Features

LightBox: Industrial Emerges as Strongest Commercial Real Estate Sector During Pandemic

by Alex Tostado July 23, 2020

NEW YORK CITY — The industrial sector has emerged as the strongest commercial real estate sector during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a June LightBox report that updated information from the annual RCM/Lightbox — SIOR report. The surge in consumers buying goods and groceries online has fueled the demand nationwide. “Clearly, no commercial real estate asset class is immune to the immediate and long-term impact of COVID-19, a black swan event unlike anything anyone has experienced,” says Tina Lichens, senior vice president of broker operations at LightBox. “Industrial real estate, however, is in the best position to return to a place of strength once we get past the short-term pain and uncertainty.” New York City-based LightBox laid out five trends to watch in the industrial sector as the pandemic continues to grow in the country: 1. Investors return to core markets: Erik Foster, principal and head of industrial capital markets for Avison Young, expects the money to flow into stable core markets such as Chicago, the Inland Empire, New York/New Jersey and Dallas. Foster points to a May review by Avison Young showing rent demand surrounding last-mile facilities in city cores was 20 to 40 percent higher in markets like …

July 23, 2020

Seattle Could Provide Template for National Multifamily Recovery

by Sarah Daniels July 21, 2020

In the realm of apartment market research, Seattle represents a bellwether of sorts these days, where broader trends and themes can be parsed. Seattle’s economy, population and real estate landscape have grown at rates previously considered impossible in a primary market. The city stands at the veritable intersection of technological and generational change — the corner of Large Cap Tech Boulevard and Millennial Street — and it has developed into the avatar of the infill, wood-frame mid-rise design touchpoint that defines so much of today’s urban apartment architecture. What happens here will reveal some of the trends likely to follow in similar markets — from Raleigh to Portland. Seattle was also the first major U.S. metropolitan market to grapple with the novel coronavirus, so the path that it follows will provide some insight into how the American multifamily market will mutate as we adjust to “life in the time of COVID,” to borrow a note from Garcia Marquez. By the same token, the Jet City faces the prospect of digesting an enormous multifamily supply pipeline that was, for the most part, conceived for the pre-COVID-19 world. The manner in which this supply is absorbed will speak volumes about how the …

July 21, 2020

Features Loans Multifamily Student Housing

Student Housing Finance Transactions Continue Through Pandemic

by Jeff Shaw July 16, 2020

Despite the ongoing struggles faced by the student housing sector, lenders are still active, according to a recent survey by Student Housing Business. The coronavirus pandemic has had a major impact on all aspects of on- and off-campus student housing. In an attempt to better assess that impact and the sector’s outlook for the future, Student Housing Business, sister publication of REBusinessOnline, conducted a survey of industry professionals over the course of several weeks in May. The survey was segmented by industry function for specific elements of the business, allowing SHB to better understand the pandemic’s distinct influence on each segment of the industry. Of the survey’s 569 respondents, 19 defined their company’s role in the industry as that of a lender, debt capital source, mortgage banker or broker. In this segment of the industry, 15 percent of companies laid off or furloughed employees at the corporate level and 8 percent instituted pay cuts. When asked whether their companies are still financing, lending or facilitating any investment and development transactions, 77 percent indicated yes. Forty-six percent of respondents noted that they are currently most inclined to lend on investment deals with 38 percent noting they are equally interested in both development and …

July 16, 2020

Content Partner Features Lument Multifamily RED Capital Group Texas Texas & Oklahoma Feature Archive

Revenue Volatility: Friend or Foe to San Antonio Multifamily Investors?

by Sarah Daniels July 14, 2020

During the great multifamily bull market of this passing decade, investors became increasingly comfortable with exposure to highly volatile metropolitan markets. In an era when it was difficult to make a bad investment decision, the most lucrative were, in most cases, located in areas of the country known for their roller-coaster real estate cycles. Indeed, it seemed as though a purchase capitalization rate could never be too low if an asset was located in one of the primary markets. Volatility was an ally, not a foe — an investment feature, not a bug. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and its attendant recession, however, volatility appears to have switched allegiances. The winds now favor, perhaps, the stable, predictable tortoises over the high-flying hares. In high-cost markets, the number of renters considering relocating to more affordable area codes has skyrocketed, and in the work-from-home era, this has become more of an achievable goal than an inchoate urge. For example, the San Francisco Apartment Association reported that 7.5 percent of tenants in the city — where rents increased at a 6.1 percent compound annual rate since 2010 — simply broke their leases in the three months that ended in May, moving …

July 14, 2020

Features Student Housing

Student Housing Q&A: Tim Bradley Provides Capital Markets Update, Post-Pandemic Outlook

by Katie Sloan July 9, 2020

In June, Student Housing Business, sister publication to REBusinessOnline, reached out to Timothy Bradley, founder of TSB Capital Advisors, for an update on the market for financing in the student housing sector and the outlook for the year ahead. SHB: How would you describe the market for financing student housing at present? Tim Bradley: The market is challenging but not impossible for the right deal with strong sponsorship. For cash-flowing student housing assets, there is still an element of “wait and see until fall” for refinancings and acquisitions in the debt markets. We are still receiving quotes from agencies on student housing transactions, but they include conditions such as heads in beds, school starting and upfront interest reserves. It’s also important to note that agencies are focused on best-in-class owners and operators and sound real estate at this time. All-in rates are still in the low- to mid-3 percent range for fixed-rate quotes. National banks are being very selective on new originations for existing clients and we have found regional banks to be more active in the current market. Life companies are mostly on the sidelines for student housing until the fall semester plays out. For construction, we’ve been able to secure …

July 9, 2020

Austin multifamily occupancy rent growth

Content Partner Features Lument Multifamily RED Capital Group Texas Texas & Oklahoma Feature Archive

Austin: The Right Place at the Right Time for Multifamily Sector

by Sarah Daniels July 8, 2020

“After COVID-19, nothing ever will be the same,” has become a common refrain these days. Perhaps for the next decade or so, every important life choice will be made with public health and safety concerns in mind — and the most commonly chosen solutions will be meaningfully different than before. Among the most fundamental life choices subject to this new scrutiny will be where to live, how to make a living and how to safely move about. Many Americans will opt for less densely populated neighborhoods, increased work-from-home opportunities and private transportation options. When the time arrives to put plans into action, however, most will elect to take small steps rather than a giant leap. Perhaps the high-rise apartment and subway ride to a co-working space can be sacrificed, but not at the expense of convenience, access to nightlife and entertainment and career prospects. Urbanity isn’t out of style, but its form will mutate. Some U.S. metros will struggle to adapt, including a few primary markets. Others seem to be attuned to the times, blessed with all of the now prized attributes already in place. None is more perfectly positioned than Austin. Austin checks all the boxes. It is less …

July 8, 2020

Features Hospitality

Hospitality Executives See Pockets of Resilience Amid Harsh Impact of COVID-19

by Katie Sloan July 7, 2020

A “black swan” event, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the hospitality sector, affecting everything from revenue to operating models and the ability for hotel owners to pay debt service, says Brian Waldman, executive vice president of investments for Peachtree Hotel Group. The insights from Waldman came last Wednesday, July 1, during a webinar he moderated on the current state of the hospitality sector. The session was titled “Distressed Hotels: Sourcing Debt and Equity, Acquisitions and Value-Add Strategies.” A group of panelists not only discussed the epic challenges currently facing the industry, but also the road ahead. IMN hosted the event, and panel participants included David Parsky, managing principal of Arris Investments; Krystal England, senior director of Canyon Partners Real Estate; Rani Gharbie, head of acquisitions and development for The Pod Hotels; and Andrew Gindy, principal of Walton Street Capital. “Fundamentals are very depressed, and as a result the industry is in a cash-preservation mode,” began Gindy. “Recovery in terms of demand will remain unclear until there is some sort of vaccine or therapeutic measure to be taken against COVID-19. Without a visible end in sight, those of us in the industry need to preserve cash. Folks …

July 7, 2020

Features

How an Owner Rep Can Fill Gaps Between Designers, Builders

by Taylor Williams July 2, 2020

By Evan Wyner, Senior Director of Commissioning and Energy Services, Colliers Project Leaders Designing a building can be a busy, chaotic and somewhat messy process. It is a complicated negotiation between theory and practice in which architects create the vision and the aesthetic of the building and its related spaces, structural engineers develop the bones that ensure the building is sound. Mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineers develop the systems that help create the experience of the space and keep people comfortable, productive, healthy and safe in the most energy-efficient manner possible. And then there are the owners, who are praying that all this can be done within their budget so they can deliver a building they are proud of to their stakeholders. The design team brings order to this chaos by following a program, developed closely with the owner, to ensure that spaces meet the needs of the occupants. Whether a project is a residential high rise with one-, two- and three-bedroom apartment units or a mix of different office types with open spaces, private offices and a multitude of conference rooms, the design team delivers guidance to achieve a functional space that meets the vision of the owner and …

July 2, 2020

Content Partner Features Heartland Feature Archive Lee & Associates Office Restaurant Retail

Facility Management Will Require Changes Under New COVID-19 Regulations

by Sarah Daniels July 1, 2020

Facility managers across the nation are sorting through information about the coronavirus and looking at building modifications that can prevent the spread. Owners and tenants alike in the office and retail sectors have turned to facility management professionals to help their businesses thrive under rapidly evolving circumstances. REBusinessOnline recently spoke with three facility management professionals from Lee & Associates via video conference about their company’s approach to facility management during the coronavirus pandemic. Teresa Gascho, Director of Management Services, Indianapolis; Frances Smith, Senior Vice President, Property Manager, Cincinnati; and John Rickert, President-Executive Managing Director, Cincinnati, spoke about how facility managers communicate with tenants, encourage healthy behaviors and support businesses in compassionate and creative ways. Communicating with Tenants About COVID-19 Regulations Early in the pandemic, facility managers were charged with limiting access to properties as buildings shut down. Now that occupants are returning to retail and office buildings, the team at Lee & Associates sees themselves as “facilitators and accommodators” for their tenants. Working to reopen buildings under the guidance and recommendations from state health departments and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) is a lot more involved than closing buildings — and it can be frustrating for all involved. However, Rickert notes, “We’re …

July 1, 2020

Features Office

How COVID-19 Is Drastically Altering Office Design

by Taylor Williams June 30, 2020

By Taylor Williams As office-using companies and employees slowly return to their workplaces, they will see major changes in the layouts and functionalities of their buildings and workspaces as a result of COVID-19 — features and practices that could potentially rewrite the playbook for how architects and engineers approach office projects in the future. Virtually all major components of office design stand to be impacted on some level by COVID-19, a virus that spreads through both shared contact of surfaces and physical proximity among users and employees in buildings. Further, ripple effects exist within the various components of design that have been impacted in the post-COVID-19 office market. In other words, one change in design will beget others. That’s because all of the forthcoming changes have one thing in common: an aim to bolster health and wellness. Building operators must approach all aspects of design with social distancing and heightened sanitation guidelines in mind — a different agenda from the previous ones of comfort, convenience and service. “Moving forward, design is going to be all about safety,” says Ari Rastegar, owner of Austin-based commercial investment firm Rastegar Property Co. “You’re going to see a move away from open layouts and …

June 30, 2020

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