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Midwest Market Reports

IndustrialMarket ReportsMichiganMidwestMidwest Market Reports

Auto Innovation Continues to Drive Detroit Industrial Market

by Kristin Harlow

By Anthony Pellegrino III, P.A. Commercial Detroit is the industrial, transnational logistics and auto powerhouse of the Midwest. Detroit has continued year after year to grow and transform its industrial sector in three prominent geographical locations. Each of these locations is anchored by auto innovation, creating a stable market for suppliers and transport: 1. The Mount Elliot Employment District: This is the home of General Motors’ $2.2 billion investment into its existing Hamtramck Assembly. GM is renaming it  “GM Factory Zero” to represent its full dedication to electric vehicle production. 2. Southeast Detroit: Fiat Chrysler’s $2.5 billion expansion to Jefferson North includes a new 1.4 million-square-foot  Mack Avenue Engine Complex. This is part of a total $4.5 billion earmarked for Michigan plants.  3. Southwest Corktown: Ford is conducting an ongoing investment of $1.45 billion into its autonomous vehicle campus in an area called Corktown. The multi-building transformation is near Detroit’s international bridge and tunnel. Each area contains various tax incentivized Opportunity Zones, New Market Tax Credits and qualified HUB Zones. According to Costar Group MLS, Greater Detroit has a healthy 4.6 percent vacancy rate while Detroit proper has a 9.45 percent vacancy rate for industrial buildings. Much of the 9.45 …

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Market ReportsMichiganMidwestMidwest Market ReportsMultifamily

Why Multifamily Investors Are Revved Up for the Motor City

by Kristin Harlow

By Jason Krug, Berkadia Sunbelt states are top of mind for multifamily investors these days, as COVID-19 has accelerated the trend of renters leaving major cities in search of more space and a better cost of living. Of course, the allure of sunshine and warm weather is hard to compete with, but cities across the Midwest are also seeing a spike in interest from renters and investors and chief among them is Detroit. There has been overwhelming interest in multifamily opportunities in and around the city, as investors looking for yield move beyond core and core-plus markets in search of real value deals, which Detroit has aplenty. So, what’s driving this interest, and why should more investors be paying attention to Detroit? There are a few key reasons. Solid fundamentals Limited supply of new units being delivered across the state will continue to drive organic rent growth. As is the case across the country, there is a shortage of housing throughout Detroit and the metro area. Although Detroit’s population growth is smaller compared to the South and Southeast, the region has a fraction of the units coming out of the ground as the South and Southeast, paving the way for …

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IndustrialMarket ReportsMidwestMidwest Market ReportsOhio

Cincinnati Industrial Market Is Positioned for Even More Growth

by Kristin Harlow

By Jeff Bender, Cushman & Wakefield Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky have the same logistical advantages they’ve always had, with their location within a day’s drive of two-thirds of the U.S. population, allowing reach and penetration to major metro areas. With those advantages, the region has enjoyed a robust industrial market, similar to most key markets in the country.  Lessons learned from the pandemic, the pending opening of a nearly 1 million-square-foot e-commerce national air hub and growth of the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport (CVG) will truly differentiate the market from an occupier’s perspective. What’s more, that increased demand and Cincinnati’s topographical constraints, creating new supply limitations, will continue to make it a darling of institutional investors. Quick delivery model Amazon’s presence and $1.5 billion investment near the airport and Cincinnati’s central location place it in a prime spot for fulfillment, a big demand driver over the next decade. For example, let’s say you need to buy or repair a laptop, smart phone, tablet or any other electronic device. The order for a new computer could be fulfilled the next day most anywhere in the world even if the order is placed late in the evening. With a repair, you box it …

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Market ReportsMidwestMidwest Market ReportsMultifamilyOhioSingle-Family Rental

Strong Investor Demand for Cincinnati Apartments Drives Up Pricing

by Kristin Harlow

By Noah Juran, NorthMarq Cincinnati remains a highly sought-after market for multifamily investors as the U.S. emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Cincinnati area’s apartment market fundamentals, including rent growth, rent collections and occupancy levels, are holding up well.  Significant amounts of capital — including local, out-of-state and international — are aggressively seeking to be deployed into multifamily assets, which continues to drive up pricing. Multifamily has outperformed many other commercial real estate sectors during COVID, as many investors consider it a safe-haven investment. However, a lack of inventory for sale is slowing transaction activity. COVID-19 impact While delinquencies increased in 2020 due to pandemic-related layoffs and furloughs, many apartment owners in Cincinnati recorded strong rent performance, especially those properties that are well-managed and efficiently screen tenants. There was an eviction moratorium in Ohio, but it had a minimal impact. Workforce housing properties with lower-income tenants experienced the most negative effects during the pandemic. Many operators in Cincinnati and throughout the Midwest recorded collections at or above 90 percent, which is typical. Owners may have had a couple of tenants who requested rent relief or deferred payments, but after the dust settled, most borrowers, owners and operators did not experience …

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IowaMarket ReportsMidwestMidwest Market ReportsOffice

Des Moines Office Market Is on the Rebound

by Kristin Harlow

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 continue to express this desire. The isolation felt by many when working from home has increased the blurriness of the line that separates work from life. In fact, a survey conducted by TELUS International found that isolated workers reported a nearly 80 percent increase in work-related stress and anxiety when working from home. Given these findings, perhaps it shouldn’t surprise anyone that three out of four office employees express a desire to return to in-person work. If there’s a silver lining to the unprecedented year we’ve been emerging from, it may be that employees and employers alike are coming to understand the value in providing a balance between work and personal time. And, when it comes to the office market …

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IowaMarket ReportsMidwestMidwest Market ReportsRetail

Greater Des Moines Retail Market Is on Track for Fast Recovery

by Kristin Harlow

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 of a possible 100. The study compared all 50 states across three categories: COVID health; leisure and travel; and economy and labor market. Trends, observations A local real estate mogul recently made the analogy that the Des Moines retail market is currently much like a chessboard — lots of moving pieces and strategic repositioning by the current players. Greater Des Moines, like other Midwest cities, is experiencing a handful of post-pandemic retail trends that include: • Integrated retail approach (omnichannel): Bricks & mortar + online presence and ordering + apps + delivery/pickup. The presence of drive-thru and pickup services will shape the future of retail and are in high demand by restaurants and retailers. • Space transformation: Spaces once occupied by traditional retailers are now …

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IllinoisIndustrialMarket ReportsMidwestMidwest Market Reports

Chicago Industrial: Full Speed Ahead at End of Second Quarter

by Kristin Harlow

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, which is building a 1.2 million-square-foot distribution facility in the I-55 Corridor, are joining the ranks of Walmart, Target, Amazon, Home Depot and others that are expanding their industrial space in the Chicago market to keep pace with soaring demand. There are also many small to mid-sized industrial businesses that are increasing their output and expanding their space after seeing slowdowns due to the pandemic. While the industrial sector is navigating some supply chain disruption and fluctuations in construction materials costs, those headwinds are not enough to slow market activity. Given the boost in consumer and business activity from the vaccine rollout and subsequent reduction in the state’s pandemic mitigation measures, demand for industrial space should be strong for the foreseeable future.  Avison Young …

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IllinoisMarket ReportsMidwestMidwest Market ReportsRetail

Chicago Market Experiences Surge in Retail Sales as COVID Restrictions Loosen

by Kristin Harlow

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, with the first quarter recording a 650,000-square-foot increase in overall absorption, which pushed the trailing 12-month absorption back to positive territory — and its highest level since 2017. Increased leasing activity continued to drive new demand as net absorption totaled almost 1 million square feet in the first quarter. Vacancy in Chicago retail has flattened and currently is holding at 6.1 percent over the past year compared with a rate of 5.1 percent nationally. Leasing activity was driven by the expansion of essential retailers throughout the first quarter, similar to first-quarter activity levels registered in 2017, 2018 and 2019.  However, the most important step toward recovery happened June 11 when the State of Illinois moved its Coronavirus response from Phase 4 to …

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IndustrialKansasMarket ReportsMidwestMidwest Market ReportsOfficeRetail

Despite Pandemic, Wichita Market Experiences Significant Urban Development

by Kristin Harlow

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 from 3 to 6 percent in 2021 with retail, leisure and hospitality leading the way as restaurants and travel return to pre-pandemic levels. In the background of all the pandemic noise have been significant gains in urban development with over $1 billion of public and private sector investment since the recession. ● Residential has grown exponentially with 21 new and renovated properties representing 1,228 units with some of the highest rental rates in the city. ● With over 100 restaurants and local shops, retail has increased significantly, adding almost 500,000 square feet, a 39 percent  increase with more to come. ● Starting with the Ambassador Hotel renovation, the hospitality sector has added 375 rooms with another 95 rooms in …

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IndustrialMarket ReportsMidwestMidwest Market ReportsOfficeOhioRetail

Toledo, Ohio Market Shows Stability in Various Areas

by Kristin Harlow

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 2020. Given the fraught last year along with the headlines and travails of retail stores, gyms and restaurants, the general public might find this result surprising, but it was clear to our retail leasing brokers since mid-summer 2020 that transaction activity was snapping back fairly quickly after the initial shock of the spring 2020 lockdowns. Our year-end 2020 market survey found overall market vacancy down from both the end of 2019 and mid-year 2020. The decline in anchor vacancy more than offset a small increase among inline spaces as the market absorbed 39,183 square feet of space in the last six months of the year. It is a nearly exact repeat of the market’s performance in the …

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