Market Reports

El Paso Offers Ample Runway for Class A Multifamily Development

by Taylor Williams April 23, 2019

If you had to sum up the El Paso multifamily market — and to some degree the entire city — in word, it would be “steady.” Though El Paso’s location ensures that impacts of political policies with Mexico can cause immediate disruption in the economy, our commercial real estate markets remain insulated from this activity. Even so, as the city’s jobs and population have grown in tandem with the national economic expansion, El Paso has not yet experienced a true building boom of Class A multifamily product. The city is seeing its renter base become more gentrified, particularly on the west side. In addition, developers in El Paso face the same rising construction costs as builders in other markets. The citywide vacancy rate, which currently stands at about 8 percent, is slowly declining while average asking rents are creeping up. These economic and demographic trends suggest the ceiling for new development of Class A multifamily product in El Paso is quite high. Absorption of new units has remained consistent during this cycle, but as things currently stand, there are only a couple hundred units under construction. Retail Influence Retail frequently follows rooftops, but in El Paso, the two seem to …

April 23, 2019

Industrial Market Reports Southeast Southeast Market Reports Tennessee

E-Commerce Firms, 3PLs Looking for Last Mile Facilities in Nashville Market

by Alex Tostado April 22, 2019

The industrial real estate sector is currently undergoing one of the greatest expansionary periods in the nation’s history. Record development, all-time high occupancy and rental rates and strong leasing activity have been a boon to the U.S. industrial market in the last two years. In addition to these fundamental elements that make up a strong sector, there has been a demand driver that has transformed the industrial market more now than ever: e-commerce. Amazon is now the largest industrial occupier post-recession, which is forcing retailers and wholesalers to modernize their supply chain to keep up. E-commerce is not a new phenomenon, but it is becoming increasingly competitive, and is expected to grow another 55 percent in the next four years, according to Colliers International research. E-commerce has reshaped the way people purchase goods, resulting in new increased requirements on the transportation of products. As such, organizations are needing to reevaluate their supply chain strategies and transportation costs, and demand for smaller fulfillment centers closer to the urban population is exploding. This challenge around the “last-mile delivery” is altering the distribution and logistics sectors. IMS Worldwide defines the last mile as the “last point of distribution or sortation to the final …

April 22, 2019

Industrial Market Reports Texas Texas Market Reports

Last-Mile Status Makes Austin Ripe for Larger Industrial Development

by Taylor Williams April 19, 2019

Even before the city’s population growth began exploding and its reputation as a tech hub became entrenched, Austin was always a true last-mile market for industrial users. Now that e-commerce has morphed into a worldwide phenomenon with real staying power, Austin looks like one of the next ideal locations for institutional industrial developers to make their marks with larger projects. However, the market does present a handful of challenges, including an intricate entitlement process, expensive land and a slightly higher cost of construction as compared to Texas’ other major markets. These barriers to entry have helped characterize the Austin industrial market we see today, with local developers leading the way. The Austin Market Today From both a developer’s and a broker’s perspective, the biggest advantage of being in a high-barrier-to-entry market, aside from less competition, is that the likelihood of becoming overbuilt is minimized. We saw this in 2008 and 2009, when the recession forced industrial users to cut operating costs and landlords to lower rents. Like the rest of the country, Austin took some hits during the Great Recession and saw a handful of properties foreclosed upon. But due to minimal new development, the market was able to maintain …

April 19, 2019

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Multifamily Nebraska

Apartments Lead the Way in Omaha’s Real Estate Market

by Kristin Harlow April 18, 2019

Omaha’s apartment market continues to be fundamentally strong and attractive to national and regional investors. According to Reis, Omaha’s asking rental rates have increased in every quarter over the past eight years, and vacancy remains low at 5.6 percent as of the end of 2018. Historically Omaha has had low vacancy. The 4.6 percent average vacancy rate over the past decade and 4.4 percent over the past five years is in line with the five-year national average of 4.5 percent. Looking forward, Reis expects the vacancy rate in 2019 to remain steady at 5.6 percent, and Colliers International expects the vacancy rate to dip slightly during 2019. Remaining affordable Not surprisingly, the relatively tight market, coupled with new construction, has continued to drive rents higher with asking rental rates growing at a strong 5.1 percent during 2019, according to Reis. Colliers, as well as local developers we surveyed, expect that rents will continue to grow in 2019, but at a more modest level, which we expect will be very close to Omaha’s average annual increase of 2.7 percent over the past 10 years. Importantly, Omaha also continues to have a relatively low cost of living for apartment dwellers with an …

April 18, 2019

Market Reports Texas Texas Market Reports

How to Start a CRE Business in Texas

by Taylor Williams April 16, 2019

Everything is bigger in Texas, including commercial real estate. Since 2017, Texas has surpassed every other state in commercial real estate development and carved out an industry that makes up nearly $60 billion of the state’s economy and supports almost 380,000 jobs. One of the contributing factors to this expansion is the recent increase in population, with more and more professionals moving to Texas for work. The Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex is currently outpacing the rest of the U.S. as the fastest-growing metro area. Overall, seven of the nation’s most rapidly growing cities are in Texas, including Midland, Pearland, McKinney and College Station Moreover, multiple major corporations are planning to relocate their headquarters from California to Texas. The 33 percent downturn in commercial construction in Dallas will turn around, and cities like Austin and Houston will also see greater — or at least sustained — commercial development, which will translate to heightened demand for commercial real estate. Where To Start? Given the positive industry projections and Texas’ business-friendly atmosphere, this may be a good time to step out and start a commercial real estate business. We recommend following these steps to set yourself up for success: Get Licensed Before you …

April 16, 2019

Market Reports Retail Southeast Southeast Market Reports Tennessee

Downtown Nashville Retail Booms Across Three Major Mixed-Use Developments

by Alex Tostado April 15, 2019

With a staggering number of tower cranes at work every day, Nashville has delivered a record number of multifamily units, office space and hotel rooms in the past several years. Even with all this development and with tourists flocking to downtown seemingly every week of the year, one category has lagged: new retail downtown. To provide a snapshot of growth in downtown Nashville, the number of residential units downtown has grown from 3,700 in 2010 to 11,800 today. Hotel room rates since 2008 have virtually doubled, and we currently have 1.6 million square feet of office space under construction. But even with all this explosive growth, retail development downtown has lagged. Many would wonder why, and there are a number of reasons. Historically, many developers have seen downtown Nashville as an afterthought to include ground-level retail in their projects. Because of this, small amounts of retail were metered onto the market. This retail space was geographically spread out over a number of developments across downtown. This did not lead to a rich consumer experience, because consumers strongly prefer finding retail options in a concentrated environment. Another challenge to building great retail has been the limited scale of individual projects. But …

April 15, 2019

Market Reports Multifamily Texas Texas Market Reports

Austin Multifamily Market’s New Focus: Workforce Housing

by Taylor Williams April 12, 2019

As demand for housing increases with Austin’s growing population, all eyes are on the multifamily housing market. But with rents rising as well, pressure on the already-sparse affordable housing stock is more intense than ever. Traditionally, affordable housing has served as a resource for low-income residents, those who earn at or below 60 percent of the area median income (AMI). Providing affordable housing has become a major priority for Austin’s city council and developers during this cycle. But a growing concern involves the segment of the population caught in the middle: those who may not qualify to live in traditional affordable housing properties, but for whom market-rate apartment prices are getting uncomfortably high. The solution? Workforce housing. Rapid Residential Growth Average rent is increasing faster in Austin than in any other major metropolitan city in Texas. This activity is pushing workers out of housing they could afford in areas that are convenient for them and forcing many into long commutes from unfamiliar neighborhoods. According to industry data, in 2018, rents in Austin rose by 4.4 percent, in contrast to 3.8 percent in Fort Worth, 3.5 percent in San Antonio and 2.7 percent in Dallas. And the squeeze on lower-income residents …

April 12, 2019

Industrial Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Ohio

Population Growth, Strategic Location Fuel Columbus Industrial Activity

by Kristin Harlow April 11, 2019

Fueled by continued population growth that has made Columbus the 14th-largest city in America and its strategic location in the U.S. Interstate system, the Columbus industrial market has been on a multi-year run in terms of new inventory and positive net absorption. Given the fact that drivers are able to reach approximately 50 percent of American households and 30 percent of Canadians within a one-day drive of the city, we see no end in sight for these market trends. That one-day drive statistic has made Columbus one of the country’s leading e-commerce distribution markets. Also, according to a recent ranking by Realtor.com, the metropolitan area is the only large northern city to grow its population by more than 10 percent from 2010 to 2017. The company also reported that Columbus was the fourth-hottest housing market based on the number of hits each listing receives and time on the market. Further, the central Ohio region’s business-friendly environment encourages developers to build in designated areas, and it is working. At the close of the fourth quarter last year, 5.7 million square feet of new industrial product was under construction. The overall vacancy rate for the Columbus industrial market was 4.8 percent, which …

April 11, 2019

Market Reports Multifamily New Jersey Northeast Northeast Market Reports

Multifamily Demand Stays Strong in Northern New Jersey

by David Cohen April 10, 2019

Rising costs of  homeownership and the lack of SALT deductions on federal income tax returns will help maintain the strong demand for apartments in Northern New Jersey. We are seeing an increase in construction activity as municipalities settle their affordable housing lawsuits with developers and long-awaited projects, especially those located along major public transportation hubs, are completed. In Jersey City and Hoboken, these new projects are placing upward pressure on Class A vacancy as they take time to lease. We see an increase in more concessions being offered, which will dampen the appreciation of monthly rates. This could impact the upgraded Class B buildings, which find themselves battling for renters with recent finished projects and more affordable options that can be found inland. In areas west of the Gold Coast, we see continued higher occupancy rates with many landlords reporting well under 30 day turnover rates, unless major renovations are needed. Outside of Hudson County, the overall vacancy factor trends between 2 and 3 percent allowing for increased revenue, according to research from Marcus & Millichap. Landlords in strict rent control markets are faced with the decision of either renovating to increase rents via capital improvement programs or take advantage …

April 10, 2019

Industrial Market Reports New Jersey Northeast Northeast Market Reports

Port-Driven Industrial Demand Remains Strong in New Jersey

by David Cohen April 10, 2019

The strength of the New Jersey industrial market continues to evidence itself through consistent demand, rising rental rates and record low vacancy rates across the region. Much of the recent success has been the result of e-commerce growth and expansion among distribution and light manufacturing businesses looking to tap into the market’s port, air cargo, and major transportation networks. While developers have been working to bring new inventory to the market, the new space is being absorbed quickly, leaving tenants with limited options for space. The New Jersey industrial market has seen significant demand for the past 20 quarters and a steady, often rapid, rate of absorption. The market saw 13.6 million square feet of absorption in 2018, according to research from Avison Young. The epitome of this market expansion trend and the most obvious to investors is the activity along the New Jersey Turnpike, from Exit 8A where the market was at a staggering 1 percent vacancy rate at the end of 2018 up to the Exit 10 Edison Market, where rents may soon reach $9 per square foot net. Notable Deals A little farther north into the Carteret /Avenel and Linden/Elizabeth markets much of the activity is focused …

April 10, 2019

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