Features

Hyatt Place Chicago/Downtown-The Loop

LOS ANGELES — As the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to develop, CBRE Hotels Research has released a revised Viewpoint Hotel 2020 Outlook. The firm now expects gross domestic product (GDP) growth for the United States to slow to 0.4 percent in 2020, down from its previous estimate of 1.9 percent. CBRE expects a sharp drop in economic activity in the second quarter, stabilization as early as third-quarter 2020 and a recovery underway by the fourth quarter. “Governments throughout the world are implementing monetary and fiscal stimulus to try to prevent a more long-term global recession,” says Jamie Lane, senior managing economist with CBRE. “Our current expectations are that this stimulus, as well as pent-up demand, will lead to a substantial rebound in economic activity in 2021.” Decline in lodging demand The lodging sector’s two main challenges are a contraction in overall economic activity and the need for social distancing that encourages staying at home in small groups and not traveling. As seen in other countries, these monetary and social restrictions will cause a severe decline in the lodging demand in the United States. CBRE’s updated forecast shows a 37 percent decline in revenue per available room (RevPAR) for the …

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The coronavirus (COVID-19) is having a widespread impact on the off-campus student housing industry. Many off-campus owners and operators are grappling with a growing number of universities canceling in-person classes, and in some instances, ordering students to vacate their campuses and residence halls altogether. On Wednesday, March 25, Student Housing Business (SHB) held a complimentary webinar on the impact of COVID-19 on the off-campus student housing industry. The webinar had nearly 2,000 attendees. During the panel discussion, six owners and operators weighed in on best practices and operations advice for employees at both the corporate- and property-level, as well as the potential impact of the pandemic on turn — the student housing industry’s intense summer period when units are cleaned, refurbished and rehabbed — and leasing for fall 2020.  Randy Shearin, editor of SHB, led the discussion. Speakers included Casey Petersen, COO of Peak Campus; Chris Richards, executive director of real estate operations at Greystar; Adam Byrley, COO of The Preiss Co.; Grant Collard, CEO of Redstone Residential; Alex O’Brien, COO of Cardinal Group; and Miles Orth, EVP and COO of Campus Apartments. Click here to listen to the full webinar: COVID-19 and the Impact on Student Housing Residents, Employees, Operations, …

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The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has not only impacted the physical health of humans around the world, but the health of the U.S. economy as well. While the stock market rallied over 11 percent on Tuesday, its biggest jump in nearly 90 years, on news that a federal stimulus bill to rescue the economy from the coronavirus was imminent, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was still down 31 percent from its most recent high at the closing bell. Meanwhile, economists say weekly jobless claims — new filings for unemployment insurance — could hit 2 million or 3 million. The Labor Department will release the latest figures on Thursday morning. Before the coronavirus hit, weekly jobless claims hovered around 215,000. Though no one knows the true fallout yet — because we’re still in the thick of it. “The impact of the crisis on the commercial real estate market has been dramatic so far, and we are only in the beginning,” says Alex Zikakis, president and founder of Capstone Advisors, a real estate investment, development and asset management company in Carlsbad, Calif. “Many small businesses, especially in retail, are facing extreme pressure as people social distance and only shop for absolute necessities. I …

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Charlotte Rent and Occupancy, RED Capital

Charlotte is America’s second-largest commercial banking center, home to one of the country’s biggest financial institutions, Bank of America; soon the headquarters site of another when BB&T and SunTrust merge; and host to more employees of Wells Fargo than call its San Francisco base home. It would be hard to exaggerate the economic benefits the local market secures from this status. One growing but not widely appreciated benefit is the Queen City’s emergence as one of the world’s hotbeds of innovation in fintech, the space in which digital technology and financial services intersect. With support from local financial services giants, well-funded fintech incubators (like Queen City Fintech, hired by IBM to build and run their Hyper Protect accelerators) and a burgeoning start-up community, Charlotte has hatched a small army of successful fintech firms capitalized with more than $2 billion to date. Lately, entrepreneurs in other disciplines have come to appreciate Charlotte’s virtues. Nascent disruptors in the healthcare and electric power sectors are setting down roots in the city, attracted by its low operating and living costs, quality of life, deep well of talent and uniquely collaborative style. The injection of start-up energy into Charlotte’s thriving Fortune 500 business foundation catalyzed …

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The impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) is being felt across every sector of the U.S. economy as the virus continues to spread worldwide. The student housing industry is not exempt, as the number of colleges and universities canceling in-person classes continues to grow, with some requesting that students vacate residence halls immediately for the remainder of the spring semester. The number of confirmed cases in the U.S. has climbed to 10,442 and the death toll has risen to 150 as of March 19, according to The New York Times coronavirus case map. President Trump declared a national emergency on March 13, which gave him authority to use $50 billion allocated by congress for disaster relief to address the coronavirus crisis. The Trump administration broadened the government’s response to the pandemic on Wednesday, spelling out the first details of a $1 trillion economic package that requests an infusion of $500 billion for direct payments to taxpayers and $500 billion in loans for businesses from Congress, according to reports by The New York Times. President Trump also invoked a seldom-used wartime law that allows the government to press American industry into service to ramp up production of medical supplies. University and College Closures Universities are taking …

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As markets, consumers and businesses react to the novel coronavirus, lenders and mortgage bankers across the country find themselves reflecting on the volatility that characterized the multifamily debt market in 2019 and wondering just how similar 2020 could be. To be sure, market uncertainty is par for the course during presidential election years, and the market event related to coronavirus is creating additional anxiety. The multifamily debt markets are also working to move away from the LIBOR index as a benchmark for pricing loans to a new index, creating the need for adjustment within the industry when that move takes effect in 2021. But beyond those factors, lenders and mortgage bankers anticipate continued strength in multifamily loan production fueled by strong fundamentals and low interest rates. These topics formed the basis of discussion for much of the Mortgage Bankers Association and CREFC’s Multifamily Housing Convention & Expo, held February 9-12 in San Diego. The event afforded ample opportunities for publications that cover the industry to meet individually with multifamily finance professionals and gauge their outlooks on the health and prospective performance of the market in 2020.  Rebusinessonline.com took advantage of those opportunities to sit down and talk with Rich Martinez, …

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How Will COVID-10 Impact CRE?

REBusinessOnline has compiled a number of commercial real estate industry reports and webinars to help readers find the information they need regarding coronavirus (COVID-19) and commercial real estate. The reports are organized by relevance and timeliness. (This page is no longer updated as of June 1, 2020.) Interested in coronavirus-related news items posted by REBusinessOnline? Click here for the feed. Interested in commercial real estate-related webinars focusing on responses to the pandemic? Click here for the list. Webinars Student Housing Business Up Close with Bill Bayless (05/04/2020) How to Maintain Leasing Velocity in Today’s Environment (04/30/2020) COVID-19 & the Impact on Student Housing: The CEO Perspective (04/17/2020) The Impact of COVID-19 on Student Housing (03/25/2020) Marcus & Millichap Marcus & Millichap Special Update: Multifamily Legislation (05/13/2020) The Shape of Things to Come: How Will the Economy and Retail Real Estate Look After the Global Health Crisis? (05/18/2020) InterFace Conference Group Seniors Housing Marketing and Sales During the Pandemic and Beyond (Upcoming 05/20/2020) California Retail Reboot — How Will California’s Retail and Restaurant Sector Recover Post-Coronavirus? (05/21/2020) Atlanta Retail Reboot (05/08/2020) Texas Retail Reboot (05/07/2020) The Short- and Long-term Impact of COVID-19 on Healthcare and Medical Office Real Estate   (04/14/2020, Fee is …

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The Shops at Canal Place New Orleans

With the stock market dropping to lows unprecedented since the Great Recession on Monday and the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring the outbreak of COVID-19 a pandemic, concerns are now rising regarding coronavirus’ long-term impact on domestic investments. But will the disease have any impact on brick-and-mortar retail? According to a research report from JLL, while retail supply chains have already been affected, the health of retail as whole depends heavily on how long the pandemic lasts. Certain sectors have already been impacted, and those in the industry can model their current economic outlook on the course SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) took in 2003. However, whether that model will hold as the pandemic evolves remains to be seen. The JLL report explains that the type of short-lived and limited outbreak created by SARS mainly affects the “first and second quarters with many retailers feeling impacts of a disrupted supply chain, but with a subsequent rebound in the following quarters.” Sectors already affected include inventory and complex supply lines. Chinese-manufactured goods may not be able to reach retailers in the coming weeks to months, as the retailers’ existing supply diminishes. Fashion stocks, especially for luxury retailers dependent on Chinese consumers …

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victory

The modern craft beer brewery has emerged as a niche community anchor with flexible business models and loyal customer bases across the United States, particularly in the Northeast. Combining elements of retail, industrial and hospitality models, craft breweries have quickly become one of the most dynamic and trendy business types in major cities and small towns, alike. Some of the largest and most popular craft breweries in the United States are based in the Northeast, including the two largest: Pennsylvania-based D.G. Yuengling & Son Inc.; and Boston Beer Co., the parent company of Samuel Adams. Vermont has the most breweries per capita in the United States with more than 66, according to the national Brewers Association’s most recent nationwide census in 2018. The census identified more than 155 breweries in Massachusetts and more than 354 breweries in Pennsylvania — and those numbers have only increased over time. “Massachusetts and Pennsylvania both have a long history in brewing, and there’s a lot of variation from region to region — even city to city,” says Bart Watson, chief economist for the Brewers Association. “Breweries appeal to their hyper-local community and also can bring in a lot of tourism and outside dollars. During …

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Rob Rotach Walker Dunlop

Many of today’s headlines about multifamily housing have focused on the market’s two extremes: homelessness and high-end penthouses. Meanwhile, a crisis has been growing in the “missing middle;” there is a shortage of affordable rental housing for middle-class workers like teachers, firefighters and police officers. In recent years, middle-income families have been struggling with flat wages and rising childcare, education and healthcare costs. Not only are families being priced out of homeownership, but they’re finding fewer rental units in their price range. Indeed, rents have been rising, particularly in cities with booming economies. Nationwide, only 37 percent of all available units rent out at or below $1,200 per month, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) Out of Reach report and the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. Yet only in 13 states do workers earn an average of at least $22.96 per hour, the amount required to comfortably afford a $1,200/month apartment. Charlotte is short 34,000 affordable housing units and Salt Lake City lacks 54,000. In total, there is a need for hundreds of thousands more affordable rental units. The problem is a matter of supply as well as demand. Formidable obstacles currently impede the …

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