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Affordable HousingFeaturesLoansMultifamily

Despite Slowdown in Deal Volume, GSEs Remain the ‘Best Game in Town’

by John Nelson

By John Nelson Lending activity in the multifamily divisions of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is in the midst of a prolonged slump.  The 2023 multifamily loan volumes for the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) were down significantly year-over-year, with Fannie Mae at $52 billion last year (compared to $69 billion in 2022) and Freddie Mac at $48 billion (compared to $73.8 billion in 2022).  And it doesn’t appear that deal volume will return to the frothy levels achieved in 2022 this year. Fannie Mae executed $10.1 billion in loans during the first quarter of 2024, which is almost identical to its first-quarter 2023 production. Freddie Mac generated $9 billion in multifamily loans in the first quarter — up significantly from $6 billion in first-quarter 2023 — but down nearly 45 percent from fourth-quarter 2023. While the GSEs freely acknowledge the slowdown in business, they are more than holding their own when it comes to serving borrowers. The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reports that multifamily loan originations totaled $264 billion in 2023, with the agencies accounting for 38 percent of all multifamily originations. By comparison, the share of overall multifamily originations was closer to 29 percent for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac …

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FeaturesMultifamily

Selecting Sponsors: The Importance of Property Management Vertical Integration

by Taylor Williams

By Chris Cordes, real estate portfolio manager, PPR Capital Management When seeking a sponsor for multifamily partnerships, it’s critical to consider one that offers worthy qualities for the joint venture, since this individual or company will be in charge of managing the property on behalf of the partnership. Worthiness is measured by the ability to be resourceful and versatile. When determining the worthiness of a sponsor, there’s an old expression that can be helpful to keep in mind: “You’re only worth as much as the pocketknife that you carry.”  The pocketknife is a simple tool that offers incredible assistance when utilized for daily tasks. While this device is particularly useful when completing common tasks, it’s important to select the right type of pocketknife. Often, a knife with a single blade will not always get the job done, and you’ll need something else to finish a task. The iconic Swiss Army Knife solves that issue. The historic and versatile multi-use device is known for including varying types of pivoting tools that offer a secured level of preparedness in a compact way.  During the sponsor screening process, the main equity partner should examine the qualities a sponsor presents and determine whether the …

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FeaturesNew YorkNortheastNortheast Feature Archive

Property Owners of Contaminated Real Estate Should Closely Evaluate Tax Assessment

by John Nelson

By Jason Penighetti, Esq., of Forchelli Deegan Terrana Valuing contaminated properties presents numerous challenges due to the complexity and uncertainty that contamination entails. The presence of hazardous substances or pollutants can affect both a property’s value and potential uses. As an assessment must reflect market value, contamination can significantly impact taxable valuation. Determining the extent of that impact requires careful consideration of legal, technical and economic factors as the valuation of contaminated properties is governed by a combination of statutory law, regulatory guidance and case precedents. Yet these are the fields that taxpayers with contaminated real estate must tread to evaluate assessments for fairness and, if necessary, to appeal an unfair assessment. Tax assessment review proceedings are crucial mechanisms for all property owners to ensure fair and accurate assessments. These proceedings provide avenues to challenge property assessments that owners believe are incorrect or unfair. Understanding the process, timelines and legal considerations involved is essential for property owners, assessors and legal professionals alike. Most real estate taxes in the United States are ad valorem or “according to value.” Thus, the owner of a high-value property would expect to pay more real estate taxes than the owner of a lower-value asset. While …

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Conference CoverageFeaturesIndustrialNorth CarolinaSoutheastSoutheast Feature Archive

Inland Ports Serve As Vital Link in Supply Chain for Industrial Users, Say InterFace Panelists

by John Nelson

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Inland ports are a growing transportation option in the national supply chain. These facilities provide users — including automotive suppliers, retailers, manufacturers and agricultural producers — an option to import and export their wares to seaports via shipping containers by rail as opposed to trucking their products directly to a port terminal. One of the more prominent inland ports in the country is Inland Port Greer in Upstate South Carolina. The facility’s anchor client is BMW, which operates its mega manufacturing campus in nearby Spartanburg, S.C. Class I freight railroad operator Norfolk Southern Corp. provides rail services from the inland port to the Port of Charleston. Brian Gwin, senior industrial development manager for Norfolk Southern, said that when the railroad operator and the South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) established Inland Port Greer in 2013, it was apparent almost immediately that they had a behemoth on their hands. “We knew it was going to be mostly BMW, but we designed Inland Port Greer for 50,000 lifts a year,” said Gwin, referring to the number of shipping containers moved on or off Norfolk Southern trains at the inland port. According to multiple media outlets, the inland port exceeded 100,000 …

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AcquisitionsContent PartnerFeaturesLoansMidwestNortheastSoutheastTexasWestern

Cautious Optimism Reigns as Investors Navigate Inflation, Rate Uncertainty

by Sarah Daniels

Last fall’s ebullience over the Federal Reserve’s likelihood of cutting the federal funds rate early and frequently in 2024 quickly faded as inflation remained too high for the Fed’s liking. Wall Street traders who make wagers on the Fed’s actions keep pushing their rate cut bets further into the year, according to CME Group, a derivatives marketplace. In early March, for example, nearly 75 percent of traders wagered on a rate cut in June. As of early June, less than 2 percent expected one. The most recent Fed meeting, on June 13, has confirmed this assumption that a rate cut is at least months away, if not longer. If and when the central bank cuts rates this year, the cost of capital is unlikely to approach the historically low levels of the last few years. As a result, the growing interest rate mantra of “higher for longer” may be finally convincing commercial property buyers and sellers to meet on pricing. New York-based research organization MSCI Real Assets recently noted that commercial property sales continued to slow in the first quarter of 2024 — a year-over-year decline of 16 percent to $78.9 billion. But it suggested that investors might be encouraged …

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FeaturesIndustrial

Concrete Paving: A Sustainable, Durable Option for Industrial Sitework

by Taylor Williams

By Jake Ables, director of concrete promotion, Silvi Materials When choosing a pavement surface for large-scale industrial facilities, there are several different factors that developers may want to consider. Chief among those factors, in the context of our current construction economy, is sustainability. Current trends in the Mid-Atlantic warehouse markets, for example, are pushing developers, contractors and suppliers towards sustainable construction practices. We have seen evidence of this with the implementation of environmental product declarations (EPDs) that disclose the global warming potential (GWP) of building materials on various construction projects. The purpose of these documents is to quantify the environmental impacts of building materials. As the push for sustainability increases, it behooves developers to look for sustainable value when and where they can find it.   Life Cycle Thinking As the push for sustainability intensifies over the coming years, property developers will see their priorities adjust to compensate for changing market conditions.  While costs will always be at the forefront of concerns for developers, sustainability is becoming an ever-higher priority.  So what does that mean for developers? We believe it means a shifting mindset toward sustainable value over costs. Concrete paving provides the life cycle value that developers are seeking …

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Conference CoverageFeaturesIndustrialNorth CarolinaSoutheastSoutheast Feature Archive

Industrial Investors Are More Selective in Wake of Rising Interest Rates, Say InterFace Panelists

by John Nelson

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Despite strong fundamentals and a plethora of buyers waiting to transact, the industrial sector is experiencing dwindling sales as the industry is still reeling from the impact of rising interest rates. The U.S. industrial sector recorded $82 billion in sales volume in 2023, a 46 percent year-over-year decline and the lowest sales volume in about six years, according to data from Matthews Real Estate Investment Services. Newmark tallies the first three months of the year totaling $16.9 billion in U.S. industrial sales volume, which would be the seventh consecutive quarter of annualized declines. Michael Brennan, co-founder, chairman and managing principal of Brennan Investment Group, said that the rising cost of debt inherently makes values a moving target even in a healthy sector like industrial real estate, especially with such a massive upswing in interest rates over a short time frame. “Interest rates are the No. 1 problem for real estate,” said Brennan. “Buyers and sellers can’t see eye to eye. And make no mistake, prices went down, though maybe not as much as we thought they would have.” The data backs Brennan up as the average price per square foot was recorded at $130 at the end …

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FeaturesRetail

Retail Market Conditions Favor Household Names

by Taylor Williams

By Taylor Williams Everybody loves a good underdog success story, but sometimes the Goliaths of the world just have too much going for them to get beat by the Davids.  All retail owners worth their salt recognize the unique draws that boutique, original concepts bring to their shopping centers. But landlords’ fiduciary responsibilities often dictate that they bring in heavier proportions of national credit tenants that can afford top-dollar rents — all other factors being held equal. And in a market defined by (relatively) high costs of capital, low vacancy, healthy demand for space and rising operating expenses, established brands have the edge.  “The market definitely favors national credit tenants that are well-financed and have hundreds if not thousands of locations,” says Will Majors, senior vice president in CBRE’s Austin market. “At minimum, it favors franchised locations with national corporate offices that support the franchisees.” According to data from CBRE, the direct availability rate for retail space in Dallas (not the metroplex as a whole) stood at 4.8 percent at the end of the first quarter, essentially unchanged from a year ago. In Austin, the availability rate currently clocks in at 3.4 percent, just 10 basis points higher on a …

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Content PartnerDevelopmentFeaturesLeasing ActivityMidwestMultifamilyNortheastPavlov MediaSoutheastTexasWestern

How Developers Use Mix of Technology, Amenities to Attract Residents

by Sarah Daniels

The multifamily industry faces a major challenge. Final construction costs have grown 33 percent since 2019 interest rates and operational expenses are sky high; and rents may need to increase, where possible, to make deals feasible — an off-putting reality for residents. One developer solution is smaller apartments, which make units cheaper. There is also a push to add more common-space amenities that are both valuable and less costly to include. These features include rooftop spaces, green areas and decks. However, to make these spaces truly usable for today’s multifamily residents, it is important to make them technologically flexible and to offer easy internet connection. “The floor plans of most new-construction multi-dwelling units (MDUs) today are shrinking, and their amenities are expanding,” says Bryan Rader, president of MDU at networking and internet service company Pavlov Media. According to RentCafe, the average size of newly constructed apartment units fell by almost 6 percent in a decade, with half of that change occurring in the last year. Rader likens it to the “resort-style community” approach, where hotel rooms are small, and guests are encouraged to spend time everywhere else on the property. Similarly, multifamily developers create shared amenities such as comprehensive fitness …

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FeaturesMultifamilyOffice

Designers Transform Urban Landscapes by Converting Office Spaces to Affordable Housing

by Taylor Williams

By Blima Ehrentreu, founder and CEO, The Designers Group The urban real estate landscape is undergoing a remarkable transformation. With shifting work patterns and changing societal needs, design and development teams are working to convert underutilized office buildings into vibrant residential spaces. As office vacancy rates rise in cities like New York, San Francisco and Chicago, this challenge drives creative solutions that blend design innovation, virtual planning and sustainability. This dynamic landscape provides an exciting platform to reimagine urban living and meet the evolving demands of residents. At The Designers Group (TDG), we embrace the concept of adaptive reuse. Rather than tearing down old buildings and starting from scratch, we see value in maintaining existing structures and repurposing them in innovative ways. This approach not only aligns with our commitment to sustainability but also offers a chance to preserve the character and history of urban landscapes. Industrial elements such as exposed brick, concrete pillars and high ceilings can be integrated into residential designs, creating unique and compelling aesthetics. This focus on adaptive reuse means less waste and smaller carbon footprints, which is critical in today’s environmentally conscious world. By working with what already exists, we minimize the need for new …

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