Features

Strong Economy Bolsters Absorption, Rents in U.S. Office Market, Says Transwestern Report

by John Nelson November 6, 2018

HOUSTON — A robust American economy is strengthening the fundamentals of the country’s office market, keeping vacancy in check and driving asking rents up, according to a new report from Houston-based Transwestern. Strong job growth resulting in a 3.7 percent unemployment rate in October, coupled with a 3.5 percent increase in GDP during the third quarter, propelled the U.S. office market to nearly 23 million square feet of positive net absorption. Year-to-date absorption in the office market has now increased by 17.1 percent compared to the first three quarters of 2017, per the report. Year-over-year, the national vacancy rate has held steady at 10.1 percent, nearing its lowest mark during the current cycle. Asking rents have increased by 4 percent year-over-year to a national average of $26.03 per square foot. Transwestern’s report tracked competitive single- and multi-tenant office buildings in 49 select U.S. markets. Owner-occupied, medical offices and government-owned buildings were not included in the analysis. According to Ryan Tharp, director of research in Transwestern’s Dallas office, the combined momentum from quarterly job and GDP growth was strong enough to offset soft wage gains, which would otherwise have dampened the sector’s performance. Despite a tight labor market, wages increased by …

November 6, 2018

When Done Right, New Stadium Development Can Transform Neighborhoods

by Kristin Harlow November 1, 2018

The practice of building large stadiums and sports arenas in urban areas has long been a hotly debated strategy. Critics cite the civic disruption that comes with unavoidable breakdowns in infrastructure and transportation and the significant parking and logistical requirements. There’s also the difficulty of reconciling the financial bottom line, or the aesthetic and functional disconnect of a grand facility that operates intermittently and towers over its surroundings. Stanford economist Roger Noll, an expert on the economics of sports, has argued persuasively that “NFL stadiums do not generate significant local economic growth, and the incremental tax revenue is not sufficient to cover major financial contributions by the city.” Noll has also suggested in the past that smaller, multi-use facilities, and facilities that are “embedded in larger commercial and residential projects,” make more sense. In recent years, innovators in the world of sports and performance arena design, as well as urban planning and design experts, have embraced such an approach, creating inspired new compact arena concepts that are a better fit for urban environments. They are also figuring out new ways to make smaller, multiuse venues a community asset rather than a liability. As cities like Detroit make difficult decisions …

November 1, 2018

California Features Retail Western Western Feature Archive

Revival is Afoot at the Nation’s Regional Malls

by John Nelson October 30, 2018

The malls of yesteryear are not dead, but many are in need of a revival if they want to thrive tomorrow and beyond, believes Leslie Lundin, co-founder and managing partner at LBG Real Estate Cos. Lundin, who held the “Transforming Challenges into Opportunities” workshop on Monday at ICSC’s Western Dealmaking Conference at the Los Angeles Convention Center, asserts that many mall properties are situated in prime traffic corridors — meaning the traffic is there but it’s up to the owner to take advantage of these numbers. She points to the Shops at Hilltop, a 1.2-million-square-foot shopping center in the San Francisco East Bay submarket of Richmond, as one example. LBG acquired the asset, which is currently undergoing a rebranding and re-tenanting just off Interstate 80 in a dense traffic corridor that sits 20 miles northeast of San Francisco, in July 2017. It is set to become an Asian-themed shopping and entertainment destination that includes a movie theater, live theater, grocery store, food hall, and more than 100,000 square feet of restaurants along with various entertainment-related tenants. The Shops at Hilltop will also include off-price, valued-based tenants such as H&M, Forever 21 and Saks Off Fifth. Rich Walter, executive vice president …

October 30, 2018

Features Heartland Feature Archive Industrial Midwest

Real Capital Markets, SIOR: ‘Plenty of Runway Left’ for Industrial Sector

by Kristin Harlow October 25, 2018

CARLSBAD, CALIF. — Institutional, private and foreign investors all continue to pour capital into the industrial sector in the Midwest and nationwide, confirming there is still “plenty of runway left,” according to the 2018 Industrial Investor Sentiment Report from Real Capital Markets (RCM) and SIOR. The steady flow of capital and positive momentum within the sector comes despite looming threats from rising interest rates, tariffs and a diminishing supply of quality assets. “The industrial market and those who invest in it have enjoyed an incredible, long run because of its ability to adapt to the needs of specific users and subsectors, and embrace the ongoing evolution of the global economy,” says Tina Lichens, COO of Carlsbad, Calif.-based RCM. “Given this performance and consistency, we have every reason to believe there is plenty of runway left.” RCM and SIOR compiled the study through a survey of RCM principals, SIOR members and subsequent interviews with key industry leaders. Year-over-year comparisons Questions in the survey tracked participants’ perceptions of investment activity, pricing and cap rates. Notably, more than 48 percent of respondents believe that industrial activity will remain at or about the current level. One year ago, that figure was 43 percent. More …

October 25, 2018

Features Multifamily Seniors Housing

More Seniors Housing M&A Activity on the Horizon, According to Capital One Survey

by Kristin Harlow October 25, 2018

CHICAGO — Some 92 percent of executives from the seniors housing and long-term care industry expect the pace of mergers and acquisitions within the sector to remain the same or increase over the next 12 months, according to newly released findings in a Capital One survey. Conversely, only 8 percent expect M&A activity to decrease. Conducted in September, the e-mail survey asked professionals to provide their 12-month outlook on a number of issues in the seniors housing space. The survey netted 147 respondents. “I was a little surprised by people expecting M&A activity to increase next year. Obviously, the market has been fairly robust for a number of years,” said Chris Taylor, managing director at Capital One Healthcare, during an interview with Seniors Housing Business at the fall conference of the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC). The three-day event, held Oct. 17-19 at the Sheraton Grand Chicago, attracted more than 3,100 attendees. One possible explanation for survey respondents’ optimism over M&A prospects in the year ahead, according to Taylor, is that while it’s getting more difficult for investors to acquire Class A product in light of the compressed cap rates and rising interest rate environment, they see more …

October 25, 2018

Features Heartland Feature Archive Illinois Midwest Retail

Marry Online Efficiency With Brick-and-Mortar Retail, Say Experts at ICSC Chicago Deal Making

by Kristin Harlow October 23, 2018

CHICAGO — How retailers can best integrate online and brick-and-mortar sales as well as utilize new technology to analyze shopper activity were two of the most prominent discussion points at this year’s Chicago Deal Making & VRN Outlet Convention. The event, hosted by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), took place at Navy Pier on Oct. 17-18 and attracted more than 2,400 registered attendees. In a recently released study from ICSC, a new store opening was shown to boost a brand’s web traffic within that market by an average of 37 percent. There’s a special term for it, known as the “halo effect.” The magic formula for today’s retailers and shopping centers is to marry online efficiency with brick-and-mortar locations, according to Karen Fluharty, partner with Montville, N.J.-based Strategy + Style Marketing Group. Fluharty’s remarks came during the “Future of Outlets” session. Today, an omnichannel presence is increasingly critical to a retailer’s competitiveness. Online retailers with growing sales have started successfully transforming their “clicks” into “bricks.” Warby Parker and Bonobos are two of the most well-known online retailers with a steady expansion of physical stores. What’s beneficial for outlet centers is that nine out of 10 consumers say they …

October 23, 2018

CNBC’s Steve Liesman (left) interviews Gary Cohn on stage during the 2018 NIC Fall Conference at the Sheraton Grand Chicago. Cohn is the former president and COO of Goldman Sachs and former director of the National Economic Council.

Features

Gary Cohn Talks Economy, Trade, Term Limits at NIC Conference

by Jeff Shaw October 19, 2018

CHICAGO — Gary Cohn, a Wall Street titan who served as chief economic advisor to President Donald Trump for more than a year, has a two-word solution to America’s broken political system: term limits. “We have to come to the realization that professional politicians are not what we need in this country. We have to get to term limits because the fact that politicians are governing for one purpose and one purpose only, which is re-election, and raising money from constituents is why we end up in these horrible situations,” said Cohn, the former president and COO of Goldman Sachs, referring to the rancorous partisan climate in our nation’s capital. Cohn served as director of the National Economic Council from Jan. 20, 2017 to April 2, 2018, and played a critical role in the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which lowered the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent and reduced tax rates for many Americans. “Can you imagine if you were only there for one or two terms and the campaign finance rules were different, and you knew you had a finite period of time, and this was not your professional job, and you …

October 19, 2018

2018 Mid-Atlantic Multifamily Rent Growth - RED Capital

Content Partner Features Lument RED Capital Group

RED: Mid-Atlantic Region 2018 Multifamily Performance Update

by Jaime Lackey October 18, 2018

As the real estate cycle enters the late innings, multifamily investors increasingly are seeking alternatives to high-cost coastal metros but remain unwilling to sacrifice the property market liquidity found in the primary markets. Many are finding the right balance of opportunity and liquidity in the Mid-Atlantic States, where cap rates are often higher than in the “favored five” markets and value-add opportunities in strategically located Class B properties abound. RED Capital Research (RCR) performance models suggest that the Mid-Atlantic’s season in the sun has longer to run. Philadelphia Apartment Market Ranks Second Among the Top 50 U.S Markets for Risk-Adjusted Returns Sales of Philadelphia apartments topped $2 billion during the 12-month period ending in June, a 125 percent increase over the year-earlier period. Fund and trust buyers dominated trade, concentrating on urban mid-rise and suburban garden value-add plays at mid-5 percent to low-6 percent cap rates. Investors penciled IRRs in the mid-6 percent range for Class A assets, and the low-7 percent area for value-adds. The metro economy has performed well since 2015 — and posted accelerating gains in the spring and summer. RED Research models forecast further above-trend payroll job creation through 2019, before higher interest rates curb growth. …

October 18, 2018

Content Partner Features

A Peek Behind the Industrial Lending Curtain

by Amy Works October 17, 2018

Mastering the puzzle of a successful commercial real estate loan requires more than due diligence on the borrower. To execute a solid loan transaction, shrewd originators make sure all of the existing pieces fit together — and consider how future pieces might fit into the equation. Beyond the Borrower While the history and financial health of a borrower are top concern for originators, there are many more factors at play. “Having a strong borrower is important, but it’s also critical to research the current tenants, the leasibility of the property, the desirability of the location and the long-term activity of the market,” says Peter Margolin, commercial loan originator with Chicago-based Alliant Credit Union. He describes a recently closed loan to show how lenders analyze some of the underlying factors that drive financing packages. In April of this year, Alliant provided a $6.4 million loan to refinance a 64,637-square-foot industrial building located on Statesville Road in Charlotte, North Carolina. The borrower was a REIT that focuses on single-tenant R&D and industrial properties throughout the Southeast. Husqvarna North America, a producer of outdoor power equipment, utilizes the property as a research and development facility. Terms of the 10-year loan include five years …

October 17, 2018

Features Retail

Click and Collect: Retailers Expanding Store Pick-Up Options, Says Colliers Report

by David Cohen October 16, 2018

As e-commerce continues to grow, the number of consumers picking up online purchases in stores is increasing, according to a report by Colliers International. The share of consumers who say they regularly use “click and collect” purchasing has almost doubled over the past five years. According to the report, the percentage of consumers who say they regularly collect online orders from a physical store jumped from 17.2 percent in 2013 to 38.5 percent in 2018. There’s an additional bonus to this trend: More customers visiting stores means more incremental purchases. Colliers reports that the majority of consumers who pick up online orders from shops go on to make additional purchases in the store. On average, an additional $8.59 is spent. Across all transactions in 2017, this equated to an extra $1.14 billion spent in shops. The numbers Colliers analyzed come from the GlobalData Consumer Panel, which surveys 5,000 shoppers each year. A number of retailers, such as Walmart, have expanded their “click and collect” services in recent years, oftentimes offering customers discounts for picking up over having orders delivered. Retail On A Roll “The bad press about the nation’s shopping centers continues, but meanwhile, physical retail is on a bit of …

October 16, 2018

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