Fueled by low interest rates, an abundance of available debt capital, and superb fundamentals, the demand for multifamily assets in the U.S. has exploded over the past few years. This increased demand has led to fierce competition between capital in the multifamily sector, and consequently, a dramatic compression of going-in cash yields. With rents in “top-tier” cities at peak levels, these markets look prohibitively expensive. As a result, foreign capital is beginning to explore new markets to find more attractive yields. Long considered a second-tier U.S. city by global capital, Philadelphia has historically been overlooked in favor of cities such as New York City, Washington D.C., Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. When evaluating Philadelphia in comparison to other major metropolitan regions, the slow and steady growth of the Philadelphia MSA did not differentiate it enough to attract the foreign investor. Instead, those capital sources targeted cities with higher population growth, job growth, and rent growth. In good times, that calculation paid off with higher yields and greater appreciation. However, today most investors conclude that we are in the late stages of this real estate bull market. Yet, they still have capital which needs to be deployed. Those divergent factors …
The Raleigh-Durham region’s continued strong job growth is fueling sustained demand from tenants, keeping the office market firmly in favor of landlords despite a notable increase in construction activity in recent months. The region added 26,500 jobs between October 2017 and October 2018 for a growth rate of 3 percent. Unemployment fell from 3.8 percent to just 3.0 percent during this time, hitting its lowest level since 2000. Despite not making the final cut for massive headquarters expansions from Amazon and Apple, Raleigh-Durham experienced significant economic development wins in 2018. Major job announcements came from office-using tenants such as Advance Auto Parts (435 jobs), Pendo (590 jobs), Arch Capital Services (365 jobs), Ipreo (250 jobs) and LabCorp (422 jobs). As in many markets across the United States, co-working operators significantly increased their presence in the region in 2018. Spaces has signed leases at five Raleigh-Durham properties, and WeWork committed to two locations and has stated that it plans to triple its local footprint in the near term. In November 2018, Forbes ranked North Carolina the nation’s No. 1 state in which to do business, and Urban Land Institute and PricewaterhouseCoopers named Raleigh-Durham the No. 3 U.S. market in their Emerging …
Industrial users in Texas, particularly e-commerce firms operating out of large-format distribution centers, are finding it harder and harder to staff their facilities with experienced, talented workers. Development of both speculative and build-to-suit warehouses and distribution centers has been on fire in major Texas markets over the last several years, driven by an abundance of land, exceptional infrastructure and climbing populations. According to CoStar Group, Dallas-Fort Worth’s (DFW) industrial supply grew by 3.5 percent, or roughly 30 million square feet, in 2017. That figure represents the highest single-year inventory growth in more than a decade. Approximately 21 million square feet of new space hit the market in 2018, and for 2019, CoStar forecasts that nearly 24 million square feet of product will be delivered. Houston’s supply growth has been tamer, averaging about 12.2 million square feet annually between 2015 and 2018. But the market is projected to add another 13.2 million square feet this year, per CoStar. With a couple exceptions, more than 90 percent of the new product delivered in DFW and Houston in each year between 2015 and 2018 was distribution space. The distribution building booms in Texas’ two biggest markets have occurred in the face of escalating …
As we begin 2019, there are several opposing market forces at work that are sure to influence each of us, and our respective firms and clients. These market dynamics will ultimately dictate who has a great year and why — or why not. This year, it seems the signals are more mixed than in the past several years, so making predictions about the local industrial real estate market is somewhat daunting. Nonetheless, here is what to look for in 2019. A tale of two halves Listen carefully: skip vacations, stay in town, hunker down and make as many deals as you can in 2019. Based on current supply and demand dynamics with several significant users already in play (build-to-suits, new leases, renewals, etc.), plus a recent wave of speculative deliveries, look for the first and second quarters to be fairly robust in terms of gross absorption. This should extend the growing record of 35 straight quarters of positive net absorption, dating back to the second quarter of 2009, with at least two to three more such quarters. But, like in sports, what happens in the first half can be overshadowed by a shift in momentum or other significant change in …
A highly educated workforce is driving corporate growth throughout Boston, particularly in the finance, technology and medical sectors. PNC Financial Services and JPMorgan Chase have announced considerable expansions and some international companies, including LogPoint, are setting up North American operations in the Boston metro. As a result, approximately 47,100 positions were created since October 2017, building on the 39,400 jobs added in the prior 12-month period. The pace of hiring has kept the unemployment rate in the low 3 percent band, making it difficult for employers to find quality workers. Overall, healthy employment growth continues to draw more residents and underpins household formation, fueling the need for quality housing. High home prices, however, are putting homeownership out of reach for many, boding well for apartment demand. As a result, vacancy rates remain considerably tight, resting below 4 percent in the third quarter. The still tight vacancy rate is creating a shortage of housing throughout Boston, particularly for lower income households. Consequently, vacancy in Class C apartments has held below 3 percent during the past two annual periods ending in September. Effective rent in these spaces is roughly between $700 and $1,800 per month less than Class A and B spaces, …
In the greater Boston area, over just the past decade, a whole new kind of neighborhood has been popping up. From Ink Block in the South End to the Seaport of Boston and Assembly Row in Somerville, it’s no secret that retail developers are evolving with the times by shifting their focus from traditional shopping malls to integrating retail into new and dynamic mixed-use developments offering housing, retail, entertainment, office space, parking and more. But no two cities are alike. Successful developers are in the business of staying ahead of the trends in how and where people want to shop, which in turn maps them back to how people want to live, work and play. A number of major players in the area, including Wilder, have deconstructed the key elements unique to Boston that converged into the making of these new greater Boston neighborhoods. Reinventing Malls Across the country, there’s a great deal of retail space that’s become available as a result of brick and mortar store closings. Most of these old centers have desirable locations, so it really comes down to a matter of them needing to be repurposed. There’s tremendous opportunity to recreate neighborhoods and bring in housing, office space and hotels …
The multifamily investment activity in Metro Phoenix remains extremely strong. This is driven by the employment and population growth in these markets, as well as by the affordability of rental housing compared to other parts of the nation. The employment growth has occurred in many segments, including technology, medical and finance. Technology companies are focused on cities where universities provide an abundant supply of skilled labor for these types of jobs. Arizona State University (ASU) in Metro Phoenix is one of the largest universities in the country with more than 87,000 students. It is working hand in hand with technology companies and other expanding employers to provide the education their students will need to fulfill openings in the market. A skilled workforce and affordable housing have been strong pulls for companies looking to relocate, expand or get off the ground. The increases in jobs and population have led to further increases in rent, occupancy, construction and absorption. The public’s changing perception about home ownership and the freedom that renting allows — along with the amenities provided in many of today’s apartment communities — has propelled multifamily demand in Metro Phoenix. The area’s overall vacancy rate for the third quarter was …
With 3.2 million square feet of new office space under construction, much of it in the city’s urban core, Charlotte’s skyline is in the midst of a significant transformation. Due to strong preleasing activity and solid economic underpinnings, however, the city’s office vacancy rate is projected to remain stable over the coming months as many of those projects deliver. Approximately 60 percent of Charlotte’s construction pipeline has been preleased, according to JLL research, and 2.3 million is concentrated in the city’s central business district. In Uptown Charlotte, the 33-story Legacy Union office tower recently topped out, signaling the end of vertical construction. The 850,000-square-foot development by Lincoln Harris is scheduled to deliver early next year and will be anchored by Bank of America, which has signed a lease for 550,000 square feet. Lincoln Harris recently revealed plans for a second office tower with 388,835 square feet of office space and 22,763 square feet of retail space at the high-profile site, which was once home to The Charlotte Observer. Across the street from Legacy Union, construction is also underway on Ally Charlotte Center, a 26-story, 742,000-square-foot office tower by Crescent Communities. Last year Ally Financial announced that it had leased 400,000 …
Entertainment concepts have long since adopted an “everything under one roof” approach that packages some combination of food, drink, movies, bowling, arcades and other games into a single destination. But competition in the space is growing, and owner-operators are facing mounting pressure to offer an ideal mix of activities that keeps people onsite longer and boosts return visits. What that combination is varies from market to market and even site to site. But without question, the breadth of games and activities offered at entertainment centers in Texas is expanding and evolving. What’s Hot, What’s Not Virtual reality (VR) shooting games and driving simulators, axe-throwing arenas and elevated food and beverage (F&B) components are among the key features that are driving traffic to entertainment centers and the retail properties that house them. Movie theaters and bowling alleys are evolving as well. According to Jeff Benson, CEO of Dallas-based Cinergy Entertainment Group, it’s very unlikely that new theaters in large and mid-sized markets will ever be built without certain features. “The movie business has changed a lot in 20 years, and I doubt you’ll ever see another theater built without a bar, recliner seats and dine-in options,” says Benson, who founded dine-in …
With 2018 in the rearview mirror, it’s clear that the Detroit commercial office space market looks dramatically different today than it did just a few years ago. By far the biggest story is the continuing (and perhaps even accelerating) level of leasing activity across the metro area. In the context of Detroit’s ongoing civic renaissance and sustained level of economic growth both regionally and nationally, the strength of the office market isn’t necessarily a shock, but it’s still fascinating to watch things unfold. Downtown expansion With both demand and rental rates on the rise, and a central business district (CBD) that is close to full capacity (currently there is less than 5 percent vacancy in Detroit’s CBD), we are starting to see office tenants moving up into Midtown, New Center and other neighborhoods. The growth in these areas has been not just noteworthy, but significant, with buildings like New Center One on West Grand Boulevard in excess of 90 percent occupancy. The Fisher Building in New Center boasts more than 100,000 square feet of new leasing activity in the last year. Suburban momentum More than a few office tenants now find themselves priced out of the CBD, a situation that …