Southeast Feature Archive

Multifamily Firms Targeting Charlotte, Raleigh Suburbs, Says InterFace Carolinas Panel

by John Nelson December 14, 2017

ATLANTA — Executives from some of the most active multifamily firms in the Southeast are honing in on the suburbs of Charlotte and Raleigh as they map out their long-term investment and development strategies. During the Carolinas panel at the eighth annual InterFace Multifamily Southeast conference, the panelists stated they’re preparing for a suburban shift as a large swath of the millennial renting cohort and downsizing baby boomers will be priced out of core submarkets. “There’s a confluence of different demand drivers that will persist in earnest for the next five to 10 years as we see the millennial migration happening and affordability constraints start to enter the picture more,” said Eddy O’Brien, managing partner and co-founder of Blaze Partners, a boutique multifamily investment firm based in Charleston, S.C. Ben Yorker, vice president of development at Northwood Ravin, said his firm is also interested in Charlotte and the Triangle area for new development opportunities in 2018. “Within those markets we’re edging away from infill and exploring more suburban opportunities,” said Yorker. “We’re targeting renters by choice like empty nesters or urban professionals. In 2018, we’ll shift significantly to target millennials looking to the suburbs.” New development is already trickling its …

December 14, 2017

Conference Coverage Features Georgia Multifamily Southeast Southeast Feature Archive Top Stories

Projected Population, Job Growth Fuel Future of Atlanta’s Multifamily Market, Says InterFace Panel

by Camren Skelton December 6, 2017

ATLANTA — A surge in population and job growth in the Atlanta metropolitan area over the next two decades will bode well for the multifamily sector, according to panelists at the eighth annual InterFace Multifamily Southeast. Among the 12 largest metropolitan areas in the county, Atlanta ranked second in the rate of job growth and third in the number of jobs added, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Total nonfarm employment for the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell Metropolitan Statistical Area stood at 2.75 million in September 2017, up 2.5 percent year-over-year. In addition, the Atlanta Regional Commission forecasts the 20-county Atlanta region will add 2.5 million people and 1.5 million jobs by 2040. Multifamily demand is reaping the benefits of this growth. The job growth multiplier for the demand for new apartments used to be a factor of 5 to 1, meaning for every five jobs created, you could take one unit of inventory out of the equation, according to Mike Kemether, vice chair of the multifamily advisory group at Cushman & Wakefield. This year and next in Atlanta, that ratio sits around 7 to 1. “A lot of the renters are coming because of job relocations,” said Christie Hawver Jordan, …

December 6, 2017

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Growing Smartly is a City’s Biggest Challenge, Says InterFace Keynote Speaker

by John Nelson November 30, 2017

ATLANTA — Tim Keane, City of Atlanta’s planning commissioner, is tasked with a monumental challenge facing many planners: how to practically design the future for a city on the cusp of a population boom. Citing the Atlanta Regional Commission, Keane said that the Atlanta metro area is on track to add 2.5 million people over the next 25 years, the equivalent of adding the entire metro Charlotte population. The city’s in-town population is also expected to grow from less than 500,000 today to 1.2 million in that same time frame. Adding to the challenge are city departments and communities that are unwilling to change because of a mindset that is resistant to growth. “Everyone thinks that more people is bad,” said Keane, who previously worked in the city planning departments in Davidson, N.C., and Charleston. “They don’t work on the assumption that a clear future for themselves is better with more people. We have to break out of that mentality because the change is happening.” Keane was the keynote speaker at the eighth annual InterFace Multifamily Southeast conference, held on Tuesday, Nov. 28 at the Westin Buckhead in Atlanta. Hosted by InterFace Conference Group and Southeast Real Estate Business, the …

November 30, 2017

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Forecast Survey: What’s Your Take on Real Estate in 2018?

by John Nelson October 24, 2017

France Media, Inc. is conducting a brief online survey to gauge market conditions, and we welcome your participation. This survey should only take a few minutes to complete. Questions range from property sectors that your firm is most bullish on heading into 2018 to trends in deal volume to the outlook for interest rates. The results will be collated and published in the January 2018 issue 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. For developers/owners/managers, click here. For lenders and financial intermediaries, click here. (Note: Please remember to click on “done” to properly submit the survey.) Sincerely, Matt Valley Editorial Director, Real Estate Regionals France Media, Inc.

October 24, 2017

Features Multifamily Southeast Feature Archive Top Stories

Industry Growth Highlighted at NMHC Student Housing Conference

by Jeff Shaw September 28, 2017

TAMPA, FLA. — The National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) Student Housing Conference wrapped up Sept. 27 at the Marriott Waterside hotel, highlighting the industry’s productivity and progress in the second and third quarters, and providing a forecast for a strong fourth quarter. The tone of the conference was bolstered by Monday’s news that American Campus Communities (ACC), the industry’s largest owner, had purchased a 3,776-bed portfolio from Core Spaces and DRW Real Estate for $590.6 million, the largest transaction to date in 2017 in the sector. Also setting a strong tone was attendance of this year’s conference; more than 850 industry professionals, according to NMHC. The conference kicked off its educational sessions Monday afternoon with a panel featuring five industry leaders — Randy Churchey, CEO of EdR; Bill Bayless, CEO of ACC; Donna Preiss, CEO of The Preiss Company; Brian Dinerstein, CEO of The Dinerstein Company; and Wes Rogers, CEO of Landmark Properties. The panel, moderated by Peter Katz, executive managing director of Institutional Property Advisors, was very bullish on the sector as a whole. They emphasized that the increased sophistication of the sector is gaining the attention of the investment community. What’s more, the growth of the sector is …

September 28, 2017

Conference Coverage Features Georgia Seniors Housing Southeast Southeast Feature Archive Top Stories

Attracting Workers to ‘Non-Sexy’ Industry Is Challenge Seniors Housing Leaders Face

by Kristin Harlow September 8, 2017

ATLANTA — By offering paid internships, educational programs, community events and flexible hours, seniors housing leaders hope to combat the well-documented labor shortage and entice younger workers. There simply aren’t enough employees to keep up with the pace of development, and the industry is plagued by high turnover rates as well. That’s according to speakers during an operations update at InterFace Seniors Housing Southeast on Aug. 23 in Atlanta. The conference, held at the Westin Buckhead in Atlanta, attracted over 400 industry professionals. Lisa Welshhons, senior vice president of human resources company Aureon, noted the distinct gap between the number of workers needed and actual employees working. As moderator, she asked the panel of operators how the labor shortage is changing the way they are staffing their communities, as well as recruiting and retention strategies. “We’re often asked by our peers and partners what number of communities is our goal, but it’s not about a number of communities. It’s really about continuing to develop as long as we’re able to attract the best-in-class employees,” said Sarabeth Hanson, COO at Harbor Retirement Associates, a regional senior living development and management company in Vero Beach, Fla. Already a concern, the demand for new …

September 8, 2017

Conference Coverage Features Georgia Seniors Housing Southeast Southeast Feature Archive Top Stories

Smart Seniors Housing Design Can Offset Development Expenses, Says InterFace Panel

by John Nelson September 5, 2017

With construction costs rising and the supply of talented staff diminishing, doing business has never been more expensive for seniors housing developers. As such, both developers and operators are seeking new ways to save money. Increasingly, these groups are considering the role design plays in their projects, with a particular emphasis on identifying design concepts and elements that save on the bottom line without compromising the property’s sense of livability. A panel of seniors housing developers and operators gathered at the Westin Buckhead Atlanta on Wednesday, Aug. 23 as part of InterFace Seniors Housing Southeast to discuss development trends in today’s market. More than 400 industry professionals attended the conference. Moderator Will Childs, executive vice president of seniors housing for Oracle Healthcare Advisors and based in the firm’s Atlanta office, led the analysis of how construction and labor issues alike are driving developers to think outside the lines. At the most fundamental level, many new designs for seniors housing properties share the goal of repurposing common and outdoor spaces, according to panelist Alan Moise, chief investment officer for Atlanta-based Thrive Development Partners. “Overall pricing for development projects in the Southeast and mid-Atlantic is probably up about 6 percent this year,” …

September 5, 2017

Features Industrial Southeast Feature Archive Top Stories

Southeastern Ports Adjust to Expanded Panama Canal

by Jeff Shaw February 2, 2017

The Southeast’s top seaports and their surrounding industrial real estate markets have braced themselves for years for the larger post-Panamax vessels that can now pass through the newly expanded Panama Canal. The 102-year-old canal opened in late June 2016 following its $5.4 billion expansion, creating a shortcut for the larger ocean carriers coming from Asia. The opening of Panama Canal’s expansion was delayed by two years, missing the 100-year anniversary of its 1914 debut. Shipping companies had their larger vessels in place, though, and decided to ship those vessels to the East Coast via the Suez Canal, according to Walter Kemmsies, managing director, economist and chief strategist of JLL’s U.S. Ports, Airports and Global Infrastructure Group. “As the Panama Canal gets through the learning curve, we’re seeing the number of weekly transits increase, and we’re still in that phase and perhaps will be for the next six months,” says Kemmsies, who is currently engaged with three of the top five seaports in the United States on their master plans. “The ocean carriers are starting to scrap their smaller vessels and moving their services back from the Suez Canal to go through the Panama Canal. Right now the East Coast has …

February 2, 2017

Modera by Mill Creek-Morningside, Atlanta

Features Multifamily Southeast Feature Archive Top Stories

Multifamily Opportunities Lie in Niche Product, Amenity-Rich Neighborhoods

by Jeff Shaw December 15, 2016

Following years of frenzied development across the country, the multifamily industry is entering a slowdown period where developers have fewer starts and even fewer completions. As of the end of October, multifamily starts are down 1.8 percent year-to-date compared to this time last year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Year-to-date completions are down 3.1 percent in that same time frame. “We’re entering a more normalized market going forward, as opposed to an aggressive development market of the past few years,” says Steven Shores, president and co-founder of Pollack Shores, an Atlanta-based multifamily developer. “I don’t view it as a negative. In a lot of respects, we were trying to catch up with demand in the years immediately following the recession where there was no new development.” Core submarkets within major metros saw the bulk of new multifamily construction in the years following the downturn as developers were answering renter demand to live within close proximity of employment centers, dining, shopping and entertainment. Construction in those submarkets is now slowing as those sites have become more difficult to come by, in addition to the existing governors of construction such as the industry’s …

December 15, 2016

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Forecast Survey: What’s Your Take on Real Estate in 2017?

by John Nelson November 8, 2016

REBusinessOnline.com is conducting a brief online survey of brokers, lenders and the owner/developer/manager community to gauge market expectations for 2017, and we welcome your participation. This survey should only take a few minutes to complete. The results will appear as a news feature story in the January 2017 issues of the regional publications. Questions cover a variety of topics, ranging from the outlook for investment sales and leasing activity in 2017 to development and lending opportunities to interest rates. Note: We prefer to attribute comments we quote from open-ended responses, however you may respond anonymously if you prefer. To take our 2017 broker survey, please click here To take our 2017 developer/owner/manager survey, please click here To take our 2017 lender survey, please click here Thanks for your participation! Matt Valley Editorial Director of Regional Real Estate Publications France Media, Inc.

November 8, 2016

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