Features

Reforms to FIRPTA Affecting Real Estate Investment Opportunities

by Katie Sloan September 22, 2016

For 35 years, the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980 (FIRPTA) has provided a pathway for foreign investment into American real estate development. Changes are coming from the implementation of the Protecting Americans From Tax Hikes Act of 2015, which are the first reforms in more than three decades that affect the status of foreign investment. FIRPTA reforms are designed to spur investment from foreign investors by modernizing some exemptions of the law, making foreign investment into American real estate more appealing. On December 18, 2015, President Obama signed into the law the Act to extend certain tax relief provisions that were expiring at the end of 2014. The Bill was written to create legislative reforms to FIRPTA designed to bring in additional investment into a struggling marketplace. There are a few major changes provided for in the reforms. The new Act exempts certain foreign pension funds and their subsidiaries from FIRPTA taxation. This will hopefully spur on more participation from these groups. It also increases the amount of Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) stock participation available to foreign investors from 5 percent to 10 percent. The new rule creates a FIRPTA tax exemption for foreign investors …

September 22, 2016

The Great ‘Mall Is Dead’ Myth

by Katie Sloan September 20, 2016

It actually has become clockwork at every major retail event, be it Back to School, Christmas/Hanukkah, even July 4th. We see the inevitable “Mall is Dead” story in some newspaper or television report. Twenty years ago, catalogs and big box power centers were the killers; today, it’s e-commerce, market saturation and debt-laden millennials who will kill the mall. Only the most famous, highest-end centers in the major markets will survive, according to the doomsayers, with the remainder to be turned into any other use you can think of, from warehouses to office buildings to hotels to, yes, prisons. Except the statistics — and our experience at 30 mid-market malls and lifestyle centers at Starwood Retail Partners — don’t support that argument at all. Industry research shows that mall visitation has bounced back well after the Great Recession, that customers are shopping, eating and enjoying the growing number of experiences our centers can offer, and that our industry is finding new life at all economic tiers. This article will dispel some myths with solid fact. We’re not all just sitting at home ordering from Amazon. Myth: No one shops at malls any more. Fact: If that were so, it would only …

September 20, 2016

Features Multifamily Seniors Housing Top Stories

How Baby Boomers Will Transform Our Stereotypes of Retirement and Aging

by Jeff Shaw September 16, 2016

WASHINGTON, D.C. — An age wave is coming that will be the most extraordinary demographic disruption in history, and one which will create both winners and losers in the seniors housing space, predicts Ken Dychtwald, a noted psychologist, gerontologist and author. The number of people 65 and older in this country is projected to increase 81 percent between 2010 and 2030, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The first of the Baby Boomers will turn 80 in 2026. That demographic tsunami presents great opportunities and risks for owners and operators of seniors housing. “You will win if you can imagine this generation, understand what’s in their hearts and souls and minds and bodies, and then project them into a stage of life that itself is morphing as they migrate into it,” said Dychtwald, founder and CEO of Emeryville, Calif.-based Age Wave, a thought leader on issues relating to an aging population, including the business and social implications. The comments from Dychtwald came during the 2016 NIC Fall Conference at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C. The three-day event attracted a record turnout of more than 2,500 attendees, largely owners, operators, developers and lenders. Dychtwald was the first of three speakers …

September 16, 2016

Features Office Top Stories

JLL: Tech Dominates U.S. Office Leasing, Creates Resilient Economies

by Haisten Willis September 15, 2016

CHICAGO — Even as the technology industry begins to normalize after two years of major growth, the nation’s tech markets remain winners in the race for talent and, by extension, office leasing. This according to JLL’s recently released Tech Office Outlook report. From the second quarter of 2015 to the second quarter of 2016, tech office leasing volume fell 9.6 percent. However, despite tech industry growth hitting a relative plateau, it will continue to outpace the national economy and is creating strong real estate conditions across the country, according to the report. “The technology sector is the leading industry for real estate expansion in the U.S. and is driving nearly 25 percent of office leasing activity across the nation over the past two years for leases of 20,000 square feet or more,” states the report. “Also, 63 percent of these tech companies are in growth mode. And this demand is driving office rents up. The most expensive rents can be found in San Francisco Peninsula’s Menlo Park, at $102.16 per square foot, followed by Palo Alto in Silicon Valley ($100.79); San Francisco’s Mission Bay/China Basin ($84.70) and Hudson Square in New York ($83.11).” The 9.6 percent year-over-year dip in second-quarter leasing …

September 15, 2016

Conference Coverage Features Multifamily Seniors Housing Southeast Feature Archive Top Stories

More Flexibility, Consumer Choice Will Be Key to Future Seniors Housing Development, Say InterFace Panelists

by Jeff Shaw September 13, 2016

ATLANTA — With so many new facilities and operational models altering the seniors housing landscape, what will be the key to a successful seniors housing development in the future? According to panelists at the InterFace Seniors Housing Southeast Conference, the answer is flexibility. Colleen Blumenthal, managing director with Florida-based seniors housing advisory firm HealthTrust, moderated the “State of the Industry” panel at the event, which drew approximately 315 industry professionals to the Westin Buckhead in Atlanta on Aug. 25. The panelists included Richard Hutchinson, president and CFO of Florida-based owner-operator Discovery Senior Living; Joe Weisenburger, vice president of seniors housing for Ohio-based REIT Welltower; Kevin Pascoe, executive vice president of investments for Tennessee-based REIT National Health Investors (NHI); Charles Turner, president of Texas-based developer PinPoint Senior Living; and Mark Spiegel, president of Georgia-based developer Formation Development Group. Flexible Spaces Create Agile Buildings When asked about the successful seniors housing communities of the future, several panelists cited flexibility as a top consideration — including everything from room sizes to price point to use of common spaces. “As we’re building new product, we’re trying not to have common areas that guess what the future trends are going to be,” said Spiegel. Formation …

September 13, 2016

Tomball Four Corners Shopping Center in Tomball, Texas

Features Retail Top Stories

Finding the Right Tactics is Key for Repositioning Retail

by Jeff Shaw September 8, 2016

For real estate developers and investors, a time of transition and evolution within the retail world presents abundant opportunities to capitalize by acquiring and investing in underperforming spaces. With an infusion of capital, some strategic restructuring and re-tenanting with regional and national brands, a moribund center or underwhelming site can be transformed. Understanding the strategies deployed to effectively identify, acquire, reposition and re-tenant retail is an essential prerequisite for any commercial real estate professional looking to get involved in the process. The big picture The most critical step in the process is selecting the right opportunities to pursue in the first place. Identifying existing retail assets that are underperforming is one thing. Finding those that can be successfully reinvigorated and repositioned through an infusion of capital and the application of some expertise is a little trickier. It is a best practice to confine your search to well-established trade areas because you generally do not want a project on the fringe. The overall goal is to identify markets and trade areas where there is more demand than quality supply, and then work to find a creative and cost-effective way to deliver that supply. Once you identify those areas, familiarize yourself with …

September 8, 2016

Fountain Square Commerce Center, Chicago

Features Heartland Feature Archive Industrial Top Stories

Midwest Industrial Business Parks Evolve in Pursuit of E-Commerce

by Jeff Shaw September 6, 2016

There’s a reason why warehouse facilities and fulfillment centers ranked No. 1 and 2 for 2016 investment and development prospects. In addition to the annual commercial real estate survey findings by PwC and the Urban Land Institute, the National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries (NCREIF) is reporting that the Midwest posted the strongest industrial income return among all U.S. regions in second quarter 2016. “E-commerce is affecting more than just the industrial real estate business park. It is the most significant driver of demand in industrial products across the county right now,” says Ryan O’Leary, regional senior vice president at Duke Realty. “Business parks are obviously a big beneficiary of that.” O’Leary, who oversees the Chicago, Minneapolis and St. Louis markets for the Indianapolis-based REIT, estimates that e-commerce drove 35 to 40 percent of the approximately 8 million square feet of industrial absorption in the Windy City during the second quarter. Business parks with very good infrastructure, access to major thoroughfares and easy flow for heavy truck and auto traffic have a huge advantage in securing that tenant demand, which usually requires a quick turnaround on building delivery. Unlike development costs for a garden-variety warehouse space 15 years ago, …

September 6, 2016

Conference Coverage Features Georgia Seniors Housing Southeast Southeast Feature Archive Top Stories

Should Seniors Housing Developers Focus More on Hospitality or Healthcare?

by John Nelson August 31, 2016

ATLANTA — Seniors housing by design has both elements of hospitality and healthcare. But which is more important to developers trying to build the next wave of senior facilities? Each developer has a different opinion, based on a development panel at the third-annual InterFace Seniors Housing Southeast conference, held Aug. 25 at the Westin Buckhead in Atlanta. The all-day event drew approximately 315 industry professionals. Zach Bowyer, managing director of CBRE, moderated the panel entitled “The Outlook for Seniors Housing Development: What’s Being Built, Where, and are Supply and Demand in Balance?” Jeff Arnold, chief operating officer of The United Group of Cos., mostly develops independent living assets in New York, Florida and Georgia. Arnold’s main concern is with the hospitality side of the business, as his projects tend to be lower acuity than some of his counterparts on the stage. “From a design standpoint, we’re trying to drive our age down as much as we can. Right now we trend at about 78 years old. If we could push that under 75, that will give us longevity,” said Arnold. “We try to design more active communities, focusing on things that are more modern.” The independent living sector has legs …

August 31, 2016

Features Multifamily Student Housing Top Stories

Student Housing Sees Robust Deals, Investment Sales, Development Numbers

by Christina Cannon August 30, 2016

As we pass the mid-year point of 2016, the student housing industry is again poised to have a strong year. Favorable market conditions, chief among them low interest rates, have pressed development and acquisitions forward during 2016. Pre-leasing for fall 2016 was strong through the summer, though slightly down from fall 2015 for many owners, while a number of owners reported rent growth for the upcoming year. The industry has seen a lot of activity in buying and selling during the first half of the year. In addition to smaller portfolios and one-off transactions, the sector saw two of its largest M&A transactions to date close during the first half of this year. Harrison Street Real Estate Capital closed on the $1.9 billion acquisition of Campus Crest Communities, adding more than 30,000 beds to its portfolio. In June, The Scion Group, GIC and CPPIB closed on their $1.4 billion acquisition of the assets of University House Communities from InvenTrust Properties, adding more than 10,000 beds to Scion’s portfolio. In addition, movers and shakers like The Preiss Company, Vesper Holdings and Pierce Education Properties have been acquiring a number of properties in 2016. Many properties came to market in January and …

August 30, 2016

Features Top Stories

How To Ensure Brick and Mortar Stores Stay Relevant

by Katie Sloan August 26, 2016

With increasing pressure from online retailing, traditional retail environments must strive to remain at the forefront of innovation and reinvention. While some may feel brick and mortar retailing is facing extinction, the data say otherwise. Petrie Richardson Ventures (PRV), founded in 2000 by Chairman Walt Petrie, recently commissioned a large-scale survey that examined the influence of evolving social, lifestyle, entertainment and technology developments on shopping habits across the US. The more than 75 question online survey of a demographic representative of 1,018 shoppers 18 years of age and older was conducted by ORC International, one of the American Marketing Association’s Top 50 Research Firms. It’s all about the experience The critical takeaway from our results is that Americans — especially millennials — place a high value on the total shopping experience. Specifically, the survey showed that what shoppers value most about retail experiences at malls and shopping centers versus online shopping is the physical experience of the actual brick and mortar retail environment — with 85 percent of respondents reporting that holding products or trying on clothing is key to their shopping experience. It’s simple: experiential retail environments are what online retailers simply cannot offer. Online retailing may seem to be …

August 26, 2016

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