Conference Coverage

InterFace Panel Names What’s Hot for Social Media Marketing in the Student Housing Sector

by Katie Sloan January 6, 2022

DALLAS — It comes as no surprise that digital marketing — and chiefly, marketing via social media — is one of the best ways to reach potential new renters in the student housing space. Students spend a massive amount of their downtime scrolling through various social media platforms, from TikTok to Instagram. And while a focus on digital marketing within the sector has been seen for some time, the COVID-19 pandemic brought an even greater emphasis on the space by eradicating opportunities for traditional marketing methods such as in-person events and tours. In December, a panel of marketing specialists discussed what’s hot and what’s not for social media marketing at InterFace Conference Group’s third annual LeaseCon/TurnCon conference in Dallas. According to a 2021 survey noted by panel moderator Alison Slager, national business development executive for LeaseLabs by RealPage, 79 percent of marketers used paid ads across social media platforms. With marketing budgets tightening, it’s important to know what resonates with today’s students to ensure all marketing dollars are well spent. Instagram Panelists agreed that the most dominant social media marketing platform is currently Instagram, particularly with its recent addition of Reels, a tool which allows users to post short-form videos. “Instagram …

January 6, 2022

Conference Coverage Features Georgia Multifamily Southeast Southeast Feature Archive

Apartment Leasing, Management and Operations Continue to Adapt to Market Needs, Says InterFace Panel

by Julia Sanders December 14, 2021

ATLANTA — For the past few months, the apartment sector has been in an upswing from an owner and operator perspective. Rents are rising and occupancy rates are high. However, some fear that these positives in the real estate market are going to be short-lived and eventually come to an end. Kevin Owens, division president of RPM Living, said that when the hottest geographic markets start to slow down, then other markets are going to follow suit. “Boise, Idaho is the hottest market from a rent growth standpoint in the country for the last few months, and it took a hit in November. So, if the hottest markets are going to start slowing down, then other markets are going to start slowing down. It’s just a natural progression,” said Owens. Owens’ comment came from a panel titled: “A Report from the Frontlines: What is the Outlook for Leasing, Management & Operations in 2022?” The discussion was one of the many that occurred at France Media’s InterFace Multifamily Southeast conference at the Westin Buckhead hotel in Atlanta on Dec. 2. The panel experts included moderator Craig Thompson, partner at Carr, Riggs & Ingram LLC; Kevin Owens, division president of RPM Living; …

December 14, 2021

Conference Coverage Features Georgia Multifamily Southeast Southeast Feature Archive

Capital Chases Southeast Multifamily Sector, Says InterFace Panel

by Kristin Harlow December 9, 2021

ATLANTA — This year marked a golden age in terms of operating or selling multifamily properties, according to Alan Dean, region president of Terwilliger Pappas, a development firm with four offices in the Southeast. But given the rising costs associated with land acquisition, materials and labor, the challenge has been putting together new deals. “Anyone that got deals done shortly after COVID hit, those deals are going to be very valuable because they’re going to be opening up with less competition on lease-up,” said Dean. Dean’s comments came during a panel entitled “What’s the Outlook for Development in 2022?” at the 12th annual InterFace Multifamily Southeast conference. The event, which took place Thursday, Dec. 2 at the Westin Buckhead hotel in Atlanta, drew more than 300 industry professionals. Joining Dean on the panel were Jay Curran, president of Charlotte, N.C.-based Crescent Communities; Woody Rupp, chief investment officer of Atlanta-based Brand Properties; Harvey Wadsworth, managing director of Atlanta-based Portman Residential; and Justin Weintraub, principal and chief development officer of Birmingham, Ala.-based Daniel Corp. Robert Stickel, executive vice chair with Cushman & Wakefield in Atlanta, moderated the panel. High prices for dirt, long entitlement processes and increased competition in the marketplace have …

December 9, 2021

Build-to-Rent Conference Coverage Development Features Multifamily Single-Family Rental

InterFace Panel: Site Costs, Entitlements Processes Contribute to Build-to-Rent Projects’ Unique Risk Profile

by Taylor Williams December 7, 2021

ATLANTA — The build-to-rent (BTR) space boasts a scintillating story of short-term success, driven by demand from households that rent by choice and want the feel and privacy of owning a home without dealing with maintenance and paying property taxes. Building to rent involves developing residential properties with the explicit, predetermined purpose of renting them. This differs from single-family rental (SFR), a more established practice of buying existing single-family homes and renting them out that has its roots in mom-and-pop investments but is now being adopted by larger companies. The rapid growth of the BTR space has brought challenges that are markedly different from those of building and operating traditional multifamily and student housing properties. A panel of experts outlined some of these commonplace hurdles at the 12th annual InterFace Multifamily Southeast conference on Thursday, Dec 2. About 350 industry professionals attended the event, which took place at the Westin Buckhead hotel in Atlanta. For starters, the space can be a tough one to break into. Developers undertake different strategies for launching their BTR platforms and divisions, frequently partnering with single-family homebuilders or leveraging existing relationships with third-party general contractors. This is largely because these developers often lack the in-house …

December 7, 2021

Conference Coverage Features Georgia Multifamily Southeast Southeast Feature Archive

Rapid Rent Growth Spurs Wave of Multifamily Investment Sales, Says InterFace Panel

by John Nelson December 3, 2021

ATLANTA — The third quarter of 2021 was the most prolific quarter on record for U.S. multifamily investment sales, according to Real Capital Analytics (RCA). Apartment sales volume totaled $78.7 billion for the quarter, a 192 percent increase from third-quarter 2020 and a 59 percent jump from third-quarter 2019. RCA data shows that the dollar amount of assets traded this past quarter exceeded the average annual sales from the period 2008 through 2011. James Mehalso, managing director of transactions for PGIM Real Estate, expects his firm to keep its foot on the gas for next year on both the acquisitions and sales side for multifamily assets. “The rental market is hot,” said Mehalso. “We don’t see it really changing much in 2022, at least in the first six months.” Mehalso’s comments came Thursday, Dec. 2, during a panel discussion as part of the 12th annual InterFace Multifamily Southeast conference hosted by France Media and the InterFace Conference Group at the Westin Buckhead in Atlanta. Moderated by Paul Berry, vice chairman of CBRE, the panel was titled, “After a Wild 2021, What’s the Investment Market Outlook for 2022?” The event, which attracted more than 300 industry professionals, marked the return of …

December 3, 2021

Conference Coverage Features Multifamily Seniors Housing

Active Adult Communities Thrived During Height of Pandemic, Say NIC Panelists

by Taylor Williams November 9, 2021

By Jeff Shaw HOUSTON — Although the seniors housing industry as a whole suffered big setbacks throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, hitting record-low occupancy rates across the board, one sub-segment was an exception to the rule. “During COVID there were clear winners and losers in commercial real estate,” said Aron Will, vice chairman of debt and structured finance at CBRE and co-head of CBRE Senior Housing. “Industrial, life sciences, medical office and multifamily were very clear winners. But one asset class that’s been overlooked is active adult, as it was also a very clear winner.” Although there is much discussion around how to define the active adult segment, generally it’s an age-restricted apartment community for physically healthy seniors who don’t yet need the services in independent living such as meal preparation, cleaning or assistance with the activities of daily living. Without temporary government regulations stopping move-ins to active adult communities — plus a younger, healthier resident than in independent living or assisted living — active adult communities thrived during the pandemic. Lease renewal rates were 80 percent; collections were close to 100 percent and the segment experienced “phenomenal rent growth,” according to Will. Will’s comments came during a panel he moderated …

November 9, 2021

Conference Coverage Features Net Lease

Rising Deal Volume Favors Sellers in Net-Lease Investment Market, Says InterFace Panel

by Taylor Williams October 1, 2021

NEW YORK CITY — As more players enter the market, rising demand for net-leased commercial properties in the United States is leading to higher prices and lower capitalization rates, making it a good time to be a seller of such assets. According to a new report by national brokerage firm The Boulder Group, average cap rates for net-leased retail, office and industrial properties fell by 22, 15 and 19 basis points, respectively, between the second and third quarters of this year. The number of net-leased retail and office properties on the market both grew between the second and third quarters of this year, but the report noted that the sector is still defined by “significant investor demand combined with a limited supply of quality assets.” Like any other asset class, certain subcategories of net-leased product are performing better than others. Due to the compounding forces of e-commerce and a global pandemic, industrial remains a pack leader while office is shrouded with uncertainty. By the same logic, in the net-lease retail space, properties leased to essential service retailers and quick-service restaurants with outdoor seating are among the preferred investment vehicles. But on a broader level, institutional investors are growing their presence …

October 1, 2021

Conference Coverage Features Multifamily Texas Texas & Oklahoma Feature Archive

InterFace Panel: Supply Chain Issues Continue to Challenge Multifamily Developers

by Taylor Williams September 20, 2021

By Taylor Williams Facing extended construction timelines and elevated costs of materials due to COVID-19’s disruption of global, national and local supply chains, multifamily developers are being forced to pivot, improvise and forge new relationships with suppliers in order to manage overall risk levels within their projects. Even before the pandemic, real estate developers and users across all asset classes understood how crucial competent supply chain management was to their budgets. But the global health crisis has reinforced that fact, especially for developers whose product type remains in high demand, such as housing providers in the rapidly growing state of Texas. In terms of basic economics, when COVID-19 hit and ground global commerce to a halt, suppliers across a range of industries decreased their inventories in response to sluggish demand for sundry goods and services. With vaccines now widely available, travel picking back up and businesses reopening at full capacity, pent-up demand is being unleashed on these industries, including real estate development, forcing suppliers to rebuild their inventories. Yet this process is not a simple matter of flipping a switch back on. Furthermore, being aware of a problem is very different from actually solving it. And a global pandemic that …

September 20, 2021

Conference Coverage Features Georgia Seniors Housing Southeast Southeast Feature Archive

After 18 Months, Seniors Housing Operators More Adept at Handling COVID-19 Crisis, Says InterFace Panel

by John Nelson September 7, 2021

ATLANTA — Seniors housing operators have been grappling the past 18 months with how to maintain their properties and keep occupancy high while also protecting their staff and residents, who are the most vulnerable population for infections and death from the COVID-19 outbreak. With the rise of the Delta variant in recent weeks, owners and operators are having to make tough decisions to care for their residents, although now they have built some muscle memory on how to operate effectively amid the pandemic. “We are better at dealing with COVID-19 now than before,” said Joe Jasmon, CEO and managing partner of American Healthcare Management. Jasmon added that alleviating the fear of COVID-19 and the Delta variant is a big part of an operator’s job, and bringing residents into their social programs is a major point of emphasis, even if it can only be done virtually. “There’s been a huge insurgence of Zoom calls,” said Jasmon. “Before it was once in a blue moon, and it would be a son or daughter who lived in Belize or somewhere. Now the entire family and friends are calling in. We have to cultivate that activity and encourage it.” Jasmon’s comments came during the …

September 7, 2021

Conference Coverage Features Multifamily Seniors Housing Southeast Feature Archive

Fitness Centers, Outdoor Spaces and Units All Becoming Larger, Say Seniors Housing Development Panelists

by Kristin Harlow August 25, 2021

ATLANTA — Driven by the desire of a healthy lifestyle, two areas that senior living developers are currently focusing on are the fitness center and outdoor spaces, according to Scott Gensler, vice president of business development with Erickson Senior Living. “Every time I look at a plan, the fitness center gets bigger and bigger and bigger,” said Gensler. “Then we open it, and it’s still not big enough.” Not only is the fitness center becoming larger, but it’s also becoming more of a prominent feature in Erickson’s continuing care retirement communities. Additionally, the outdoor spaces have gone from a secondary focus to a primary emphasis. As Gensler put it, having healthy residents is a win-win situation. Gensler’s comments came during “The Development Outlook” panel at the eighth annual InterFace Seniors Housing Southeast conference, which took place at Atlanta’s Westin Buckhead on Wednesday, Aug. 18 and drew 250 registrants. Joining Gensler on the panel were Michael Hartman, principal of Capitol Seniors Housing’s active adult platform; Alan Moise, chief investment officer of Thrive; and Janet Meyer, principal with BCT Design Group. David Kliewer, director with Grandbridge Real Estate Capital, moderated the discussion. Another development trend today is multi-function space, which increases efficiencies. …

August 25, 2021

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