The "Fiscal Cliff" is looming, with the entire country poised to tip over the edge on January 1, 2013. While the cliff primarily has to do with taxes and government spending, it is likely to have a broad impact on the economy. These broader effects will have CRE portfolio management consequences. Formulating a strategy for the remainder of 2012 can help to mitigate these risks. These three best practices should prove helpful in protecting commercial real estate tenants from its impacts.

While the looming fiscal cliff may not be good for business, it could actually yield certain benefits vis-a-vis a company's commercial real estate portfolio. Setting aside the hysteria and to look at the potential impact, it becomes clear that the cliff poses more of a threat to private landlords than to anyone else. Should the country go over the cliff, it is likely to impact the commercial real estate world in two different ways -- by changing the tax code and by impacting the broader economy.