Boston’s metro west office market continued to move along at a steady clip in 2018. Many of the trends seen in the west market have been consistent over the past few years. One of the most prominent trends is that tenants continue to prefer high-quality properties. Class A product has benefited from the demand, resulting in a limited supply of Class A large blocks. In contrast, commodity space is still lagging from a demand standpoint. Additionally, many landlords have been performing gut renovations on older properties and have been reaping the rewards of their investments. The west market has also benefited from tenants migrating from Cambridge and life science demand, which are two closely related trends. Cambridge, particularly Kendall Square, is well known as the national hub of the life science industry. With that pedigree, pricing there has grown tremendously, and available space is scarce. As such, many life science occupiers are looking west to fulfill their needs, and the Cambridge market conditions have pushed other non-life science occupiers west as well. A proximity to the inner urban core makes towns like Watertown and Waltham particularly attractive. The above trends are not new, but one is. New economy tenants, who …
Fueled by low interest rates, an abundance of available debt capital, and superb fundamentals, the demand for multifamily assets in the U.S. has exploded over the past few years. This increased demand has led to fierce competition between capital in the multifamily sector, and consequently, a dramatic compression of going-in cash yields. With rents in “top-tier” cities at peak levels, these markets look prohibitively expensive. As a result, foreign capital is beginning to explore new markets to find more attractive yields. Long considered a second-tier U.S. city by global capital, Philadelphia has historically been overlooked in favor of cities such as New York City, Washington D.C., Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. When evaluating Philadelphia in comparison to other major metropolitan regions, the slow and steady growth of the Philadelphia MSA did not differentiate it enough to attract the foreign investor. Instead, those capital sources targeted cities with higher population growth, job growth, and rent growth. In good times, that calculation paid off with higher yields and greater appreciation. However, today most investors conclude that we are in the late stages of this real estate bull market. Yet, they still have capital which needs to be deployed. Those divergent factors …
A highly educated workforce is driving corporate growth throughout Boston, particularly in the finance, technology and medical sectors. PNC Financial Services and JPMorgan Chase have announced considerable expansions and some international companies, including LogPoint, are setting up North American operations in the Boston metro. As a result, approximately 47,100 positions were created since October 2017, building on the 39,400 jobs added in the prior 12-month period. The pace of hiring has kept the unemployment rate in the low 3 percent band, making it difficult for employers to find quality workers. Overall, healthy employment growth continues to draw more residents and underpins household formation, fueling the need for quality housing. High home prices, however, are putting homeownership out of reach for many, boding well for apartment demand. As a result, vacancy rates remain considerably tight, resting below 4 percent in the third quarter. The still tight vacancy rate is creating a shortage of housing throughout Boston, particularly for lower income households. Consequently, vacancy in Class C apartments has held below 3 percent during the past two annual periods ending in September. Effective rent in these spaces is roughly between $700 and $1,800 per month less than Class A and B spaces, …
In the greater Boston area, over just the past decade, a whole new kind of neighborhood has been popping up. From Ink Block in the South End to the Seaport of Boston and Assembly Row in Somerville, it’s no secret that retail developers are evolving with the times by shifting their focus from traditional shopping malls to integrating retail into new and dynamic mixed-use developments offering housing, retail, entertainment, office space, parking and more. But no two cities are alike. Successful developers are in the business of staying ahead of the trends in how and where people want to shop, which in turn maps them back to how people want to live, work and play. A number of major players in the area, including Wilder, have deconstructed the key elements unique to Boston that converged into the making of these new greater Boston neighborhoods. Reinventing Malls Across the country, there’s a great deal of retail space that’s become available as a result of brick and mortar store closings. Most of these old centers have desirable locations, so it really comes down to a matter of them needing to be repurposed. There’s tremendous opportunity to recreate neighborhoods and bring in housing, office space and hotels …
Greater Boston’s industrial market continued its hot streak in 2018. Positive net absorption of 350,000 square feet in 2018 marked the eighth straight year of gains. Vacancies, which ended the year at 10.1 percent, have halved since peaking at the end of 2010. Over this time, the market absorbed 17.5 million square feet and is now poised for continued growth. Tenant demand remains strong and some of the larger tenants in the market— Albertsons, Premier Distribution, Trimark, Jofran, Amazon, Wayfair, and Harte Hanks— are seeking a total of 3.5 million square feet of space. Rents are at record highs, in aggregate topping $9.50 per square foot triple-net, which factors in a space-weighted asking rent on available product. Tenants looking for product in the Urban markets are seeing rents at or above $20 per square foot triple-net, while new product in the South and West is into the $7 per square foot triple-net range. Cheaper space can still be found, but landlords have never seen a stronger rental market. Absorption Slows Despite the gains, absorption was held back by several large blocks of space coming onto the market throughout 2018. The closing of the Necco factory in Revere opened up more …
Although one of New England’s smallest geographical submarkets, spanning only 7.1 square miles, Cambridge packs a serious one-two punch between its thriving office and life science sectors. Routinely ranked as one the nation’s most densely populated cities, universities, research institutes and private corporations employ many of the 110,000 residents of Cambridge. Not surprisingly, 44 percent of those residents are highly educated millennials between the ages of 18 and 35, according to the most recent U.S. Census and American Community Survey. Those millennials form the unparalleled labor pool that has employers clamoring for talent. Hosting more than 230 life science and high-tech companies, research from CBRE suggests that Cambridge contains upwards of 700 start-ups, many of which are pioneered by entrepreneurial professionals spinning out from larger institutions. Known as the city of squares, Cambridge is divided into three distinct submarkets, each with their own distinctive flavor — East Cambridge, anchored by MIT and Kendall Square; Mid Cambridge, home to Harvard University and West Cambridge/Fresh Pond area. Collectively the city contains roughly 11.2 million and 14.6 million square feet of commercial office and life science space, respectively. Low Vacancy, High Rents Cambridge finished 2018 maintaining incredibly low office and life science vacancy …
My mind wandered recently on a long drive, as it often does. I had the music going and, in typical Maine fashion, cell phone coverage was spotty. It was nice to effortlessly jump from thoughts of the upcoming holiday season with my young kids, to my 20-year high school reunion and old friends, to the promise of another long playoff run by my beloved Patriots. But as I passed commercial buildings and warehouses, my attention drifted to the bricks and mortar of the metro Portland industrial market. Here is what I thought as I hummed along to the hits: The Times They Are a-Changin’ Bob Dylan said it simply, and the statistics in our market suggest the same. The nearly eight-year run of a clear landlord’s market has finally shown indicators (albeit slight) that the pendulum is swinging the other way. While the year-end numbers are not yet complete, I am predicting vacancy rates will increase 200 to 300 basis points from our historically low 2017 rate of 1.25 percent. Let’s say, conservatively, our market increases to 3 percent overall vacancy. That is still what I would call a landlord’s market. However, what concerns me is that our added industrial …
Retail inventory in Southern New Hampshire totaled 29.8 million square feet in 2018, a nominal gain of 42,900 square feet from 2017. Vacancy increased 41,200 square feet, equating to a vacancy rate of 9.3 percent compared to 9.1 percent last year. The higher rate can be mainly attributed to closings by Toys ‘R’ Us (four namesake stores and two Babies ‘R’ Us stores) and Walmart (two Sam’s Clubs). Offsetting these closings were openings that filled several large vacancies. Three vacant Sports Authority stores were occupied by HomeGoods, Sierra Trading Post, Cost Plus World Market, Guitar Center, Party City and DSW. BJ’s Wholesale Club opened in the vacant Sam’s Club in Manchester. A vacant center in Merrimack, now known as Merrimack 360, is under redevelopment. Planet Fitness opened there and an Altitude Trampoline Park is planned. Other announced tenants include Dollar General, Great Clips and The Thirsty Moose Taphouse. As a result of these changes, absorption was flat for the year. The retailer adding the most space in the region was BJ’s Wholesale Club, which opened 108,900 square feet in Manchester. Cardi’s Furniture and NH1 Motorplex Indoor Karting were next, filling space at Seacoast Shopping Center in Seabrook. Sam’s Club, Toys …
A strengthening rental market is drawing more multifamily investors toward the New Haven metro area. Property fundamentals are rapidly improving, aided by greater renter demand and a lack of new supply pressure. Solid apartment performance, an array of multifamily assets well-positioned for upgrades and region-leading yields offer opportunities for investors, contributing to a record level of deal volume for the market in 2018. Apartment properties in New Haven have performed better over the past 24 months than they have at any point in the last 10 years. Positive job growth has renewed renter demand, facilitating vacancy declines and rent gains. Vacancy has fallen 350 basis points since September 2016 to its current rate of 4.1 percent, and as vacancy contracted, rent growth accelerated. Effective rents began rising in 2017. The pace of growth has been trending upward in 2018, reaching a trailing 12-month appreciation rate of 5.9 percent in September, a four-year high. These improvements are just as evident in the surrounding suburbs south along the I-95 Corridor and north along the I-91 Corridor as they are in the city of New Haven. The increase in absorption and the resulting impact on multifamily operations has been positive in part because …
Adaptive reuse and redevelopment projects along with a robust job market—particularly in the financial and professional services sectors—are the linchpins driving New Jersey’s office market growth. The availability rate, which is at its lowest point in nine years, has improved thanks to the repurposing of obsolete office product. Last year, 12 properties totaling 2.3 million square feet were marked for redevelopment, taking them out of inventory. Through the first half of 2018, 20 office properties totaling 2.7 million square feet are slated for redevelopment, which will further lower the availability rate. The redevelopment of these spaces has also steadily driven up Class A asking rents over the past three years by 6.1 percent to 29.62 per square foot. The positive momentum in the market can also be attributed to the 4.2 percent unemployment rate, a 10-year low, and incentive programs, like Grow NJ, that have attracted and retained businesses in the Garden State, sustaining demand. The most significant adaptive reuse project currently under way is at 110 Edison Place in Newark. Also known as Ironside, the 22-acre project will transform a historic obsolete building at the corner of Edison Place and McCarter Highway into a 450,000-square-foot state-of-the-art office and retail …