Market Reports

Developers Flock to Columbus Industrial Market

by Kristin Harlow April 9, 2020

Columbus continues to be a powerhouse in the industrial market of the Midwest. Fueling this growth are its strategic logistics location as well as being the Ohio state capital and home to eight colleges and universities in central Ohio. Job creation in Columbus remains ahead of Ohio with employment expanding nearly 22 percent since 2010, twice the state’s rate of expansion. The region’s largest employers include The Ohio State University, OhioHealth, JP Morgan Chase and Nationwide Mutual Services. These companies employ nearly 100,000 in central Ohio. Columbus is also one of the hottest housing markets in the nation, with overall median sales prices increasing 7.6 percent over 2018 and sellers receiving, on average, 98.7 percent of the last list price at sale. Columbus has a greater access to the U.S. market within a 10-hour drive than any other major metropolitan area in the country. The area has access to 46 percent of the U.S. population within a 10-hour truck drive. This proximity continues to attract large corporations to the area, including Amazon, Facebook, Google and Walmart, who are all occupying new distribution and data centers in the region. The market’s industrial vacancy rate of 5 percent at the end of …

April 9, 2020

Alabama Market Reports Retail Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Birmingham Retail a Solid Bet Before COVID-19 Outbreak, and it Will Bounce Back

by Alex Tostado April 6, 2020

What a time to write an article on the state of the retail real estate market in Birmingham. A few short weeks ago this would have been a much easier task. The fundamentals of the Birmingham retail market are healthy and exciting despite the current health crisis and the fact that we have experienced very little population growth. I travel across the country regularly, and there is a national undercurrent about Birmingham that is exciting. Birmingham is spoken about nationally as a city with great food and quality of life, which are the types of things always said about a city prior to it hitting a tipping point. We expect that consumer behavior is going to be different coming out of the pandemic, and that the way retail and restaurant businesses operate will continue to adapt to that consumer behavior. Traditional developments Traditional shopping centers continue to be strong regional draws, with tenant mixes focusing on local and national brands. Lee Branch is one of the most successful in Birmingham. The Dick’s Sporting Goods and Golf Galaxy side-by-side concept opened in February at Lee Branch and is the first of its kind in the state. Discount retail, although not new, …

April 6, 2020

Industrial Market Reports Texas Texas Market Reports

Houston Industrial Developers Covet Infill Sites

by Taylor Williams March 31, 2020

The growth of large distribution facilities for e-commerce users and third-party logistics providers (3PLs) symbolizes the evolution of Houston’s industrial market. Consequently, developers are leaping into action to secure well-located infill sites that are squarely in the pathways of natural population growth, the rise of new industries and infrastructural upgrades. According to data from office and industrial brokerage firm Lee & Associates, there was roughly 18 million square feet of distribution space under construction throughout the Houston area at the end of 2019. This figure represents a 20 percent increase above the previous high of 15 million square feet in 2015, the approximate time at which the price of oil — the longtime foundation of Houston’s economy — began to tumble. The sheer size and number of these projects has catapulted Houston into the No. 3 spot nationally for industrial product under construction behind Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) and California’s Inland Empire, according to the latest data from CoStar Group. CoStar notes that there is roughly 27 million square feet of industrial space across all sub-types of industrial product under construction throughout Houston. The market also took the bronze medal for new deliveries in 2019. Older, smaller industrial properties that were …

March 31, 2020

Industrial Market Reports South Carolina Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Upstate’s Infrastructure, Workforce Set Table for Future Industrial Expansion

by Alex Tostado March 30, 2020

In 2019, the Greenville-Spartanburg industrial market added an unprecedented 33 buildings encompassing 10 million square feet of inventory, bringing the total market size to approximately 211 million square feet. Despite record-breaking new deliveries, absorption has kept pace at 9.6 million square feet the same year. This market is preparing for future growth with delivery of available buildings and land sites, as well as investment in infrastructure and the overall workforce. With the increased supply of Class A speculative space, the market has seen numerous company expansions and relocations away from its Class B product type. New, modern space provides the efficiencies and amenities companies desire (i.e. above 32-foot clear heights). In order to service customers’ consumption preferences, companies are making capital investments into automated processes that allow them to stay competitive in a rapidly changing supply chain. One of the earliest signs of momentum in 2020 was the announcement of South Greenville Enterprise Park and its first user investment, Vermeer. South Greenville Enterprise Park is the first industrial park to deliver to the Greenville market in 10 years. Primary investment has been focused on the S.C. Highway 101 and S.C. Highway 290 corridors due to demand drivers such as BMW …

March 30, 2020

Market Reports Mixed-Use Texas Texas Market Reports

Placemaking, Integration Define Mixed-Use Projects in Texas

by Taylor Williams March 27, 2020

Development trends in commercial real estate are beholden to the whims of consumer behavior. When it comes to mixed-use in the 21st century, successful projects deliver a high-quality experience that centers on a sense of social belonging and connection — for living, working and playing alike. “In today’s experiential economy, demographic changes and shifts in consumer values and preferences across generations are converging on the desire for social connection,” says Brian Cramer, senior vice president and head of the Dallas office of mixed-use developer Newland Communities. “People crave experiences and connections, which is why mixed-use environments will become even more important in community development.” Bob Schultz, the developer of Mid Main, a mixed-use destination in Houston’s Midtown neighborhood, echoes Cramer’s position on man’s inherently social nature as a driver of growth in the mixed-use space. “Our experience is that these various populations are willing to live with each other as never before,” says Schultz. “Demographics of those who live in urban areas cross over in terms of age and economic differences in ways that are either comfortable or virtually unnoticed by the different populations. In other words, people who like to live, work and play in areas with density value …

March 27, 2020

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Minnesota Multifamily

How Can Minnesota Apartment Developers Access Capital While Minimizing Risk? Structured Finance

by Kristin Harlow March 26, 2020

The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul continue to be a very attractive marketplace for multifamily investing due to an average vacancy across the metro of 3.1 percent, as well as average 2019 rent growth of 5.8 percent, according to a recent report issued by Marquette Advisors. The Twin Cities currently has nearly 30,000 multifamily units in the development pipeline that are expected to be delivered between 2020 and 2022. With all of this development activity and an abundance of local and regional banks in the area, the Twin Cities continues to be a very well-banked market, particularly with regard to apartment construction. Local and regional banks are all very active. In addition, national banks are eager to invest in the healthy, consistent Twin Cities multifamily market. But despite capital being relatively plentiful and accessible, local, regional and national developers are exploring more efficient ways to capitalize on the abundance of development activity. They also pursue ways to stretch their own equity through a variety of financing alternatives. Developers may be tapped out with their current banking relationships, or as projects get larger and more expensive, desired loan sizes may drift higher than their banks’ lending limits. Lenders and …

March 26, 2020

Market Reports Multifamily Texas Texas Market Reports

Fort Worth Rises on Multifamily Investors’ Radars

by Taylor Williams March 24, 2020

The U.S. economy’s continued expansion, combined with the migration of people from high-tax states in the Northeast and California, bodes well for multifamily real estate investment in metros across the Southeast and Texas. Many cities in the so-called “Sun Belt” will continue to experience strong demand for apartments thanks to the low cost of living and new jobs stemming from corporate investment across the region. The Fort Worth market has been a beneficiary of all of these dynamics, and there are a plethora of compelling reasons why multifamily investors are eager to invest in the Panther City. Population Boom Fort Worth’s population has seen considerable expansion over the past decade, serving as a catalyst for Texas to become a leader in this key fundamental. U.S. Census Bureau data shows that from 2010 to 2018, Texas led the nation in population growth with over 3.5 million new residents, 1 million of which moved to the DFW area between 2010 and 2019. Just this past year alone, Texas continued to be a national leader in population growth, with Tarrant County coming in at No. 3 for total new out-of-state residents, according to the Texas Association of Realtors®. In terms of how this …

March 24, 2020

Market Reports Maryland Retail Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Baltimore Retail Market Stands Tall, Poised for Another Solid Year Ahead

by Alex Tostado March 23, 2020

It’s gearing up to be another solid year for Baltimore’s retail industry. Thus far, the first quarter has shown few surprises and has largely been a continuation of the success the sector saw in fourth-quarter 2019. Rent has remained relatively flat the past two years, outside of a few developments that have delivered, and we’re expecting more of the same this year. After a small bump in the road five years ago, the market has stabilized and retail vacancy in the Baltimore metro region remains tight. With limited new supply coming to market, landlords are focused on backfilling existing space. Class A and B properties continue to show healthy leasing trends, while Class C properties continue to be the value options for mostly local retailers. Baltimore metro’s primary retail corridors — York Road, Reisterstown Road, the core of downtown Baltimore, Columbia, White Marsh and Annapolis — continue to thrive. We’re also seeing strong growth along Ritchie Highway from Pasadena to Glen Burnie, buoyed by a string of new store openings at the Pasadena Crossroads Shopping Center, which is anchored by Sprouts Farmers Market, Ulta Beauty, T.J. Maxx, DSW, LA Fitness, Party City, Hobby Lobby, HomeGoods and Gardiner Wolf Furniture. In …

March 23, 2020

Market Reports Office Texas Texas Market Reports

Population Boom Spurs Momentum in Fort Worth’s Office Market

by Taylor Williams March 20, 2020

These days, one of the most widely-shared facts about Texas’ economy is the fact that the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex adds about 360 new residents per day. But a lesser-known part of that statistic involves the fact that Fort Worth is experiencing a faster rate of population growth than Dallas. According to U.S. Census data, Fort Worth was the third fastest-growing city in the country from 2012 to 2017. In 2018, Fort Worth gained 20,000 new residents, compared to just 2,000 new Dallasites. According to the latest information from the U.S. Census Bureau, Cowtown is now the 13th-most populous city in the United States, having surpassed San Francisco and Columbus, Ohio, to reach a total of 895,000 residents. On the heels of all that population growth has come a rapidly expanding local economy. Census data shows that Fort Worth saw more than a 21 percent increase in its population of employed residents in the five years leading up to 2017. This growth enabled Fort Worth to become the third-fastest-growing U.S. job market. Part of Fort Worth’s appeal is the fact that it has a diverse employment base, with growth in medicine, manufacturing and warehousing/distribution being especially pronounced during this cycle. …

March 20, 2020

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Minnesota Retail

Influx of Out-of-State Capital Creates Cap Rate Compression in Twin Cities Market

by Kristin Harlow March 19, 2020

In 2019, the Twin Cities net lease retail market experienced a historic year, benefitting significantly from aggressive western U.S. capital. The Twin Cities saw an unprecedented number of buyers from the western United States who were willing to pay a premium above local buyers for quality net leased real estate. There were 95 net lease transactions in the Twin Cities in 2019 that sold below a 7.5 percent cap rate, according to CoStar Group. Of those transactions, 33 percent were sold to buyers based in the West Coast. What’s more, of the net lease properties that sold below a 6.25 percent cap rate, nearly 50 percent were sold to buyers based in the western U.S. In comparison, in 2018, only 25 percent of the net leased properties below a 6.25 percent cap rate in the Twin Cities sold to buyers based in the western U.S. This trend helped average cap rates compress for both net lease multi-tenant pad/strip centers as well as single-tenant cap rates between 2018 and 2019. The average multi-tenant net lease cap rate in 2018 was 7.25 percent versus 7.1 percent in 2019. The average single-tenant cap rate in 2018 was 6.7 percent versus 6.6 percent in …

March 19, 2020

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