Market Reports

Creative Solutions Expand Affordable Housing Supply in Northeast Markets

by Taylor Williams November 23, 2020

By Taylor Williams A severe shortage of affordable housing that has been building for years and may soon be exacerbated by the expiration of the federal eviction moratorium is forcing developers to be more aggressive and innovative in terms of how they add much-needed supply in dense, high-growth markets. According to a 2020 report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, when it comes to housing that American renters whose incomes levels are at or below 30 percent of their area median income (AMI) can afford, the United States comes up about 7 million units short. On average, for every 100 extremely low-income renter households in the country, there are only 36 affordable housing units. In addition, there is considerable overlap between renters whose incomes dictate that they seek housing that has been designated as affordable or workforce and industries that have been hard hit by COVID-19, most commonly the retail and hospitality sectors. The federal mandate that prohibits evicting renters who cannot pay rent due to COVID-related job losses has served to keep units occupied and the supply-demand imbalance from worsening — for the time being. Rental collection rates for affordable housing properties have not fluctuated much during prime …

November 23, 2020

Conference Coverage Market Reports Multifamily Texas Texas Market Reports

COVID-19 Further Entrenches Digital Technology in Multifamily Leasing, Management, Says InterFace Panel

by Taylor Williams November 19, 2020

By Taylor Williams The unimpeachable role of technology in multifamily operations has been growing for some time, but COVID-19 has accelerated the importance of these platforms to a level that is unlikely to change even after the pandemic has fizzled out. Particularly with regard to leasing units to new renters and hiring and retaining talented management professionals, multifamily operators have had little choice but to embrace new technologically advanced ways of doing business. And since competition for tenants and staff are equally intense within the major apartment markets of Texas, operators that have developed proficiencies with new apps, platforms and equipment are pulling away from the pack. A panel of multifamily owner-operators and leasing agents discussed these topics at length during the first day of the ninth-annual InterFace Multifamily Texas conference. The two-day virtual event, which was hosted and organized by Atlanta-based France Media, was held Nov. 18-19 in lieu of the fall gathering that usually brings multifamily professionals from across the state together in Dallas. The Customer Side The panelists provided anecdotal evidence of just how important technology has become to the leasing and management aspects of their operations. “We’ve used basic equipment like video-stabilizing pods, which can be …

November 19, 2020

Industrial Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Nebraska

Omaha Industrial Market Dips Toe into Modern Speculative Development

by Kristin Harlow November 19, 2020

By Kevin Stratman, CCIM, SIOR, Investors Realty Like many metropolitan areas, new construction has been the recent theme in Omaha’s industrial market. Since 2015, the Omaha market has delivered almost 5 million square feet of new flex, industrial and warehouse properties. This is significant, considering the market as a whole is only about 90 million square feet. Equally impressive, the market has kept the vacancy rate below 4 percent despite all this growth. A bulk of this development has taken place in the popular Sarpy West submarket on the southwest side of the metro area along the I-80 corridor. Notwithstanding all of this construction, the market continues to have a lack of opportunities for users of all sizes. At the time of this writing, there are only 10 vacancies in existing properties for lease that are greater than 50,000 square feet. Only one of those vacancies is in a modern warehouse building. Both national and local tenants alike are shocked to find the limited number of spaces available to them. Which begs the question, why is there so little speculative construction in Omaha? Omaha has always been a more conservative economy. The market might not see the high of highs …

November 19, 2020

Market Reports Office Texas Texas Market Reports

Why Dallas May Have A Competitive Advantage in the Office Market Recovery

by Taylor Williams November 17, 2020

By Brett Merz, senior vice president and asset manager, KBS As this unprecedented year hits the midpoint of the fourth quarter and office investors consider their options, one market in Texas stands out: Dallas. This market has historically shown strong resiliency and continues to do so throughout the pandemic. While Texas as a whole has been ahead of many other states in terms of allowing tenants that are eager to return to the office after the COVID-19 shutdown to do so, the Dallas office market has especially embraced reopening and returning to work. According to a new report by Kastle Systems, Dallas County leads the country in terms of the share of employees who are back to their workplaces following government-mandated shutdowns. Across the 10 largest metroplexes in the country, an average of 27.4 percent of employees are back in the office, while Dallas employees are returning to work at a rate of 43.3 percent. This figure compares favorably to proportions of employees returning to offices in other markets, including Los Angeles (34 percent), Washington, D.C. (24 percent) and San Francisco (14.7 percent). This news is a testament to tenants’ appetite for occupying office space and the market’s resiliency despite …

November 17, 2020

Market Reports Northeast Northeast Market Reports Pennsylvania

Pitfalls, Opportunities Abound Within Pittsburgh’s Property Tax Code

by Taylor Williams November 13, 2020

By Brendan Kelly, associate, Siegel Jennings Over the past decade, Mr. Rogers’ adopted hometown of Pittsburgh has been named the most livable city in the continental United States — a hipster haven, tech hub and other trendy titles. Affordable housing stock in a stable real estate market, access to the arts in an established cultural community and world-class healthcare and higher education place the Steel City at the forefront of medicine and robotics. This attention has drawn real estate investors to submarkets well beyond downtown Pittsburgh’s Golden Triangle. As competition increases, investors from outside the region should be aware of idiosyncrasies and pitfalls lurking in Pennsylvania tax law and the local market. Welcome, Stranger As in most states, assessors in Pennsylvania cannot independently change a property’s assessment upon its transfer. However, Pennsylvania lets local taxing districts appeal assessments and request value increases, which they frequently do following a sale. Locals often call this the “welcome, stranger” tax. “One of the most common reactions I hear from our out-of-state clients who are new to this market is disbelief that districts can appeal assessments,” says Sharon F. DiPaolo, Esq., managing partner of Siegel Jennings’ Pennsylvania property tax practice. “Of course, in most …

November 13, 2020

Market Reports Office Texas Texas Market Reports

Office Trends Raise Property Tax Concerns in Texas

by Taylor Williams November 12, 2020

By Kirk Garza, Valarie Bradley and Caleb Snow of Popp Hutcheson PLLC With property taxes comprising a significant portion of the real estate operating budget at most companies, both tenants and landlords need to understand how trends sparked by COVID-19 can impact their property tax valuations. The pandemic has spurred governments to impose unprecedented restrictions on office capacity and fueled widespread uncertainty among companies that own or lease office space. Organizations are asking if, when and how they will use their offices in the months ahead and are scrutinizing expenses to reduce costs. Many businesses are reevaluating their space requirements after adopting work-from-home initiatives, while greater familiarity with Zoom and other applications that support remote training and online collaboration has firms reconsidering their ongoing need for conference or meeting space. It is essential for real estate decision makers to monitor the effects of such trends on taxable property values. Office Demand Evolves In the early 1990s, it was common for companies to occupy 350 square feet of office space per person. This requirement changed as some businesses sought to maximize density and encourage collaboration. In a COVID-19 world where social distancing precludes density, many companies are limiting the number of …

November 12, 2020

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Multifamily Nebraska

Omaha’s Strong Multifamily Market Fundamentals Drive Investment Sales Activity

by Kristin Harlow November 12, 2020

By Jason Kinnison, NorthMarq The Omaha multifamily market’s occupancy, rents and new construction activity remain stable despite the economic uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. As a solid Midwestern market, Omaha’s apartment sector remains strong due to its healthy market fundamentals, including a strong employment base and a highly educated workforce. Omaha boasts an approximate 94.9 percent occupancy rate and consistently has a steady supply of roughly 1,500 new units delivered annually. New construction activity has historically been at an absorbable pace, however, there has been a slight lag in absorption recently, which has the potential to compress occupancy levels as well as asking rents. Multifamily rent collections remained strong in the second quarter, supported in part by the increased unemployment benefits offered to renters who lost jobs and the government-sponsored stimulus initiatives. Additionally, federal eviction bans were enacted. Omaha’s multifamily real estate property values continue rising and capitalization rates remain low. Over the last five to seven years, Omaha has experienced an increase in multifamily investment sales activity. Historically, the market has been controlled by local investors with a buy-and-hold mentality. However, as valuations have risen and activity has increased in investment sales, there has been a shift to more …

November 12, 2020

Market Reports Office Texas Texas Market Reports

Market Mystery: Why DFW Presents a Strong Case for Quick Recovery

by Taylor Williams November 10, 2020

By Nora Hogan, SIOR, principal at Transwestern The immediate future of the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) office leasing market is an enigma. Real estate professionals believe we are near the top of a V-shaped recovery curve. However, many tenants disagree and are being cautious about their office leasing decisions. Due to the pandemic, tenants became innovative in providing ways to service their customers. They have learned they can operate, survive and even excel under the current business environment, and thus are delaying their lease decisions. Tenants are learning which employees can work productively without the boundaries of the office. The million-dollar question is whether or not this partial work-from-home model is sustainable. Some employers think not, while others are betting that it has staying power and have placed either all or a portion of their office space on the sublease market. Today, sublease space in DFW represents 15 percent of the total vacant square footage. This percentage is higher than the volume of sublease space that the market posted during the dot-com recession of 2002. Currently the total sublease square footage is 9.5 million, which is almost identical to the December 2002 sublease inventory peak. The difference is that in 2002, …

November 10, 2020

Industrial Kentucky Market Reports Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Louisville’s Central Location, UPS Presence Make it a Lock for Industrial Users

by Alex Tostado November 9, 2020

Louisville is best known for the Kentucky Derby, the premier thoroughbred horse race that has occurred every year in the city since 1875. However, there is another continuous streak that is happening in Louisville, and that is 21 straight quarters of positive net absorption for industrial real estate as of second-quarter 2020. Louisville’s central location within the Southeast and Midwest, which gives area users the ability to reach two-thirds of the U.S. population within a one-day drive, is a major driver for industrial real estate. The UPS Worldport Hub in Louisville is its only “all-points” hub in the UPS network and provides warehouse and distribution businesses with the ability to process orders later and receive earlier deliveries. This is a tremendous benefit for e-commerce, pharmaceutical, laboratory and electronics companies, among many other industries. There is continual interest from West Coast companies seeking a central location to fulfill product as customer demand for shorter delivery times increases as part of the overall customer experience. UPS Supply Chain Solutions, the third-party, full-service fulfillment subsidiary of UPS, has a significant presence in Louisville. Many of the customers for which UPS Supply Chain provides fulfillment services are pharmaceutical-related businesses that require time-critical deliveries and …

November 9, 2020

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Nebraska Office Retail

Key Leasing Considerations for Commercial Landlords in the Age of Coronavirus

by Kristin Harlow November 5, 2020

By Addison Fairchild, Baird Holm At its onset nearly nine months ago, the novel coronavirus forced federal, state and local leaders to consider measures necessary to prevent the virus’s inevitable spread. Those leaders imposed measures they calculated to balance minimizing the spread and harm of coronavirus to the national and local economies. Whether those measures were effective in achieving those goals is a question for another day. However, now that coronavirus is currently a part of daily life, businesses have been considering what measures they must take. Like political leaders, they must also consider balancing the potential liability they may face for the spread of the coronavirus or other illness, the harm to their patrons and clients, and the harm to their bottom lines. Commercial landlords are not exempt from considering the coronavirus or other pandemics in future leasing. It is unlikely a court would find a commercial landlord liable for the spread of a pandemic in their leased properties, except in rare circumstances. However, tenants may require landlords to provide upgrades to properties to ensure the safety of the leased premises. This article considers whether landlords may be liable for the spread of a pandemic in their leased premises. …

November 5, 2020

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