condos has run into well-publicized money problems, 210 Trade has had legal problems, and Wachovia’s housing venture was stopped short because of the Wells Fargo merger.

What does this mean for Charlotte area marketing, branding, communications, and advertising agencies? It means you can no longer count on a steady stream of new real-estate clients with deep marketing budgets and a voracious need for marketing and branding collateral. It also signals a good time to find clients in more recession-proof industries like healthcare or renewable energy.