Conference Coverage

Has Seniors Housing Gone ‘Mainstream?’ InterFace Panelists Weigh In

by Kristin Harlow March 26, 2019

LOS ANGELES — Seniors housing has generally been considered a niche asset class with niche residents. After all, there are age restrictions, finite timelines for most residents, third-party advocates (namely, the senior’s family), elevated rental rates, highly trained operators, a limited selection of amenities and oftentimes residents with special needs. None of the above has changed in recent years. What has changed, however, is the onslaught of Baby Boomers inching toward that stage in life where seniors housing services can accommodate their growing needs. What has also changed is the larger investment community’s perception of this product type and its potential, noted Investment Market Update panelists at InterFace Conference Group’s Seniors Housing West event, held March 7 at the Omni Los Angeles. The amount of capital chasing deals was a theme throughout the day-long conference, with numerous speakers noting there just isn’t enough supply to keep up with demand. “Seniors housing and skilled nursing has all this capital chasing it because it’s suddenly not an alternative asset class,” said Talya Nevo-Hacohen, CIO of Sabra Healthcare REIT. “The perception is that this is suddenly mainstream.” Panelists expressed concerns that this sudden interest may entice the wrong type of investors — and …

March 26, 2019

Conference Coverage Multifamily Western Western Feature Archive

InterFace Panel: San Diego Leaves Multifamily Investors Wanting More

by Amy Works March 22, 2019

SAN DIEGO — Multifamily properties in San Diego are in high demand — and not just among Millennials and empty nesters who long for convenience, walkability and beautiful ocean views. Panelists at InterFace Conference Group’s San Diego Multifamily Conference, held March 19 at the Sheraton Hotel & Marina, viewed this market as a hot one… if you can get in. “There hasn’t been a ton of multifamily transaction activity in San Diego,” said Aldon Cole, senior managing director at HFF and moderator of the “Who’s Lending?” panel. “It’s an interesting market that we’re all trying to navigate. We have to adapt in a low-trade environment.” San Diego’s reputation for being a stable market and one where people want to be are two of the factors contributing to this lack of opportunity. “During the last downturn, San Diego was the most stable market,” noted Mark Gleiberman, CEO of MG Properties Group and Developers/Owners panelist. “It always tends to be one of the most stable markets that we’re in. It’s not totally resistant to a downturn, but San Diego tends to fare better in most recessions than other markets.” Desirability paired with strong market fundamentals has created a very competitive landscape among …

March 22, 2019

California Conference Coverage Features Healthcare Western Western Feature Archive

Healthcare Real Estate Investors Choose to Diversify in Face of Fever-Pitch Property Demand, Say InterFace Panelists

by John Nelson March 14, 2019

It’s a highly competitive environment when it comes to healthcare real estate out West, so say InterFace Conference Group’s Healthcare Real Estate West panelists. One of the central themes of the day-long conference, which was held March 6 at the Omni Los Angeles and attracted 219 attendees, was the pent-up property demand from investors. However, most panelists agree the opportunities are somewhat limited due to a lack of new product and the long-term holding pattern many healthcare investors have adopted. “You have all this demand, yet transaction volume is staying flat,” said Darryl Freling, managing principal at MedProperties Realty Advisors and moderator of the 2019 Outlook panel. “Where’s the bottleneck? So much is held by healthcare systems and they’re not letting go because clearly there’s just so much demand.” Shane Seitz, fellow panelist and senior vice president at CBRE, doesn’t see this level of trading picking up, at least not with the current healthcare supply. “REITs don’t get incentivized to turn over their product,” he noted. “They buy and hold. They treat it just like the nonprofit health system does. They want to have it forever. We also have foreign and domestic groups coming in. They historically invest in funds, …

March 14, 2019

California Conference Coverage Features Seniors Housing Western Western Feature Archive

ProMatura’s Wylde: Seniors Housing Must Get Back to Basics

by John Nelson March 12, 2019

LOS ANGELES — Bells and whistles may be a distracting way to get a prospective seniors housing resident’s attention, but Margaret Wylde, CEO of ProMatura Group, believes they can take away from the core purpose of providing a safe, welcoming environment for seniors. “We spend so much money in this industry on amenities that people will never use,” she said. “People want a place they can call home. A place they can live in. A place where they don’t have to hide their things. We can cut out some amenities and invest more in rentable space and give them a better home to live in.” Wylde made the comments during her keynote address at InterFace Seniors Housing West, held March 7 at the Omni Los Angeles. The audience for her address was nearly 300 seniors housing industry professionals. The latest data from Mississippi-based research firm ProMatura notes that amenities aren’t identified as a priority to seniors, though they can make their families feel optimistic about a facility. The actual residents are focused on the type of unit, floor plan and price. “Gardening areas, libraries — they don’t help,” said Wylde. “It’s not about how much we can cram in to entertain. …

March 12, 2019

Conference Coverage Features Midwest Northeast Southeast Texas Western

How to Reach the Right Retail Audience

by Jaime Lackey January 27, 2019

It’s no secret that pop-up and experiential retail are hot topics. But it can be hard to figure out how best to engage audiences with an individual activation before, during and after the event. To help marketers solve this conundrum, Brandon Chesnutt, vice president and director of digital & development at Identity, hosted a session titled “Six Winning Pop-Up Retail Marketing Ideas Property Managers Can’t Ignore” during the 2019 Ancillary Retail Expo, a two-day conference produced by InterFace Conference Group and Ancillary Retail magazine. At issue during the session, which took place in mid-January at the Hilton Daytona Beach hotel, were a host of key topics for retailers looking to decide which pop-up retail marketing strategies generate the most attention, excitement and foot traffic. Chesnutt introduced the property owners and managers in attendance to tactics and campaign ideas that have the attention of retail marketers, including targeted social media advertising and tailored group activations. The Detroit native acknowledged that it’s an exciting time for marketers of all stripes, but said that excitement and energy comes with a host of questions about best practices in a rapidly changing industry. “The expectations of what is considered marketing are shifting,” said Chesnutt. “If …

January 27, 2019

Conference Coverage Features Georgia Multifamily Southeast

Lower Returns is a Fact of Life for Multifamily Stakeholders, Say InterFace Speakers

by John Nelson December 13, 2018

There is no shortage of capital available to seasoned multifamily developers and investors because the property sector’s underlying real estate fundamentals remain so strong. That was one of the key takeaways of the ninth annual InterFace Multifamily Southeast, a real estate conference hosted by InterFace Conference Group and Southeast Real Estate Business. The event drew more than 400 multifamily professionals to The Whitley hotel in Atlanta on Nov. 27. Speakers during the development panel said that multifamily real estate has plenty options on both the debt and equity sides, but underwriting financing for new construction can still be a strenuous process because they aren’t seeing as high of returns as years past. “Our return thresholds are lower, that’s a fact,” said Chad DuBeau, senior managing director of Mill Creek Residential Trust. “Construction costs are high and land prices are high. The cost of capital is very reasonable, but when you put all those factors together, underwriting is just difficult.” Panel moderator Ron Cameron, senior vice president and principal of Colliers International, asked his fellow panelists a pointed question about the state of the industry. If the multifamily cycle were a game of golf, what hole is the sector currently on? …

December 13, 2018

Conference Coverage Features Industrial Western

Effects of E-Commerce Ripple Across Salt Lake City Industrial Market, Concludes InterFace Panel

by Alex Tostado December 10, 2018

SALT LAKE CITY — E-commerce has emerged both as a major driver and hindrance to manufacturing growth in Salt Lake City, where increasing costs of technology are limiting the speed at which industrial users deliver goods to consumers. The rise of online shopping has been predicated on rapid delivery of product, but achieving an expedient pace of distribution requires greater investment in automated technology that can package and ship goods faster than human laborers. But e-commerce is not cheap to execute. According to Wick Udy, managing director in the Salt Lake City office of brokerage giant JLL, the cost of delivering an item purchased online generally accounts for about 25 to 30 percent of the total purchase price. “We’re starting to see a lot of these companies re-evaluate their network,” said Udy. “They’re going closer to the consumer, and that’s helping with logistics costs. E-commerce and certainly manufacturing are really what’s driving our market here.” Udy made his remarks during InterFace Industrial Real Estate in Salt Lake City on Nov. 29. The half-day conference at Little America Hotel and was followed by InterFace Multifamily Real Estate later that same day. All totaled, the two events drew 306 professionals from across …

December 10, 2018

Conference Coverage Features Multifamily Seniors Housing

Clear Information, Smart Analysis Fuel Successful Seniors Housing Market Studies

by Kristin Harlow December 4, 2018

PHILADELPHIA — If you own a piece of land that you think might be suitable for a seniors housing development, what is your best course of action to determine the feasibility of such a project? “The first step is to do a desktop study,” advises Cheri Clarke-Doyle, senior vice president of Trammell Crow Co. In other words, conduct a supply-demand analysis that projects demand based on current supply and population growth within a radius of five to seven miles, or a 15- to 20-minute drive time. If those analytics turn out to be favorable and help justify the site to the prospective operator or equity partner, proceed to the next step, urges Clarke-Doyle, who is responsible for sourcing and overseeing new healthcare, wellness and science development in the Northeast for Trammell Crow. “Once you get the results of that desktop study, I think you go into other factors relative to the site. Those factors include the size of the site: Will it support what you want to build? If you’re doing a specific prototype, will the prototype fit on that piece of land? It’s important to go through several checks on the land before you go into a more detailed study.” The …

December 4, 2018

Conference Coverage Features Georgia Southeast

From Confident Buyers to Tech Solutions, Six Trends Emerge from InterFace Multifamily Southeast

by John Nelson November 29, 2018

The runway is still long for multifamily real estate in the current cycle as investors and developers continue to pour money into the space. The apartment industry took center stage during the ninth-annual InterFace Multifamily Southeast conference on Tuesday, Nov. 27. Produced by InterFace Conference Group, the full-day event drew more than 400 multifamily real estate professionals from around the Southeast. The conference, held at The Whitley hotel in Atlanta’s Buckhead district, featured panel discussions on a variety of topics, including finance, investment sales, new development and operations, and highlighted the region’s most active markets. While attendees were able to glean numerous takeaways from the event’s more than 50 speakers, the following are six key trends that apartment professionals are monitoring heading into the new year. 1.) Investment to remain robust in 2019 During the conference’s state of the market panel, Josh Champion of Carroll Organization and Jim Street of PGIM Real Estate said that their firms were net buyers in 2018 and plan to be net buyers again next year. Coincidentally, within an hour after the panel concluded their companies announced a $600 million joint venture acquisition of three multifamily portfolios. “Real estate is still a favored asset class, …

November 29, 2018

Conference Coverage Features Northeast Pennsylvania

Standalone Memory Care Facilities Fraught With Challenges, Says InterFace Panel

by David Cohen November 27, 2018

PHILADELPHIA — Standalone memory care facilities were the darling of seniors housing three to five years ago, but more recently this property segment has been tagged as the dog of the industry amid overbuilding concerns and lease-up challenges. “They get bashed at every conference,” says J.P. LoMonaco, president of Valuation & Information Group headquartered in Culver City, California. The conventional wisdom is that many investors and lenders have soured on the product. Not so fast, says Wendy Nowokunski, president of Northbridge Cos., who cautions against making blanket statements about this specialized niche within seniors housing. “Actually, standalone memory care is our darling.” The private company based in Burlington, Massachusetts, operates 17 seniors housing communities serving over 2,000 residents across New England. Five properties in Northbridge’s portfolio are standalone memory care communities, including three in Maine and two in Massachusetts, each ranging in size from 60 to 70 units. “Those communities run at 100 percent occupancy all the time. We have waiting lists,” says Nowokunski, who adds that Northbridge has established partnerships with local hospitals to meet the needs of seniors with memory issues. “It all comes down to programming and knowing the disease process, and having the right people in the …

November 27, 2018

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