Market Reports

Dallas Self-Storage Development Maintains Slow But Steady Construction Trajectory

by Taylor Williams March 12, 2021

By Mirela Mohan of STORAGECafé The self-storage industry closed 2020 on an upward path, seeing stable or rising rental rates and elevated construction activity across the board after an uncertain year. According to our data, new construction stayed on a steady trajectory throughout the year, with 49.4 million square feet of new product added nationally — slightly less than the volume of new development in 2019. This came as a natural consequence of the high existing inventory which, combined with the shock of the pandemic, eventually led to the asking rate plunge in the first half of 2020. Rates Plunge, Then Revive The existing high inventories put downward pressure on asking rates in 2020, and the arrival of the pandemic only accentuated the existing trend. However, after rents bottomed out at $112 per month in May, street rates started picking up. By December 2020, national street rates had reached $118 per month, a 3.5 percent year-over-year increase. This slow but steady supply growth was mostly linked to consistent demand that emerged from both traditional sources such as moving and downsizing, as well as from new sources created by last year’s disruptive events. For example, college students began to need short-term …

March 12, 2021

Industrial Market Reports Michigan Midwest Midwest Market Reports

Gotown: Detroit’s Industrial Market Looks to Build off Momentum from 2020

by Kristin Harlow March 11, 2021

By Doug Fura, Farbman Group With 2020 in the rearview mirror, hopes for a healthier and more prosperous 2021 seem likely to lead to economic and development surges in markets across the country. In Detroit, where the industrial market has been a clear bright spot in a pandemic-altered development landscape, industry professionals remain optimistic that development momentum won’t be slowing anytime soon. How realistic is that optimism, where does industrial stand right now and what’s in store for Detroit? No signs of slowing down The Detroit industrial real estate market is easily the tightest I’ve seen at any point in the last 40+ years. We are seeing speculative construction for the first time in over a decade. Even more impressive is the fact that, for the most part, that space is being leased up before the buildings are completed. While construction costs are at record highs, they are still dramatically lower than in many/most other large markets across the country. E-commerce influence Who and what is driving that demand? The 500-pound gorilla is Amazon, but the boom in e-commerce extends well beyond one company, no matter how influential. The market was already evolving prior to the pandemic, but COVID-19 has …

March 11, 2021

Southeast-Phoenix-Distribution-Center-Chandler-AZ

Arizona Industrial Market Reports Western Western Market Reports

Phoenix’s Industrial Market Remains Busier than Ever

by Jeff Shaw March 8, 2021

By Peter Batschelet, Principal, Lee & Associates In a year of unknowns, hypotheticals and uncertainties, the Phoenix metropolitan area and Maricopa County were the complete opposite. In fact, 2020 was a record-setting year in this region’s industrial market for several reasons. For starters, there was nearly 14 million square feet of new construction delivered. This is twice as high as any year in the past decade and roughly equivalent to the deliveries from the past two years. In addition, Phoenix set record absorption numbers to the tune of, ironically, 14 million square feet. Meanwhile, vacancy rates have decreased to roughly 7.7 percent and rents continue to see moderate growth. There does not appear to be an end in sight to the impressive growth. There is an additional 15 million square feet currently under construction. This space is both speculative development and build-to-suit opportunities from household names like Merit Partners, Prologis, Trammell Crow Majestic Realty and others. Ecommerce sales represent roughly 15 percent of the national retail industry, which means there is plenty of capacity for additional investment and capital into the Greater Phoenix area based on our population and anticipated growth. There remains plenty of upside for the bulk …

March 8, 2021

Affordable Housing Market Reports Multifamily North Carolina Seniors Housing Southeast Southeast Market Reports Student Housing

Triangle’s Apartment Demand Pushes to the Region’s Suburban Markets

by John Nelson March 8, 2021

The impacts of COVID-19 on the U.S. multifamily market vary significantly across metro areas. Not surprisingly, the nation’s denser gateway markets have been hardest hit, while secondary and tertiary markets have fared better. In a reversal of pre-pandemic trends, suburban locations have gained favor over urban submarkets from both renters and investors. As many employees continue to work from home, larger and more affordable units in suburban submarkets have become more appealing. Elevated construction costs are also a factor, driving garden-style development versus more costly podium construction. The Triangle’s suburban submarkets are experiencing the strongest construction activity, most notably in the North Cary/Morrisville submarket, where 1,784 units averaging over 1,000 square feet per unit are currently underway. As ongoing work-from-home arrangements prompt more tenants to consider living further from the Triangle’s primary employment centers, developers are increasingly willing to look at sites in outlying communities such as Wendell and Clayton. Demand is expected to return to the Triangle’s urban submarkets as employees return to the office and retailers and restaurants fully reopen, but the recovery in these areas is likely to be protracted. Solid footing The Triangle’s multifamily sector ended 2020 on relatively firm footing despite a tumultuous year. Both …

March 8, 2021

Market Reports Michigan Midwest Midwest Market Reports Retail

Hardships Met With Innovation for Detroit’s Retail Market

by Kristin Harlow March 4, 2021

By Evan Lyons, Encore Real Estate Investment Services Call it what you will — Motown, the Motor City, the Comeback City — by any name, the city of Detroit has long been a place of possibilities. A smart student in the school of hard knocks, Detroit has teetered on failure, yet still managed to graduate with high marks. Best known as the birthplace of the automobile and home to Motown music’s Hitsville USA, Detroit went from being the driver of American capitalism to a city in ruin. It endured population decline in the ’50s, rioting in the ’60s, the collapse of the auto industry in the late ’70s and ’80s, and in 2013, the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history, yet somehow emerged as a hot spot for high rollers and hipsters alike. As 2019 winded down, Detroit and the surrounding Southeast Michigan area boasted a healthy economy. The automotive industry, a key driver of the region, posted better than expected sales of cars and trucks in the fourth quarter of 2019, beating projections. Employment was on the uptick both in the city and across the state. Southeast Michigan appeared positioned for growth in 2020. The same held true for …

March 4, 2021

California Market Reports Office Western Western Market Reports

Inland Empire Office Demand Stagnates, Medical Office Leasing Remains Strong

by Jeff Shaw March 1, 2021

By Drew Sanden, Senior Managing Director, Newmark The Inland Empire office market boasted very strong fundamentals heading into 2020. The vacancy rate across the 28.3 million-square-foot base was 9.5 percent, lease rates were reaching peak levels and developers were again exploring larger spec developments. Like many markets across the U.S., COVID-19 has greatly impacted the Inland Empire’s office market. Office usage, demand, absorption and leasing transactions are down year-over-year. Large back-office transaction volume has been the most impacted as companies struggle to manage the social distancing guidelines. With that said, the suburban nature of the Inland Empire has helped insulate the office market. The combination of affordable housing (relative to Southern California’s coastal communities) and remote work opportunities have strengthened the overall workforce. This pandemic has acted as an accelerator for the hub-and-spoke trend where companies have larger regional offices in CBDs like Los Angeles and Irvine, while maintaining smaller satellite offices in suburban markets. We’ve seen an influx of small satellite offices in Corona, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga and Riverside. Demand for medical office building (MOB) leasing and sales has remained strong. This trend was highlighted with the pre-sale of two medical office buildings at the Rincon in Chino Hills, …

March 1, 2021

Market Reports North Carolina Restaurant Retail Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Raleigh-Durham Retail Bolstered By Grocery Growth, Offsetting Store Closures

by John Nelson March 1, 2021

This time last year, we were commenting on the changing retail market, but we were overall very optimistic about 2020. What a difference a year makes! Across the United States, 2020 brought us the closing of the following: 279 SteinMart stores; 1,100 Ann Taylor stores; 950 Pier 1 Imports stores; 350 Gap stores; 248 GNC stores; 145 A.C. Moore stores; 230 Tuesday Morning stores; and 178 Forever 21 stores. Additionally, Macy’s closed 29 stores in 2020 and expects to close another 45 in 2021. This trend of retail store closings will slow down in 2021, but it will not change. On the positive side, retailers such as Walmart, Target, The Home Depot, Lowe’s Home Improvement and Walgreens have seen positive sales numbers and continue to expand. In the supermarket sector, Kroger, Food Lion and Publix have had record numbers and, along with Aldi and Lidl, are expanding. In the Raleigh-Durham market, our 2020 vacancy rate has increased to 8.24 percent and rental rates have hovered in the $18 to $20 per square foot range, but those numbers are skewed due to rent concessions and abatements. Raleigh-Durham has approximately 86.6 million square feet of retail space with around 640,000 square feet …

March 1, 2021

CapRock-Riley-St-Hacienda-Ave-Las-Vegas-NV

Industrial Market Reports Nevada Western Western Market Reports

Online Shopping Keeps Vegas’ Industrial Market Humming

by Jeff Shaw February 24, 2021

By Amy Ogden, Logic Commercial Real Estate This was an unprecedented year in a multitude of ways. Though the pandemic brought economic hardships — along with the world’s worst health crisis — it also opened our eyes to how quickly life can change overnight. Businesses reacted to the crisis as best and swiftly as they could to comply with state stay at home orders, capacity reductions, and the fear and panic that ensued. Little did we know that we would be desperately seeking toilet paper, cleaning supplies, and embracing online grocery shopping and food delivery with such intensity by early March. The aforementioned, in turn, created a domino effect as the pandemic became the catalyst for a boom in the industrial real estate sector. Ecommerce has grown more over the past year than it ever has. These occupiers have seen their five-year trajectory of forecasted retail sales occur in just six months. The rise of ecommerce has forever altered consumer buying behavior and expectations. With consumers now anticipating fast shipping and deliveries, there is now a strain on the traditional logistics and supply chain models. This has subsequently resulted in a heightened need for warehouse, fulfillment and distribution properties as …

February 24, 2021

Market Reports Single-Family Rental Texas Texas Market Reports

The Single-Family Rental Sector Has Grown Up, and Texas is Ripe for Opportunity

by Taylor Williams February 23, 2021

By Mark Wolf, CEO and founder, AHV Communities The single-family rental (SFR) sector began its institutionalization during the Global Financial Crisis when so many homeowners found themselves unable to pay their mortgages. The mass quantity of repossessed homes was sold off on courthouse steps or at large in-person or online auctions, with mega-landlords amassing the homes and renting them out as investments. At the time, that business model was the only one widely recognized or, notably, well capitalized. However, the sector would not ultimately remain a one-trick pony. Alternate visions for single-family rentals have subsequently emerged. The most widely known model, which is oftentimes incorrectly characterized today, is the purpose-built rental community. Built from the ground up and delivered as a contiguous, cohesive communities — basically the opposite of existing randomly located distressed homes purchased and leased — the purpose-built SFR community is on the rise. Texas is currently one of the hottest states for new development of these communities. The activity is undoubtedly fueled by the ongoing in-migration of individuals and families from other states flooding into the Lone Star State in favor of lower taxes, high quality of life, friendly business climate and an overall affordable cost of …

February 23, 2021

Life Sciences Market Reports North Carolina Office Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Raleigh-Durham Office Market Remains Stable, Life Sciences Actively Leasing Space

by John Nelson February 22, 2021

The Raleigh-Durham commercial real estate market continues to be one of growth and perseverance despite the global pandemic. Its economy is rich with an array of industries, healthcare and university systems that support population growth and expansion. Commercial real estate is experiencing its own challenges and opportunities through this pandemic, including one of the most talked about asset classes, office. The sector is the subject of the big “pause” discussion as there’s uncertainty going forward. Despite the lack of commitment to many significant leases, the office market’s fundamentals have remained stable in Raleigh-Durham. Rates are holding steady with an average Class A rental rate of $29.59 per square foot. Vacancy and absorption are maintaining competitive levels, allowing market rates to hold somewhat steady. Over the last year, activity reflected these trends as many landlords negotiated short-term renewals without rate increases. If the leasing trend continues this year, renewals and space consolidation will possibly lead to a reduction in rental rates. One of the key driving forces of office product in Raleigh-Durham stems from the life sciences industry. The market is currently ranked No. 5 among life sciences markets in the United States, according to CBRE’s annual report. The life sciences …

February 22, 2021

Newer Posts

Older Posts