Features

F&B Dominates Discussion at ICSC’s Chicago Deal Making

by Kristin Harlow October 24, 2019

CHICAGO — The food and beverage industry dominated much of the programming and sessions at this year’s Chicago Deal Making, hosted by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). In fact, the keynote speaker was Fabio Viviani, a celebrity chef and hospitality developer. Examples of other food-oriented workshops and panels included “How to Craft Restaurant Deals,” “From Automation to Ghost Kitchens, Understanding the Trends Reshaping F&B” and “Small Bites: New Restaurant Concepts.” The two-day ICSC event took place at Navy Pier on Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 16-17. The show kicked off with an hour-long session in which retailers pitched their expansion plans in the Midwest. An overwhelming number of participants were restaurants. “Chicago is recognized for being a gastronomical center, not one or two really good chefs and restaurant tours but many,” said Steven Weinstock, first vice president and regional manager of Marcus & Millichap’s Chicago Oak Brook office. “We win as residents of Chicago because they keep trying new concepts.” Weinstock cited the influx of residents in Chicago’s River North, Streeterville and West Loop neighborhoods for helping grow the food industry within the city. This younger, affluent crowd views restaurants as a source of enjoyment and entertainment, he argued. …

October 24, 2019

California Features Multifamily Seniors Housing Western

NIC: Seniors Housing Occupancy Ticks Upward to 88 Percent as Construction Slows

by Alex Patton October 22, 2019

ANNAPOLIS, MD. — Seniors housing occupancy increased to 88 percent in the third quarter of 2019 from its lowest level in eight years (87.7 percent) recorded during the previous quarter, according to data from the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC). NIC is an Annapolis-based data firm serving the seniors housing industry. Of the 31 metropolitan markets that comprise NIC’s Primary Markets, San Jose (95.5 percent) and Minneapolis (91.3 percent) experienced the highest occupancy rates in the third quarter. Las Vegas (82.3 percent) and Houston (81.5 percent) recorded the lowest occupancy rates. San Antonio experienced the largest occupancy increase from a year ago, rising from 80.2 percent to 84.6 percent. Baltimore saw the largest year-over-year decrease, falling from 92.5 percent to 90.6 percent. “San Jose retains the distinction of having the highest occupancy rate of any major market in the country, as significant barriers to entry constrain development,” says Chuck Harry, NIC’s head of research and analytics. “Houston, on the other hand, places fewer restrictions on development, which is pressuring occupancy.” During the quarter, net new unit demand totaled 4,977 units, the greatest number of new units in any quarter since NIC began reporting the data in …

October 22, 2019

Features Loans Multifamily Seniors Housing

Expect Seniors Housing Lenders To Boost Deal Volumes

by Alex Tostado October 17, 2019

The sharp drop in interest rates over the past several months has not only lowered the cost of capital for borrowers, but it has also helped offset higher operating costs at a critically important time, say seniors housing lenders. At the close of business on Oct. 16, the 10-year Treasury yield — a benchmark for long-term, fixed-rate permanent financing in commercial real estate — stood at 1.75 percent, down about 125 basis points from the start of 2019. Meanwhile, the 30-day London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), which is used to help set interest rates on construction loans, registered 188 basis points as of Oct. 16, a drop of about 60 basis points since the beginning of the year. Adding an element of drama and complexity to the overall picture is the inverted yield curve scenario, the point at which the 10-year Treasury bond falls below the level on the two-year bond. That’s precisely what occurred in mid-August, resulting in high volatility on Wall Street. Historically, an inverted yield curve is a strong indicator that the risk of recession is increasing. It means that investors are concerned about the economic outlook in the short term, but it provides no guarantee that …

October 17, 2019

Features Retail

Assessors Fail to Recognize Challenges Facing Shopping Center Landlords

by Taylor Williams October 15, 2019

As retailers rise and fall in the age of Amazon, property taxes remain one of retailers’ largest operating expenses. That makes it critical to monitor assessments of retail properties and be ready to contest unfairly high taxable valuations. Assessors — and property owners attempting to educate those assessors — must understand how the changes taking place in the retail sector affect property value. Assessors must adjust their models to reflect new market realities, and property owners or their representatives must be able to explain why previously held valuation assumptions could no longer be valid. No Going Back Changing consumer tastes have always required retailers to adapt in order to survive, but traditional retailers are facing a different kind of challenge today. The increasing role of e-commerce in overall sales reflects a fundamental change in consumer behavior that will not reverse course with the whims of fashion. The ability to shop online is resetting consumer expectations, and retailers are struggling to adapt and stay competitive. This struggle is evident in store closings that in 2019 are outpacing closings from the prior year. In addition to the threat of e-commerce, some economists believe a recession is coming in 2020. Falling retail sales, …

October 15, 2019

Conference Coverage Features Multifamily Student Housing

The Importance of Reputation Management in Student Housing

by Katie Sloan October 11, 2019

DALLAS — It’s no secret that today’s students spend a lot of time on their phones, perusing social media and scanning the internet. With such a high level of importance placed on digital content, what people are saying about your community through online reviews is becoming more powerful than ever. As an owner or operator, it’s imperative to handle negative reviews quickly and efficiently, and to bolster the amount of positive reviews left about your community. A panel of reputation management strategists weighed in on best online reputation practices during the session, “Review and Reputation Management: Who Should be Managing Your Reputation? What are Best Practices? And Creating an Effective & Efficient Strategy for your Teams,” at the second annual LeaseCon: A Social Media, Digital & Traditional Marketing Boot Camp, held at The Westin Galleria in Dallas in September. “There is a direct correlation between online reputation and how well your assets are performing,” says John Hinckley, CEO of Modern Message. “Building the right strategy around reputation management is key. It’s been interesting to watch over the last eight years and see the industry change from turning a blind eye to reputation to incorporating it as an important component of …

October 11, 2019

Features Northeast Retail

New Tenant Mixes Fuel Retail Redevelopments

by Taylor Williams October 9, 2019

A persistent need for a tenant mix that is resistant to e-commerce and which facilitates a unique, authentic experience is prompting owners of older retail centers and malls to assume high levels of risk and redevelop their properties. While there can be a plethora of non-tenant-related factors that spur redevelopment projects — the basic need to charge higher rents, the structural and aesthetic deterioration over time, a desire to restore the public perception of vibrancy — the ultimate success of almost every retail redevelopment project hinges on the tenancy. “Modern consumers are attracted to experiential concepts and properties that are destinations, meaning those with a roster of diverse and dynamic tenants,” says Joe Coradino, CEO of Philadelphia-based retail investment firm PREIT. “Diversifying our tenant mixes across all our properties and markets is key to differentiating them.” PREIT has several redevelopment projects underway in Pennsylvania. The company is repositioning the anchor space at the Plymouth Meeting Mall, which was previously occupied by Macy’s, to house several new tenants, including Michael’s, Miller’s Ale House, Burlington, Edge Fitness and DICK’s Sporting Goods. PREIT has also transformed the former Macy’s anchor space at the Moorestown Mall into four box spaces that will house tenants …

October 9, 2019

Features Office

Despite Healthy Economy, Office Vacancy Rates Still Stuck in the Mud in Several Markets

by Jeff Shaw October 8, 2019

NEW YORK CITY — The national office vacancy rate held steady at 16.8 percent in the third quarter compared with the prior quarter, and was up 10 basis points from the same period a year ago, according to Reis, which tracks commercial properties in 79 metropolitan markets. Net absorption was a healthy 4.5 million square feet in the quarter, partially a result of historically low unemployment (3.5 percent in September, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). However, a robust pipeline of new construction — 4.4 million square feet in the quarter — offset the absorption, leading vacancy to hold fast. The net effect has been modest rent growth. The average effective rent per square foot grew from $27.49 in the second quarter to $27.65 in the third quarter, a 0.6 percent increase. The year-over-year increase was less than $1 per square foot. Individual markets have also shows signs of softness, with 39 of the 79 metros tracked by Reis seeing increased office vacancy so far this year. “Office occupancy growth has been sluggish throughout this expansion as firms lease far fewer square feet per added job,” the report states. “Rent growth has also disappointed owners.” The report does …

October 8, 2019

Features

Use Restrictions Can Lower Your Tax Bills

by Taylor Williams October 8, 2019

Most property managers and owners can state their property’s most productive use and reel off a list of potential uses as well. But not all of them know their property’s specific use restrictions, and fewer still realize how those limitations affect the property’s value for tax assessment purposes. Government Restrictions Local zoning laws impose the most common use restrictions, and their impact on property uses and potential values is commonly understood. A property zoned for development as a retail power center, for example, will generally have a higher market value than a property which is limited to uses such as auto repair or animal kenneling. Market values are often used to set tax assessment values, so a use restriction that increases or reduces market value will also increase or reduce a property’s tax assessment value. Less common restrictions that can impair a property’s value include covenants or agreements entered into with a municipality. Whether for future development of a parking structure, for fire department ingress and egress lanes or to meet open-space standards, these covenants typically limit the owner’s ability to fully develop the property and thereby reduce its market value. Similarly, historical designations by local government generally reduce a …

October 8, 2019

Conference Coverage Features Multifamily Student Housing Texas Texas & Oklahoma Feature Archive

How to Maximize Student Housing Lease Conversions Through Social Media, Digital Marketing

by Kristin Harlow October 3, 2019

DALLAS — When it comes to attracting the attention of students — and, more specifically, Generation Z — maintaining a positive and unique social media and digital marketing presence is critical. Most owners and operators of student housing today are pushing marketing dollars toward creating a digital brand in hopes of attracting a greater number of lease conversions. As an owner or operator, how do you allocate the right amount of funding to this segment of the business? And how do you know if it’s actually working? A panel of owners, operators and digital marketing strategists weighed in on this topic during the session, “How to Convince Owners/Operators to Allocate Budget to Social Media and Digital Marketing & How to Report and Validate Results and Maximize Conversions,” at the second annual LeaseCon: A Social Media, Digital & Traditional Marketing Boot Camp, held at The Westin Galleria in Dallas in September. Achieving optimal digital marketing results begins with transparent data on what works, and what doesn’t. “It’s really important to choose a digital marketing partner that is going to be as transparent as possible,” says Brian Garrigan, head of sales for the central U.S. at Simpli.fi. “A lot of organizations will …

October 3, 2019

Features Retail

CCIM: ‘Culprit’ for Retail Bankruptcies Is Being Overleveraged, Over-Retailed

by Kristin Harlow October 1, 2019

Over the weekend, fast fashion retailer Forever 21 was the latest to file for bankruptcy protection. The low-price, teen-focused apparel retailer plans to close 350 stores worldwide, including up to 178 in the Unites States, according to The Wall Street Journal. Overleverage and retailers being “over-retailed” — not changes in consumer spending — are to blame for retail bankruptcies, according to K.C. Conway, CCIM Institute chief economist. Conway, in partnership with the Alabama Center for Real Estate at the University of Alabama, recently released a report that debunks retail myths and makes predictions for the future of the property sector. Besides overexpansion, one of Forever 21’s struggles was its large store footprints in malls. Conway predicts that retail space will contract by more than 50 percent by 2022. One in four malls nationwide is expected to close. Trends to keep an eye on Despite the proliferation of e-commerce, the CCIM report finds that online apparel retail is actually less profitable than brick-and-mortar stores. This is partly because last-mile fulfillment isn’t cost effective. That said, online retail sales are predicted to double by 2025, largely due to online grocery sales. In the United States, online grocery sales are expected to make …

October 1, 2019

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