Features

Bob Yoshimura of Lee & Associates: I would characterize the industrial sector as the most sought-after asset class across all commercial property types.

Robust Industrial Investment Shows No Signs of Slowing

by Jaime Lackey December 4, 2019

Real estate buyers spent a record-setting amount of cash in the sector in the third quarter and remain bullish on the properties amid healthy absorption and rent growth. The industrial real estate sector, traditionally known as the land of big, boring boxes, has become the darling of real estate amid the growth of e-commerce. Investors have poured hundreds of billions of dollars into industrial properties over the last five years alone, and not even the prospect of new construction potentially outpacing demand has tempered enthusiasm. “With online sales continuing to grow at a faster rate than general retail sales, there is no lack of continued tenant demand for industrial warehouses and flex and distribution space,” says Rebecca Wells, CCIM, senior vice president and principal of commercial real estate service provider Lee & Associates in Indianapolis. “We expect investment activity will continue at a red-hot rate through the end of this year and into 2020.” Industrial sales totaled $40.6 billion in the third quarter this year, the highest dollar volume ever recorded in a single quarter for the property type, according to Real Capital Analytics, a New York-based researcher that tracks commercial property deals of $2.5 million or more. An $18.7 …

December 4, 2019

Features Mixed-Use Student Housing

Providing the Perfect Student Housing Amenity Through Mixed-Use Space

by Katie Sloan December 3, 2019

Both on- and off-campus, today’s student housing developments are providing more than just a place for students to rest their heads. Off campus, new communities are featuring everything from fashion boutiques and restaurants, to office and event space, while residence halls are bringing academics to student’s doorsteps with built-in incubator space and classrooms. While the addition of a mix of uses may seem like the perfect fit for ground floor space, careful planning and consideration is imperative to ensure that the development is a success — especially when it comes to retail. Choosing The Right Mix On the development side, successful mixed-use space should begin with thoughtful deliberation. Developers must consider not only the needs of the student population, but the community at large. “At the outset, we evaluate whether there is true retail market demand in locations where we target development,” says JJ Smith, president of CA Student Living. “If there isn’t a sufficient population base, it can be difficult for even the best businesses to survive, much less thrive. We don’t want to force retail in locations that simply don’t make sense.” Wes Rogers, president and CEO of Landmark Properties, knows firsthand how important careful planning can be when …

December 3, 2019

Features Multifamily Northeast Feature Archive Seniors Housing

Aging-in-Place Technology Has Its Limits, Says a Reassuring InterFace Seniors Housing Panel

by Jeff Shaw November 27, 2019

PHILADELPHIA — Will today’s emerging aging-in-place technologies, designed to help the elderly remain in their own home for a longer period of time, lead to significantly reduced demand for seniors housing? The question was a hot topic at the InterFace Seniors Housing Northeast conference last Thursday in Philadelphia following a recent front-page article in The Wall Street Journal under the following headline: “Boomers Want to Stay Home. Senior Housing Now Faces Budding Glut.” The piece argues that aging-in-place technology poses a challenge to builders of senior living communities, particularly at a time when developers are adding new supply at a healthy clip and occupancy rates remain relatively stagnant. Nationwide, the occupancy rate for seniors housing (assisted living and independent living combined) was 88 percent in the third quarter of 2019, up 30 basis points from the prior quarter, but down from 90.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2014, according to the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC) based in Annapolis, Maryland. Seniors housing developers added 21,332 units in 2018, more than double the number added in 2014, The Journal reported based on NIC data. Venture capitalists and other companies are expected to invest about $1 billion this year …

November 27, 2019

Features Mixed-Use

Passive Design Strategies Help Mixed-Use Owners Maximize Sustainability, Energy Savings

by Taylor Williams November 26, 2019

At a conceptual and theoretical level, all architects support sustainability and want to make the world a better, greener place. Some states, such as California, have gone as far as establishing sustainability requirements — many that go far beyond industry standards — to ensure new buildings are designed with the environment in mind. California, for example, has the nation’s first mandatory green building standards code, CALGreen Code. This is in addition to Title 24 Energy Standards, which implement minimum energy-efficiency standards and are referenced within the LEED certification system. In California and many other states, LEED is no longer driving sustainable design, as many of the program’s basic principles have become common practice. In addition to CALGreen Code, California has adopted a new goal far tougher than LEED’s requirements: Zero Net Energy (ZNE), which is a label reserved for energy-efficient buildings whose actual annual consumed energy is less than or equal to the renewable energy generated onsite. The state’s goals for the development of ZNE buildings must be implemented in new residential construction by 2020 and commercial construction by 2030. While architects and designers in California are obligated to follow these strict requirements, building design professionals in the Southeast and …

November 26, 2019

Affordable Housing Features Midwest Multifamily

Agencies, Lenders Ramp Up Loan Production for Affordable Housing Properties

by Jeff Shaw November 22, 2019

There’s a human factor when it comes to working in the affordable housing industry. Kelly Frank, senior banker at KeyBank, recalls attending a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a scattered-site housing development where a woman came up to her in tears expressing how grateful she was to have a home in a safe neighborhood setting. The ability to make such a positive impact on someone’s life is one reason Frank loves the affordable housing business. “A lot of work is being done to bring affordable housing to every community,” says Frank. “Everybody’s eyes are on it because it’s a resounding theme throughout the country that there’s just not enough affordable housing.” The United States is short 7 million rental units that are affordable and available to extremely low-income renters, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. These renters have household incomes that are at or below the poverty guideline, or 30 percent of their area median income. The silver lining is that Cleveland-based KeyBank and other lenders have a large toolbox of financing mechanisms available to combat the affordable housing crisis and facilitate the development and preservation of affordable units. Many loans are processed through agencies, including government-sponsored enterprises such as …

November 22, 2019

Features Georgia Retail Southeast

Sports Entertainment Provides a Promising Future for Retail Real Estate

by Jeff Shaw November 21, 2019

ATLANTA — The future of food and beverage retail is…sports? To hear from “The Future of Restaurants & Entertainment” panel at the ICSC Southeast Conference & Deal Making event, sports-centric concepts are a solid bet for retail real estate owners to pursue going forward. Produced by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), the event was held Nov. 13-15 at the newly renovated Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta. Justin Amick, president of Painted Hospitality, spoke during the panel about his two venues in Atlanta, The Painted Pin and The Painted Duck. Both locations have an industrial motif and offer an expanded dinner menu, craft beer and cocktails and classic parlor games such as shuffleboard and horseshoes. The differentiator, though, is the boutique bowling alley. Amick said the idea is to attract patrons with the games and provide an experience while making money via food and beverage. “Painted wasn’t the first to invent the high-end bowling concept — the first to do so was probably Lucky Strike — but with our model of gaming, food and beverage, dancing and sports all under one roof, we do it well,” said Amick. His company recently announced a second location of The Painted …

November 21, 2019

Features Multifamily

Technology is Top-of-Mind for Multifamily Renters, Says NMHC Survey

by Jeff Shaw November 19, 2019

WASHINGTON, D.C. — More and more renters are looking for apartments that feature high levels of technology, according to the 2020 Apartment Resident Preferences Report released by the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) and research firm Kingsley Associates. The NMHC is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization serving the multifamily industry. The report was compiled through survey responses from nearly 373,000 renters living in 5,336 different apartment communities throughout more than 270 U.S. markets. It was the largest number of responses in the report’s eight-year history, according to the NMHC. On the technology front, 91.2 percent of respondents said reliable cell phone reception is important, and 44 percent won’t rent at a property without it. Even more — 91.7 percent — noted the need for high-speed internet, with nearly 70 percent even saying that Wi-Fi throughout the community (not just in apartments) is important. This reliance on the web is because of residents’ use of multiple internet-connected devices. Over 98 percent of respondents use at least one internet-connected device, and over 40 percent possess five or more. Renters also expressed high levels of interest in smart-home technology like smart thermostats (70.5 percent), smart lighting (66.9 percent) and smart locks (63 percent). However, …

November 19, 2019

Features Industrial

RCM-SIOR Investor Sentiment Survey Shows U.S. Industrial Outlook Remains Positive for 2020

by Kristin Harlow November 14, 2019

CARLSBAD, CALIF. — U.S. industrial investment is expected to continue at a steady pace into 2020, although headwinds created by tariffs and a slowing economy are beginning to strengthen, according to the third annual Industrial Investor Sentiment Report from Real Capital Markets (RCM) and the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR). Investors are shifting strategies, however, to find safe havens against any market slowdown. Some investors are adjusting their portfolios toward land-constrained markets that provide the potential for higher rent growth. Among those strong markets are Seattle, Miami, Northern New Jersey and parts of Southern California. Other investors are moving back to core markets to minimize risk or are focusing on secondary markets where further cap rate compression is more likely, according to the report. “Investors are projecting a steady flow of industrial activity in the United States for the foreseeable future, given the strong fundamentals and the stability this sector offers,” says Steve Shanahan, executive managing director of Carlsbad, Calif.-based RCM, a part of LightBox. “Investors are keenly aware of the potential for an economic slowdown but are focused on the long-term horizon and taking the steps necessary to protect their investments.” The RCM-SIOR report includes insights and …

November 14, 2019

Features

Forecast Survey: What’s Your Take on Real Estate in 2020?

by Kristin Harlow November 12, 2019

The editors of REBusinessOnline are conducting a brief online survey to gauge market conditions and we welcome your participation. The survey should only take a few minutes to complete. Questions range from property sectors that you are most bullish on heading into 2020 to trends in deal volume to your outlook for interest rates. The results will be collated and published in the January issues 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. To participate in our developer/owner/manager survey, click here. To participate in our lender/financial intermediary survey, click here. (Note: Please remember to click on “done” to properly submit the survey.)

November 12, 2019

California Features Retail Western

Ten-X Commercial: E-Commerce, Store Closures and the Impact on the Retail Real Estate Sector

by John Nelson November 7, 2019

IRVINE, CALIF. — Ten-X Commercial, the online commercial real estate platform formerly known as Auction.com, reports that the U.S. retail market is “largely suffering” in the face of rising e-commerce and massive store closures. In its latest Retail Market Outlook report, Ten-X expects the retail sector to show little to no improvement in the immediate future. By fourth-quarter 2022, the Irvine-based company forecasts that the effective rental rate per square foot for the national retail sector to increase by only 1 percent and the vacancy rate to increase by 10 basis points. Due to store closures, Ten-X reports that retail space absorption has been poor and developers have scaled back construction of new retail spaces as a result. According to Coresight Research, more than 8,560 store closures have already been announced year-to-date in 2019, a steep increase from the 5,524 in 2018. These include by brands such as GNC, Walgreens, Bed Bath & Beyond, Kitchen Collection, Forever 21, Avenue, Dress Barn, Charming Charlie and LifeWay Christian Stores. In their announcements, most brands detail that their profits were sunk due to competition from e-commerce companies. Ten-X reports that e-commerce has doubled its total share of retail sales over the past decade …

November 7, 2019

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