WASHINGTON, D.C. — CoStar Group has entered into an agreement to acquire Homesnap Inc. for $250 million. Homesnap is an online and mobile software platform designed for real estate agents. According to CoStar, more than 300,000 real estate agents use the app an average of 30 times per month. Andy Florance, founder and president of CoStar, says the Washington, D.C.-based data firm will expand Homesnap’s residential platform to commercial brokers. Homesnap, also based in D.C., employs about 150 people. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year. CoStar expects the acquisition to quadruple the number of users on its platform from 100,000 to 400,000 members. The sale will also nearly double the number of property listings from 1.4 million to more than 2.6 million.
BALTIMORE — A joint venture between Kemp Byrnes and Brad Byrnes of Byrnes & Associates Inc. and local entrepreneur Dave Gupta has purchased two historic buildings in downtown Baltimore for an undisclosed price. The assets, situated at 225 and 233 E. Redwood St., combine to span 90,000 square feet of office and retail space. The buyers plan to implement a $5 million renovation and rebranding into the properties. The four-story building at 225 E. Redwood St. will be known as the Vickers Building, and the 13-story building located at 233 E. Redwood St. will be dubbed the Redwood Exchange. The buyers will transform the upper floors of the Redwood Exchange, which currently houses the law office of Gordon Feinblatt LLC, into a multi-tenant space. The ground floors of both buildings will be leased to restaurant and retail users. More than $3 million has been invested in the properties over the past five years by the previous undisclosed owner to upgrade the exterior, interior common areas and HVAC system. Vickers Exchange was originally built in 1904 and includes Werner’s Restaurant, a pop-culture icon that has been featured in TV shows and movies such as “The Wire,” “Liberty Heights,” “Ladder 49,” “Tin …
SAVANNAH, GA. — Berkadia has arranged the $33.8 million sale of Georgetown Woods/Waterford Plantation, a 248-unit multifamily community in Savannah. The property offers one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans. Communal amenities include a pool, fitness center, clubhouse and tennis courts. The property is situated at 1 Saint George Blvd., 13 miles south of downtown Savannah. Mark Boyce and Blake Coffey of Berkadia represented the seller, South Carolina-based Waterford Plantation LLC, in the transaction. The buyer was Texas-based Napali Capital.
BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS — An affiliate of Milwaukee-based Phoenix Investors has acquired the 1 million-square-foot former tire plant of Titan International Inc. in Brownsville. The property spans 108 acres and was originally built in 1997. Titan, which manufactures road tires and wheel technology for a variety of industries, ceased production at the site in 2003 and converted the facility into a multi-tenant property. Michael Reid of Newmark represented Titan in the sale of the plant. The sale included land for future industrial development.
DALLAS — NorthMarq has arranged the sale of The Muse, an 804-unit workforce housing community located at 3035 W. Pentagon Parkway in South Dallas. The Muse features approximately 30 different unit types with an average size of 926 square feet. Units include nickel finishes, pantries, private patios/balconies, tile backsplashes, walk-in closets and individual washer and dryer connections. Amenities include a fitness center, business center and onsite laundry facilities. Taylor Snoddy, James Roberts and Philip Wiegand of NorthMarq represented the seller, S2 Capital LLC, in the transaction. Houston-based Nitya Capital purchased The Muse for an undisclosed price.
SAN ANTONIO — Hodges Ward Elliott (HWE) has brokered the sale of the 265-room Hotel Contessa, located at 306 W. Market St. in the Riverwalk area of downtown San Antonio. The 12-story luxury hotel was built in 2005 and features 10,000 square feet of event space, a rooftop pool and a restaurant/bar with Riverwalk views and access, as well as a full-service spa. John Bourret, Austin Brooks and David Auer of HWE represented the seller in the transaction. Lawrence Britvan and Pete Fehlman of HWE arranged acquisition financing on behalf of the undisclosed buyer.
SHAKOPEE, MINN. — Monument Capital Management has acquired White Pines Apartments in Shakopee, about 25 miles south of Minneapolis, for $19.7 million. The 123-unit apartment property, built in 1999, is located at 1321-1364 Eagle Creek Blvd. It features one-, two- and three-bedroom units. Amenities include a fitness center, laundry facility, patio areas and Amazon Hub lockers. Ted Bickel of Colliers International represented the seller, Abacus Capital Group. Monument plans to implement a capital improvement program.
CHICAGO — Kiser Group has brokered the $1.9 million condo deconversion sale of a 13-unit property in Chicago’s Albany Park neighborhood. Located at 5027-29 N. Harding Ave., the three-story building was originally constructed as apartments in 1931. It was converted into condos in 2006. Andy Friedman and Jake Parker of Kiser represented the condo association in the sale. The undisclosed buyer will convert the units back into apartments as well as make improvements. “This deal continues the trend of buildings that were converted to condos in the early 2000s now deconverting back to apartments,” says Friedman. Under the Condominium Property Act in Illinois, condo unit owners can elect to sell a property if 75 percent or more are in agreement. The city of Chicago recently increased the required owner approval to 85 percent. Sellers then have the option to either move out of their units or lease them back from the new owner. The deal “fits the mold of a property that would benefit from deconversion, with a high percentage of rental units and poor individual unit resale values,” says Parker.
MORRISVILLE, N.C. — JLL has arranged a $52.8 million loan for the acquisition and conversion of Perimeter’s Edge, a four-building, 341,547-square-foot property in Morrisville. The buyer and borrower, Longfellow Real Estate Partners, will convert the asset into a life sciences lab. MetLife Investment Management provided the five-year, floating-rate loan. Perimeter’s Edge is situated within Research Triangle Park at 2450 and 2600 Perimeter Park Drive, 507 Airport Blvd. and 515 McCrimmon Parkway. A timeline for construction was not disclosed. Greg LaBine, Roger Edwards and Martha Nay of JLL arranged the loan on behalf of the borrower. Brigitte Burkett of MetLife originated the loan.
SHERRILLS FORD, N.C. — Cushman & Wakefield has negotiated the $13.9 million sale of The Villages Shoppes at Sherrills Ford, a 60,298-square-foot, Publix-anchored shopping center in Sherrills Ford. The developer, Tampa, Fla.-based Wagner Property Group, sold the asset, which is located at the intersection of Slanting Bridge Road and Village Center North, 31 miles north of downtown Charlotte. Other tenants at the center include Hardee’s, Pizza Hut, Great Clips and Blue Sky Nails. Fain Hicks, Margaret Jones and Lane Breedlove of Cushman & Wakefield brokered the transaction. The buyer was Greensboro, N.C.-based Koury Corp.