Des Moines Office Market Is on the Rebound

By Chris Curran and Mark Mills, R&R Realty Advisors Would you rather earn more money or have a more flexible work/life balance? Before the pandemic, many employees gave the latter as their answer. But the amount of money employees claimed they would forego wasn’t exactly peanuts. According to a pre-pandemic study by career site Joblist, the average employee was willing to give up around $10,000 per year to have better work/life balance. Fast forward to the present day and employees …

July 29, 2021Iowa, Market Reports, Midwest, Midwest Market Reports, Office

Greater Des Moines Retail Market Is on Track for Fast Recovery

By Christopher Stafford, Cushman & Wakefield The Greater Des Moines retail market continues to emerge from the pandemic and is quickly regaining its footing from the closures and challenges experienced by many retailers, restaurants and businesses alike. Despite a few setbacks, occupancy rates and rents have generally held steady. Consumer spending is surging and according to a WalletHub study, Iowa’s COVID-19 recovery is the quickest in the nation, earning a total score of 75.25 out …

July 22, 2021Iowa, Market Reports, Midwest, Midwest Market Reports, Retail

Chicago Industrial: Full Speed Ahead at End of Second Quarter

By Adam Haefner, Avison Young The Chicago industrial market continues to move at full speed at mid-year 2021, with strong tenant demand keeping vacancy around 6 percent, despite 64.7 million square feet of new construction added since 2018. At this stage in the pandemic recovery, large corporate healthcare, retail, logistics and e-commerce businesses continue to drive much of the leasing activity, which totaled 27.5 million square feet near the mid-point of 2021. Companies such as Wayfair, …

July 15, 2021Illinois, Industrial, Market Reports, Midwest, Midwest Market Reports

Chicago Market Experiences Surge in Retail Sales as COVID Restrictions Loosen

By Chris Irwin, Colliers International As we begin to lower our masks, breathe fresh air and see smiles on everyone’s faces, there are strong signs that better than pre-COVID retail activity in Chicago is here. With the expanded vaccine rollout, a decrease in unemployment plus the added boost of stimulus checks, the surge in retail sales in the city and surrounding areas has been measurable. The demand for retail space increased in fourth-quarter 2020 and first-quarter 2021 significantly, …

July 8, 2021Illinois, Market Reports, Midwest, Midwest Market Reports, Retail

Despite Pandemic, Wichita Market Experiences Significant Urban Development

By Tom Johnson, NAI Martens The overall Wichita economy is not out of the woods yet, but numerous factors point to a continuation of the recovery from both the Great Recession and the impact of the pandemic. Since the significant employment downturn during the second quarter of 2020, the Wichita metro area has markedly recovered but remains well below 2019 non-farm employment. The seesaw unemployment rate has now declined to just over 5 percent. All employment sectors are expected to increase …

June 24, 2021Industrial, Kansas, Market Reports, Midwest, Midwest Market Reports, Office, Retail

Toledo, Ohio Market Shows Stability in Various Areas

By Harlan Reichle, Reichle Klein Group As the Toledo, Ohio, area’s retail market proved to be stable and solid in the second half of 2020 and the industrial market continued a remarkable stretch of high performance since the Great Recession, 2020 was a tough year for the office market. However, all three property types have yet to register any negative COVID impact in our latest survey results. Retail Toledo’s retail market proved to be quite stable and solid during the second half of …

June 17, 2021Industrial, Market Reports, Midwest, Midwest Market Reports, Office, Ohio, Retail

South Central Wisconsin’s Economic Engine Continues to Set the Pace

By William Mears, Coldwell Banker Commercial McGuire Mears & Associates What a difference a decade makes. While some may characterize the evolution of the development and investment climate of the Janesville-Beloit, Wisconsin metropolitan statistical area (MSA) with a population of 160,120 as an extreme makeover, others will note the area has been South Central Wisconsin’s best kept secret. Case in point: the numbers speak for themselves, and local real estate and economic development …

June 10, 2021Industrial, Market Reports, Midwest, Midwest Market Reports, Wisconsin

Industrial Companies Drive Boom in Milwaukee Office Growth

By Andrew Jensen Jr., Cushman & Wakefield | Boerke Milwaukee was once known as a city of industries and beer, the hometown of Allen-Bradley (now Rockwell Automation), Briggs & Stratton, Harley-Davidson, Johnson Controls, Master Lock, Rexnord and, of course, the Miller, Pabst and Schlitz brewing juggernauts. Today, Milwaukee’s economy is more diversified, and its industrial companies are quieter and not as flashy. But the area’s industrial firms are still central to its success and …

June 3, 2021Market Reports, Midwest, Midwest Market Reports, Office, Wisconsin

Solid Fundamentals Uphold Lincoln Real Estate Market

By Tom Graf, NAI FMA Realty Over the past decade, Lincoln has experienced sustained growth and earned a reputation as a place to be in the Midwest. Its low unemployment, stable economy, low cost of living, prospering tech scene as well as lifestyle and entertainment fitting of a big city with the feel of a small community has insulated Lincoln better than many cities of its size. Perhaps this is most compelling with the number of cranes spotted in the skies back in 2008 and again in 2020. …

May 20, 2021Industrial, Market Reports, Midwest, Midwest Market Reports, Nebraska, Office, Retail

Omaha Industrial Activity Remains Strong, Particularly in Western Sarpy County

By John Dickerson, OMNE Partners Our Omaha-area industrial sector has come through the pandemic very well, compared with other commercial sectors. We have not had to work out many rent payment plans with tenants, and industrial users going out of business have been minimal. Omaha has survived and come out of 2020 well economically. Our unemployment rate is the second lowest in the country. Our cost of living has also been lower than most other major cities in the Midwest. This low cost of …

May 13, 2021Industrial, Market Reports, Midwest, Midwest Market Reports, Nebraska