Midwest Market Reports

By John Bogdasarian, Promanas At a time when the multifamily marketplace is experiencing some turbulence after an extended period of strong growth, some developers, owners and investors are rethinking, repositioning and reworking their approach to a commercial real estate sector that has historically been one of the most reliable investments and dependable asset classes. Current market conditions, however, are not as favorable. A report by The Motley Fool this summer highlighted a 21 percent decline in apartment value. Overbuilding has saturated some markets, contributing to an increase in vacancy rates to around 7 percent and helping push rent growth down to 0.8 percent. In conjunction with persistently high interest rates and increasing delinquency issues with renters, the result is that building a traditional apartment product is a very tricky proposition. Even though the apartment market is somewhat dysfunctional at the moment, there are still plenty of opportunities in multifamily. For thought leaders and forward-thinking commercial real estate investors and professionals, the key is to understand the market, be flexible in your development and investment strategies, and be able to execute an approach that does work in the current marketplace.  For those looking to maximize multifamily returns in 2024, there are …

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By J. Byron Brazier Equitable development is a knotty concept. In theory, development equity sounds easy and essential. In practice, it’s not clearly defined and not easily sustainable — economically, socially or politically.  Equitable development is generally seen as an approach that revitalizes and empowers disinvested communities by meeting residents’ wants and needs, diminishing disparities and spurring economic growth, ensuring residents benefit from such growth and creating conditions for people to live healthy and happy lives. That definition is accurate but incomplete. Equitable development has multiple meanings, some less intuitive than others.  Chicago lawyer Danielle Meltzer Cassel says there are three ways to define development equity. The first is the one above, which is the direct model of equitable development. This model rectifies inequality through what development directly produces, such as affordable housing in areas where there’s little or no such housing, good jobs for people who are unemployed or underemployed, greater access to quality healthcare and education, and other resources that allow communities to thrive. There are two other definitions, the indirect model and what Cassel calls the procedural model of equitable development. The indirect model involves real estate developments that do not directly benefit disinvested communities, such as …

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By Cecilia Hyun, Esq. Taxpayers usually appeal property tax assessments by proving a market value different from the assessor’s finding, but they should not overlook constitutional guarantees of uniform and equal taxation.  As an ad valorem tax, real property taxes are charged on the value of the underlying real estate, usually measured as fair market value. In many states, taxpayers can demonstrate their property’s market value with a recent, arm’s-length sale price or by independent appraisal evidence.  Two potential concerns emerge for taxpayers in an assessment appeal centered on market value: the declining reliability of data in volatile and rapidly changing markets, and the trailing nature of market data used by assessors. Those data issues can skew the mass appraisal techniques tax assessors often use, including comparisons to sales of similar properties, when assessing real property.  Volatility, rapid change Commercial property data can lose relevancy with surprising speed in a volatile market. For example, office properties continue to bear the consequences of increased remote work and occupants’ shrinking footprints since the pandemic. Many office properties with mortgages maturing in 2023 have lost half or more of their previously underwritten asset values. Badge swipes tracked by Kastle Systems show an average …

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By David Pudlosky and Patrick Savoie, JLL Milwaukee remains a strong office market with leasing activity showing no sign of slowing. Post-pandemic, companies took a fresh look at their workplace strategies to adjust to hybrid working environments, and many rightsized their overall square footage while adding significant amenities and attractions that provide a rewarding office experience for returning workers.  Despite a smaller footprint, tenants are seeking updated, highly amenitized spaces in Class A buildings. While amenities have always been a focus for landlords, the buildings that stand out today are the ones that focus on quality amenities over quantity. For example, today’s tenant will likely not be as interested in a building lounge unless it has comfortable seating, a café, strong Wi-Fi and more. To be relevant to tenants, amenities must be high end and culture focused.  We’ve seen companies like Milwaukee Tool, Fiserv, Komatsu Mining Corp. and Northwestern Mutual invest in their downtown office spaces and make commitments to bring more employees downtown, and we expect this trend to continue. Building owners can learn from what Class A building landlords are doing to drive leasing activity, and learn how investing in quality, amenity-driven spaces will likely bring in new …

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By Drew Miller, CBRE Despite some level of macroeconomic uncertainty, the fundamentals of the industrial real estate market in West Michigan remain solid. While the overall number of tenants in the market has recently declined slightly, the demand for space from local companies and tenants new to the market is still outpacing supply.  Nationally, the overall industrial vacancy rate finished the second quarter of 2023 at 3.7 percent, 30 basis points higher than the previous quarter but 100 basis points lower than the 10-year average. Comparatively, the West Michigan industrial market, of approximately 170 million square feet, ended the second quarter with an availability rate of less than 3 percent. The combination of a diverse economy, robust infrastructure and a conservative approach to development all factor into the continued strength of the region.   Grand Rapids, the second-largest city in Michigan, and West Michigan at large are blessed with a well-balanced and diverse economy led by office furniture, automotive suppliers, aerospace, food processing, e-commerce and advanced manufacturing companies. The area is home to many of the leading office furniture and related design companies, including MillerKnoll, Haworth and Steelcase, all headquartered in West Michigan, with many of their manufacturing and suppliers …

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By Scott Nurski and Kevin O’Reilly, NAI Wisinski Great Lakes The Grand Rapids multifamily investment sales market has experienced reduced volume year-to-date, but the fundamentals remain strong. West Michigan, especially Grand Rapids, is affordable, with abundant high-paying employment opportunities and a high quality of life. In the words of author Malcolm Gladwell, “I love Grand Rapids. Why doesn’t everyone live in Grand Rapids?”  Unlike many major markets, the construction pipeline here is slow and steady, with little risk of oversupply. While multifamily sales volume is down across the board, Grand Rapids remains a desirable location for owners and operators alike.  Multifamily fundamentals Annualized rent growth continues to normalize from the wild parabolic rise seen nationwide due to the pandemic and associated market disruptions. It currently stands at 5.1 percent, according to third-quarter data from CoStar for Kent County (30 units and above). This figure is a solid uptick from the second-quarter 2023 figure of 3.2 percent. The market generally is returning to the 3 to 5 percent range typically seen during pre-pandemic norms.  Occupancy improved slightly from 95.2 percent in the second quarter of 2023 to 95.4 percent in the third quarter of 2023. However, it has been gradually declining …

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By Jim Pitoukkas, Coldwell Banker Commercial Shook Outside of recognition related to Purdue University, the Greater Lafayette region (consisting of West Lafayette, Lafayette and surrounding towns in Tippecanoe County), has been in the shadows of the Indianapolis MSA to the south and Chicago MSA to the north. This is changing, though. Growth over the last decade has pushed Greater Lafayette into the national spotlight as an emerging hub for innovation in advanced manufacturing in industries including medical, aerospace and defense, agriculture and nanotechnology, and a burgeoning housing market. For three quarters straight, The Wall Street Journal and Realtor.com have ranked Greater Lafayette the No. 1 Emerging Housing Market in America based on comparatively affordable housing, a skilled technology-based workforce, and a strong growing local economy. Additionally, current and to-be residents benefit from consistent public investments in quality-of-life infrastructure that continue to attract new residents across a range of ages and backgrounds. Quality of life Greater Lafayette has invested in excess of $889 million in public investment since 2015. These investments have ranged from new utility infrastructure, a new minor league ball field, parks, county-wide trails, public facilities like the West Lafayette Wellness Center and the Lafayette Public Safety Center, and …

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By Mike Rensch, Investors Realty The Omaha office market is facing an increasing amount of sublease space, which is having a significant impact on what spaces tenants prefer to lease right now. This is directly affecting all aspects of the overall office market as well. As the second quarter came to a close, the direct vacancy rate was 7.4 percent, compared with 7.6 percent in the second quarter of 2022.  With that said, those numbers do not paint the whole picture because they do not account for the amount of sublease space on the market. The availability rate (which includes direct space and sublease space available) was at 9.8 percent compared with 8.4 percent in the second quarter of 2022. We see this trend continuing for the time being as companies grapple with whether or not to bring their employees back to the office.    At the end of the second quarter, there was 841,000 square feet of sublease space available in Omaha, up from 723,000 square feet at the end of the second quarter of 2022. This represents a 14 percent increase in sublease space over the past year. It reached its peak of 919,000 square feet of available …

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By Sara Hanke, The Lerner Co. Eternally optimistic is the state most commercial real estate brokers find themselves in, particularly when it comes to the retail sector. We must be, as the conditions of the retail market are quite often painted in negative broad strokes. The predictions that online sales would be the demise of physical retail proved wrong. Retailers that are digitally native continue to open brick-and-mortar locations after realizing the limits of online customer acquisition and growth.  Most recently, the pandemic has shown us that retail can weather the storm of restrictions and limitations. Now we are in a post-pandemic world where the restrictions and upheaval of the way we consume has shifted our mindset. Shoppers have returned to their daily shopping, eating and entertainment needs. Navigating the complexities of the retail real estate market continues to keep us all on our toes. The first and third quarters were healthy with vacancy dipping below 5 percent. So far, the third quarter has proven strong due to new-to-market concepts looking to do multiple location rollouts as well as existing retailers looking to add additional locations.  As the year progresses, we are not without challenge. There has been a shortage …

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By Mike Mangan, Cresa We knew it would happen, it was just a matter of time: The industrial real estate market is currently experiencing a cooling trend in Chicago and across the country. The best-performing asset across all commercial asset classes for the past several years is finally coming back to earth due to higher borrowing costs and a slowdown in demand. Rental rates are beginning to level off and many economists are predicting a reduction in consumer spending.  The industrial sector had been able to flourish despite economic headwinds, with demand during the pandemic heavily focused on e-commerce activity. The supply versus demand is shifting, and this should be welcome news to tenants in the market or who will be in the market in the next 12 to 24 months. Indicators are not pointing toward a crash landing, but a return to earth for the golden child of the commercial real estate asset classes. Tenants and occupiers will be able to utilize the additional supply coming to market to secure better economics and concessions.  The facts Let’s first take a look at the national landscape. The U.S. unemployment rate in August was 3.8 percent — higher than predicted by …

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