If you’ve spent time in quaint New England cottages, you know that unique indoor environment can conjure feelings of warmth, happiness and comfort. Exposed wood inside of houses provides sensations of coziness and security that have been emulated in biophilic design — a term referring to the human connection with nature — across America. So why hasn’t this warm and healthy feeling spread to America’s offices? We’ve seen the mill brick buildings and the steel and concrete office developments scattered along America’s highways and suburban areas. Some of us may have even worked in them. They are reliable, cost-effective and provide tenants with the basic amenities needed to get their work done. But the American office building is changing. Today’s companies demand more for their employees and are recognizing that comfortable offices with exceptional amenities are quickly becoming the new standard to attract top, young talent. According to Cushman & Wakefield’s 2019 “CRE Perspectives on Coworking” report, nearly two-thirds of companies are utilizing some form of coworking space. Look at the most popular coworking spaces in the country — many provide biophilic design elements to keep occupants happy. In early October, building owner Farley White, along with Cushman & Wakefield, …
From 2009 through 2015, Las Vegas renters were afforded the luxury of renting many of the high-rise condominiums around the Strip and Downtown Las Vegas. This was due to the massive amount of short sales and foreclosures during that time. There were about 7,876 condo units completed between 2006 and 2009. Shortly after the crash, these developments shifted to luxury rentals. During 2011, we tracked 785 condos that were rented with an average of $1.31 per square foot, or $1,838 per month. During that same time, we tracked sales prices of these high condos at an average of $154 per square foot, or $239,411 per unit. We also tracked 904 sales during 2011 that typically involved investors putting their inventory back into the “shadow inventory.” Fast forward to 2015, and resales of this same inventory were trading at an average of $238 per square foot. Rents of this inventory were at $1.45 per square foot, or $2,000 per month. The higher-end buildings like Mandarin Oriental (now Waldorf Astoria) were at $2.70 per square foot. The trend continues to today as sales prices continue to rise. Rents continue to go up and no new for-sale inventory is being delivered. Most of …
For decades, all classes of commercial real estate in Dallas enjoyed somewhat lopsided advantages over Fort Worth. Until about 15 years ago, Dallas, the main beneficiary of the job, housing and population growth coming to the metroplex, commanded the lion’s share of demand from commercial real estate users while also having more capital for new development. Retail was no exception. Today, the Dallas area has seen its retail scene push northward toward Plano and Frisco, the new hubs of corporate relocations and regional workforce consolidations. But the combination of a shortage of developable land and a tight vacancy rate within the Interstate 635 loop is pushing rents. On a triple-net basis, rates are now as high as $60 per square foot in top submarkets like Uptown, Lakewood and Deep Ellum and $90-plus per square foot in the tony Preston Hollow and Park Cities submarkets, according to HSM’s research. Our data also shows that the average retail vacancy rate within the Interstate 635 loop in Dallas is approximately 2.6 percent, while there is 205,000 square feet of new space under construction within this area. By contrast, the urban core of Fort Worth inside the Interstate 820 loop spans about half as …
As the saying goes, “nothing worth having comes easy.” While this is true in many ways — especially in the real estate business — the multifamily market in New Hampshire is putting this saying to the test. Design and technology trends represent innovative ways to make life easier for new residents. The result is a revolution in convenience and lifestyle across developments from Nashua to Pittsburg and everywhere in between. Five trends in particular are driving this revolution in the multifamily space. 1. Maximum Flexibility “Flexibility” is a term thrown around in real estate now more than ever. The line between traditional commercial and residential spaces is blurry, with an ever-increasing focus on creating flexible work and gathering areas. Cubical farms are out and coworking spaces are rapidly expanding. The result is a blending of residential and commercial experiences, with office décor that feels like home and homes designed to act as secondary offices. Collaborative gathering areas, which would have been considered foreign just 10 years ago, are now a focal point in new buildouts. Tenants and developers see these spaces as “must haves,” not “nice to haves.” Flexibility also spills over to simple multifamily concepts such as package deliveries …
Much of the national hype surrounding the growth in industrial development, investment and leasing activity in North Texas is centered on Dallas, a national leader in in-migration and employment growth across a variety of industries. The demographic and economic fundamentals of Dallas have made it a highly desirable market for e-commerce and third-party logistics users looking to service an ever-growing last-mile population. But beginning about four years ago, the dwindling supply of quality sites near the Dallas core began to generate rapid rent growth, causing priced-out developers and users to start looking westward. Fort Worth’s transition from a predominantly manufacturing market to a dynamic logistics and distribution hub began with Hillwood’s purchase of 15,000 acres for its AllianceTexas development in the mid 1980s. Since that time, Fort Worth has displayed a more aggressive stance on economic and industrial development. Both cities have long shared access to critical pieces of infrastructure — DFW International Airport, Interstates 20, 30 and 35 — as well as strong availability of land and a quality supply of laborers. But until recently, the growth paths always favored Dallas — the more gentrified of the two cities that was also a preferred destination for corporate relocations and …
With the recent influx of young talent, combined with the area’s thriving economy and renowned vibrant culture, the Greater New Orleans region is poised for growth. Although the office market sector is slow to show any significant gains, this signifies a potential undervalued opportunity for users. The metro area has nearly 20 million square feet of office space, including over 11 million square feet of Class A space with a published occupancy rate exceeding 87 percent. The predominant trend is a rightsizing of the market, resulting in more downsizing than growth. On a macro level, the oil and gas industry is phasing out, which has historically been a prominent space user. The conversion of office space into alternate uses also continues, as well as a reduction in company footprints. The outlying suburban office market has seen the most growth, with East Metairie being one of the strongest submarkets in both occupancy and rental rates. With less product in the area, supply and demand are closer to equilibrium. New Orleans’ central business district (CBD) and downtown office submarkets are coasting along. Class A occupancy rates are slightly down from last year, but rents have inched up to high-teens and low-20s. The …
There are no guarantees in commercial real estate. For commercial real estate owners, developers and investors, however, betting on the continued strength of the Las Vegas marketplace has been as close to a sure thing as it gets in recent years. The Vegas commercial market is as strong as it’s ever been as we head into 2020. Delivery on new projects is up 800,000 square feet over 2018. About 1.2 million square feet of retail space will have been added to the market by year’s end, while retail rental rates are up 4.6 percent in 2019. What’s really exciting isn’t just the top-line numbers, but the evolving nature of a market that is becoming more diverse. Las Vegas is preserving its gaming and entertainment dynamism while introducing more robust retail and mixed-use elements that expand well beyond the iconic Strip. Consequently, Vegas market performance isn’t just strong, it’s sustainable. A market overview reveals some of those reasons for optimism, as well as a deeper understanding of what’s driving that commercial real estate evolution. It never hurts to be the entertainment capital of the world, and there’s no doubt that gaming, hospitality and entertainment remain the foundation of the city’s appeal. …
Known for both its big-city excitement and suburban living options, the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex is now the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country with 7.5 million residents. At this rate of growth, DFW is poised to surpass Chicago as the third-most populous metroplex in the country within the next two decades. Although DFW is commonly recognized as a shared marketplace, it’s important to understand that Dallas and Fort Worth are two separate cities with separate real estate markets. Fort Worth’s downtown area and Western charm have attracted a total population of about 880,000 compared to Dallas’ international and metropolitan mecca of roughly 1.34 million, according to U.S. Census Bureau. As Dallas and Fort Worth continue to provide a record number of jobs to accommodate this growth, multifamily development is keeping pace. In the past year, 81 multifamily developments with 23,916 units opened in DFW, of which the market absorbed 20,456 units in that same period, reaching an occupancy rate of 91.8 percent. The strong job market and affordable cost of living throughout the metroplex continue to have a positive impact on multifamily development and construction, bringing a plethora of new players to the space. However, we continue to see …
New York City is one of the priciest office markets in the world, with Manhattan housing the core business district of the city. The borough has always been the place to be — the ultimate live-work-play destination that houses the big corporations and the talent that recruiters look for. Overall, office asking rents in Manhattan fell only slightly during the third quarter to $74 per square foot, per Cushman & Wakefield, while rents in some submarkets continued to rise. In highly appealing office clusters like Hudson Yards or the Plaza District, asking rents often exceed $100 per square foot, meaning small- to mid-sized tenants are often priced out of these areas. Historically, areas outside Manhattan have not been as desirable for office users. Yet with rising housing prices, many New Yorkers have been priced out of the borough, forcing them to either downsize or get off the island. Developers have taken advantage of this trend and started investing in residential projects in Brooklyn and Queens in order to attract homebuyers. Businesses soon started to take notice, and many office-using tenants have since migrated or expanded into the outer boroughs, primarily Brooklyn and Queens. Small Leases Drive Brooklyn Brooklyn has always …
The value proposition for retail investment in New York City is reaching new highs amid an arguably overvalued office market and a multifamily market that continues to grapple with onerous new regulations. Rapid price escalations in both of these sectors have played an integral role in spurring additional investor demand for retail as of late. Analysis of Avison Young’s third-quarter property sales report for Manhattan revealed a rare opportunity, as the average price per square foot for retail properties has now dipped to $1,449, nearly 40 percent below the trailing four-quarter average. In addition, deal volume was also down nearly 40 percent below the trailing four-quarter average, clocking in at just $175 million. The glory days of 2014, when the market eclipsed $3.5 billion in sales volume, are well behind us. “For Rent” signs now cover swaths of the hardest-hit corridors of Broadway in SoHo, Third Avenue on the Upper East Side and Canal Street. What’s The Upshot? All is not lost, however, in the world of retail investment. In fact, it’s very much the opposite. The legislative constraints putting pressure on the multifamily investment market do not currently exist in the retail world. And with retail pricing down significantly …