Market Reports

This year marks the centennial of several Miami municipalities, including Coral Gables and Hialeah, placing Miami-Dade County in a unique position: looking back on a rich history as a sunseeker’s playground, while charging full speed into a future where it is also a tech hub and financial powerhouse, with some dubbing the city as “Wall Street South.” From the first land rush in the 1920s to the post-pandemic migration surge a century later, Miami’s real estate story includes fascinating characters, iconic architecture, multiple booms and busts and not one but two great railroad eras — all contributing to the city’s allure as a place to live, and where institutional-quality capital is increasingly eager to invest.  Population, job momentum Miami has enjoyed one of the strongest multifamily markets in the country for roughly the past decade. A blend of population growth and job creation forms the backbone of Miami’s resilient rental market. Miami-Dade County added over 64,000 net new residents as of July 2024, driven almost entirely by international newcomers. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county saw 123,835 international arrivals, offsetting the 67,000 locals who left.  Behind that growth is an unprecedented business boom. Lured by Florida’s business-friendly environment …

South Florida remains one of the most attractive markets for multifamily investment in the United States, driven by population growth, job creation and limited rental supply. While 2024 saw slower transaction volumes, fundamentals suggest a rebound is coming in 2025.  This article explores trends in investment sales, debt capital markets and joint venture (JV) equity, highlighting how strategic structuring and strong relationships are driving activity in today’s selective capital environment. Poised for sales growth Miami’s multifamily market continues to thrive, fueled by population growth, high rental demand and major developments. The city’s job market, with an unemployment rate of just 2.4 percent, is expected to grow by over 18,000 positions in 2025. Corporate expansions — like Citadel, MSC Group, Nvidia, Microsoft and Shopify — have driven demand for luxury rentals, while vacancy rates remain under 5 percent. With home prices rising over 70 percent in the past five years and mortgage rates more than doubling, homeownership is out of reach for many. As a result, demand for luxury rentals remains strong, especially in suburban areas where transit-oriented developments are emerging. One standout is Terra’s $1 billion Upland Park in West Miami-Dade County. In partnership with the county, the project includes …

Orlando’s multifamily market has experienced softened conditions lately due to a record amount of new supply being built, as well as economic challenges impacting commercial real estate as a whole. Yet, green shoots have emerged as insurance costs continue to ease and interest rates remain steady with downward pressure. Both overall sentiment and renter demand have steadily improved as well.  Properties in the multifamily space seeing the most interest these days are those that are high-quality and well-located. Two key multifamily sale transactions that occurred in the second quarter of 2024 were in the Southwest Orlando submarket. This includes the 424-unit Osprey Links at Hunter’s Creek property that sold for $100.6 million, which marked Orlando’s largest multifamily sale this year, and the 296-unit Sonceto Apartments property that sold for $71 million.  Investors are flooding back into the market with increasingly more aggressive offers and heightened competition as a result of the still limited available multifamily inventory and notion that supply levels have peaked.  However, additional supply will still enter the market in the years to come as developers maintain a positive outlook on Orlando with just over 2,000 units across six buildings delivered by the end of the second quarter …

Miami’s multifamily sector was on fire from the end of 2020 through the beginning of 2023 as the market received a wave of newcomers, primarily from affluent Northeastern and Western states. During the height of the pandemic, roughly $1 out of every $6 in income that moved nationwide relocated to Florida, more than any other state. And Miami-Dade County saw the second highest inflows of any county in the country behind only Palm Beach, two counties to the north of Miami-Dade. This influx resulted in tremendous rent growth, booming new development and record-setting sales. The period also marked dozens of corporate expansions and relocations to the area and a consistent sub-3 percent unemployment rate dating back to August 2022, which is below today’s 3.8 percent national rate.  Since then, things have slowed down, though the epic in-migration of wealth has made a permanent impact. Miami’s multifamily fundamentals stand out as a beacon of resilience amid supply challenges across the Sun Belt. Infill rents have remained flat since 2022, notching slight increases in 2024, and occupancy has faltered only slightly. This is rarely celebrated, but in this case, it represents Miami’s unique strength. Demand also emerged for a higher caliber of …