Northeast Feature Archive

Priced Out: Adding Affordable Units to Student Housing

by Katie Sloan August 6, 2019

Student loan figures indicate a growing affordability problem in higher education. The Federal Reserve reports that student loan debt in the United States is almost $1.6 trillion today, with 42 percent of people who attended college — which represents 30 percent of all adults — incurring at least some debt from their education. With a focus on technology-based degree programs, the cost to attend college is rising. But it’s not just tuition that’s going up. According to College Board, the cost of housing exceeds the cost of tuition at four-year, public universities. For the 2017-2018 academic year, students paid an average of $9,970 for in-state tuition while room and board ran $10,800. “There’s a real need to get to the middle of the market and to build quality housing that students can afford,” says Joe Coyle, president of Michaels Student Living. Michaels Student Living is a specialized area of expertise within The Michaels Organization, a leading affordable housing developer in the United States. “Housing is a big part of what contributes to the high cost of attending college. We have to work together to find ways to mitigate this. It’s going to become more and more important.” While the student …

August 6, 2019

Features Healthcare Northeast Feature Archive

As Healthcare Trends Toward Value and Efficiency, Buildings Follow Suit

by Kristin Harlow May 16, 2019

Digital connectivity and rising costs are rapidly transforming industries across the country, and healthcare is certainly no exception. Digital health solutions and the material realities of the economy, along with a changing regulatory landscape, are reshaping the way providers deliver care. For example, the increased uses of telehealth, artificial intelligence (AI) and more community-based facilities (such as urgent care centers) are changing the spaces providers need. This activity is in turn altering the real estate, construction and project management strategies for healthcare providers. Healthcare real estate professionals, from in-house capital project leaders to general contractors and project managers, should be aware of two trends particularly driving this sea of change in healthcare real estate: evolving technology and an industry-wide transition to value-based care. These trends are fueling the creation of larger, centralized healthcare systems with more expansive networks of agile, strategic facilities. Specifically, the industry is moving away from inpatient hospital settings and toward ambulatory care and community-based facilities as part of a larger healthcare system. In turn, built-environment professionals are being commissioned for more agile, specialized and technologically enabled capital projects over more geographically dispersed areas. With this activity comes change to how real estate professionals deliver projects for …

May 16, 2019

Features Northeast Feature Archive

Driven by Big Portfolio Deals, Foreign Capital Rebounds in 2018

by David Cohen January 22, 2019

Two years ago Chinese regulators restricted capital from leaving its shores, driving down foreign investment in U.S. commercial real estate to well below the record of nearly $100 billion set in 2015. But cross-border inflows in 2018 were on pace to exceed 2017’s total of roughly $52 billion, according to commercial property research firm Real Capital Analytics (RCA). Hurdles threaten to trip up the momentum, however. The Federal Reserve Board’s tightening monetary policy, which has set it apart from most other developed countries in the world, has increased the risk that future currency fluctuations could eat away at returns when foreign investors sell a property and convert the proceeds back into their country’s currency. As a result, the cost to insure, or “hedge,” against adverse currency moves has increased over the last several months. Those factors are also making other global markets like Europe and Asia more attractive. Additionally, trade disagreements and shifting regulations, including heightened efforts to thwart money laundering and to prevent foreign acquisitions of sensitive U.S. assets or properties near them, also are making it harder for some offshore buyers to deploy money in the United States (see sidebar). “Offshore investment is muted at the moment,” says …

January 22, 2019

Development Features Northeast Northeast Feature Archive Pennsylvania

Five Reasons to Use Virtual Reality in Design

by David Cohen November 28, 2018

By Michael Prifti Technology is moving quickly across many different industries. Architects are now using emerging technology like virtual reality (VR) to improve experience for clients, tenants and the general public. An architecture firm can use VR to accomplish many different goals. VR can be used as both a design tool and a marketing tool. As a design tool, one can create impressive virtual mockups with the technology. To be used as a marketing tool, it is important to figure out the overall goals of the project, such as how interactive and immersive the VR models need to be. For example, higher quality VR models require higher computer processing power. In general, VR sets have become much more affordable, and jumping into this emerging technology doesn’t necessarily require a large investment. Today, VR headsets can be found for under $500, and the software has become so intuitive that nearly anyone can be taught how to produce very basic VR ready models in about 15 minutes. While two-dimensional renderings will likely never disappear, the use of virtual reality is becoming more widespread throughout the industry. 2D drawings or 3D models can give you a general idea of a building’s scale, but VR …

November 28, 2018

Features Industrial Northeast Northeast Feature Archive

Industrial Rents Reach New Heights in Northeast

by David Cohen August 1, 2018

The industrial real estate sector across the Northeast continues to exhibit strong rent growth due to a number of factors: increased tenant demand, decreased supply and the ever-growing presence of e-commerce companies. In the five largest metro areas, rent growth over the 12-month period that ended June 4 averaged 6.2 percent, according to CoStar Group. The vacancy rates in those same markets were all at or below 6 percent as of June 4. The Northern New Jersey industrial market led the way with rent growth climbing 8.2 percent over the 12-month period, followed by New York (+7 percent), Boston (+ 6.3 percent), Philadelphia (+ 5.3 percent), and Pittsburgh (+ 4.6 percent). In each case, the spike in rent was more than double the historical average. “Supply is really struggling to keep pace with demand,” says Alex Previdi, managing director of Transwestern’s New Jersey office. “There’s an abundance of large tenants that are looking for industrial space and there’s just not a lot of options out there.” On the demand side, the New York market led the way with a 12-month net absorption of 7.6 million square feet, followed by Philadelphia (6.6 million square feet), New Jersey (3.4 million) square feet, …

August 1, 2018

Features Lee & Associates New York Northeast Northeast Feature Archive

Manhattan Sees Major Growth Spurt of Service-Oriented Retailers, Says Lee & Associates’ JP Sutro

by David Cohen June 6, 2018

LAS VEGAS— Since joining Lee & Associates in the New York City office in 2012, JP Sutro has closed over $200 million in retail lease transactions. The executive managing director specializes in representing both retail landlords and tenants throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn. REBusinessOnline caught up with Sutro during the RECon show in late May to get his take on the state of the retail market in New York City. The three-day deal making and networking event is the world’s largest global gathering of retail real estate professionals and typically attracts about 37,000 registrants. REBO:Nordstrom’s first foray into New York City has begun. A three-story, 47,000-square-foot men’s store opened at 57th Street and Broadway in April. How significant is it that Nordstrom has entered the market? Sutro:It’s fantastic. All the owners I know that have property on 57th Street have been waiting for this moment. They really think they are going to see an influx of more shoppers and more retailers playing off the Nordstrom’s idea — especially when you hear of other department stores not doing so well. It’s interesting to see Nordstrom having such confidence in the market, especially 57th Street, which has historically been a very strong shopping district. …

June 6, 2018

Features Heartland Feature Archive Northeast Feature Archive Southeast Feature Archive Texas & Oklahoma Feature Archive

CBRE: U.S. Apartment Sector Gets Boost from Comprehensive Tax Reform

by David Cohen May 3, 2018

LOS ANGELES — The sweeping tax reform bill signed into law in late 2017 by President Donald Trump is expected to benefit the U.S. multifamily investment market, according to a new report from CBRE. The report states that under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the tax benefits of renting over buying a home will increase in 29 of the 35 largest U.S. markets. That number is up from 15 markets before the tax reform. The new tax law increases the standard deduction from $12,700 to $24,000 for a married couple. This means more people will take the standard deduction rather than itemize items such as mortgage interest, which CBRE said will significantly benefit renters in most of the country’s largest markets and encourage renting over homeownership. Additionally, limitations on state and local tax deductions, as well as the loss of the mortgage interest deduction on home purchases of $750,000 or more, will marginally impact the cost of housing in high-cost markets. “The new tax policy’s raising of the standard deduction, combined with limitations on mortgage interest and state and local tax deductions, will significantly increase the attraction of renting versus buying housing,” said Spencer Levy, CBRE’s senior economic advisor and …

May 3, 2018

Features Heartland Feature Archive Midwest Northeast Northeast Feature Archive Southeast Southeast Feature Archive Texas Texas & Oklahoma Feature Archive Top Stories Western

Forecast Survey: What’s Your Take on Real Estate in 2018?

by John Nelson October 24, 2017

France Media, Inc. is conducting a brief online survey to gauge market conditions, and we welcome your participation. This survey should only take a few minutes to complete. Questions range from property sectors that your firm is most bullish on heading into 2018 to trends in deal volume to the outlook for interest rates. The results will be collated and published in the January 2018 issue of our regional magazines. Conducting these surveys is part of our mission at France Media to provide readers with indispensable information. To participate in our broker/agent survey, click here. For developers/owners/managers, click here. For lenders and financial intermediaries, click here. (Note: Please remember to click on “done” to properly submit the survey.) Sincerely, Matt Valley Editorial Director, Real Estate Regionals France Media, Inc.

October 24, 2017

Features Northeast Feature Archive Office Top Stories

Office Tenants Prefer Dynamic Workspace with Amenities, Says Coldwell Banker Survey

by John Nelson October 19, 2017

MADISON, N.J. — Physical office space can have a positive influence on its tenant base, which ultimately helps companies attract and retain employees, according to a new survey conducted by Coldwell Banker Commercial Affiliates, a Madison-based company made up of independently owned and operated commercial real estate service practices. The survey uncovered which popular office amenities resonated with respondents to see how office spaces could further improve the functionality of their square footage. “Offices are becoming a center for social activity, and it is important for office commercial real estate to accommodate this,” says Fred Schmidt, president and COO of Coldwell Banker Commercial Affiliates. Working on behalf of Coldwell Banker, Harris Poll surveyed 2,001 adults from Aug. 15-17 as part of the online study. The participating cohort included younger Millennial workers (age 18-29), older Millennials (30-34), Gen Xers (ages 35-49) and Baby Boomers (50-69), to identify worker attitudes toward their current physical workplace and better understand how office space can be optimized to meet worker needs and comfort. The highest concentration of respondents identified themselves as Baby Boomers (a little over 44 percent), followed by Gen Xers, younger Millennials and older Millennials. Overall, the survey found that the most coveted office …

October 19, 2017

Features Northeast Northeast Feature Archive Pennsylvania Top Stories

Property Owners Celebrate Fair Taxation Ruling by Pennsylvania Supreme Court

by John Nelson August 3, 2017

Commercial property owners around the country are cheering a recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision that breathes new life into constitutional guarantees of uniformity in taxation. Overruling a decade of lower court decisions, the ruling reestablishes the primacy of constitutional uniformity protections to taxpayers in the strongest possible language, fittingly issued just one day after the July 4 holiday. Nearly every state constitution requires uniformity in taxation, meaning that two like properties should receive the same assessment, no matter how they are owned, occupied, built or financed. Yet commercial property owners across the nation have been under attack by assessors attempting to alter appraisal theory in order to pin higher assessments and higher real estate taxes on specific owners. These assessors have been singling out occupied commercial properties by setting assessments based on financing mechanisms that fail to meet standard appraisal definitions of market sales, incorrectly basing taxable value on data relating to sale-leasebacks, turnkey leases and contract rights and duties associated with tenant financing. In Pennsylvania and Ohio, the only states that provide school districts a statutory right to file increase appeals, the school districts have been targeting specific commercial owners for higher assessments using this same flawed methodology. These …

August 3, 2017

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