Companies looking to attract and retain talent are now offering top amenities, a modern office space and a healthy work environment with a sense of community. Employees are a company’s most vital asset, and firms are willing to pay a higher rate for office space if it provides a place that employees want to work. One of the trends this year in commercial office space is enhancing the work environment. According to a recent Pew Research Center analysis, millennials have become the largest generation in the U.S. workforce. To attract today’s workers, office users must offer an overabundance of amenities. Companies are now providing gaming lounges that include video games, foosball, air hockey and darts. They are also offering napping rooms, coffee shops with baristas and even onsite bars with wine and craft beer on tap. This type of atmosphere enhances employee interaction and provides the employee a place to relax while at work. Technology allows employees to be more efficient, but it will never replace the connection that happens with face-to-face conversations. Companies are looking to create an atmosphere where employees can collaborate throughout the workday, which in turn has a positive effect on worker productivity. The key to …
Market Reports
Self-storage properties have had a pretty good run in Texas over the last several years. Surging population growth has brought more material possessions into the state, boosting absorption of existing space. In addition, ample land for development has enabled builders to bring self-storage — a submarket-specific business — to new, underserved communities. The investment side of the business has flourished as well. A capital-rich environment has sustained a healthy pace of development and price escalation has kept cap rates low, incentivizing many owners to market their properties for sale. The building boom is still running hot. According to Tennessee-based research firm STR, as of June 2018, there were more than 300 self-storage facilities in the development pipeline in Texas. In the 12 months leading up to that point, 72 new facilities totaling almost 7 million square feet came on line. In addition, about 130 new properties are slated to open by June 2019, adding more than 9 million square feet, or 5.7 percent of the existing inventory. And those figures only encompass the seven biggest markets in Texas. According to The Houston Chronicle, the Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio markets all feature about 8 square feet of storage space …
The industrial real estate market in Cleveland has a long and storied history. The region’s market powered much of the overall growth in the early 20th century and, at that time, propelled Cleveland to the nation’s sixth largest city. The market transitioned to automotive production, which reached its peak in the 1960 and 1970s. Nearly half a million people were employed in the automotive sector during these decades, in plants operated by Ford, Chrysler and Chevrolet, or at the thousands of third-party companies that supplied everything from wire harnesses to pumps and steel. Over the next half century, the market has again transitioned and while domestic automotive production is still a critical component, advances in technology coupled with a gradual but consistent decrease in the number of vehicles actually being built has resulted in considerably fewer people being employed in the auto industry. Current estimates are around 120,000 jobs. A terrific example of this transition is the former Chrysler stamping plant in the Cleveland suburb of Twinsburg. It opened in 1956 and quickly became a critical part of the auto giant’s production cycle, processing and stamping over 25,000 tons of steel annually. At its peak, the plant employed over 5,000, …
Albuquerque is a hidden gem. It isn’t a huge market when compared to places like Seattle, Austin or Denver, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for growth and development. The Urban Land Institute predicts Albuquerque’s development will trail other metros with stronger economies in 2018. But there are positive trends and developments for Albuquerque and the surrounding areas, which can make us competitive. A new Facebook data center was built in Los Lunas, a 30-minute drive from Albuquerque. This has created new jobs for the Los Lunas and Albuquerque areas. Anywhere from 800 to 1,000 workers go through the data center every day, and 80 percent of them are from New Mexico. The center will have a $2 billion impact on the state and metro areas, leading to more jobs and opportunities for the region. Albuquerque will also take part in the “Facebook Community Boost Program.” The program helps the community by offering free workshops, business training and networking to boost careers. More companies like Facebook can be recruited to New Mexico as long as we make the area business-friendly and retain talent so everyone can succeed. With more jobs and opportunity, there will be an immediate need for …
Several Carolinas markets continue to top national lists for job and population growth, particularly Charlotte and the Triangle. The quality of living and strong fundamentals draw both millennial renters and empty nesters, with no slowdown in demand in sight. In turn, capital continues to pour into the region’s multifamily sector as investors chase higher yields and lower supply pressure while cap rates linger near historical lows. Multifamily Momentum With the record-setting pace of single-family pricing in these markets, renting remains a more attractive option. Developers are responding accordingly and now build product squarely aimed at specific renter demographics. Specifically, developers have raised the level of quality and amenities in the suburban product similar to that of the urban infill movement earlier in the cycle. Strong demographics in these locations produce a renter accustomed to a high level of quality in the unit interiors while also placing value on the convenience and quality of onsite amenities. That’s because empty-nesters are challenging a singular focus on millennials. To many developers’ surprise, the active-adult demographic has shown up to rent much of the luxury product in both the urban core and suburban locations. Steady Inventory Most data providers that track new supply do …
The Federal Reserve met during the second week of June, and as expected, the nation’s central bank opted to raise short-term interest rates for the second time this year. In short order, this means that borrowing costs for banks are going up, which means that increased borrowing costs for consumers will follow close behind. At least one more rate hike is anticipated to occur before year’s end as part of the Fed’s stated goal of increasing the federal funds rate from its current range of 1.75 percent to 2 percent to 2.5 percent by year’s end. In addition, the Fed has pledged to continue its rate hikes through 2019 and potentially into 2020 as it pursues a tighter monetary policy. The capital markets behind commercial real estate in Texas have long seen these rate hikes coming — necessary measures to choke off inflation brought on by tax cuts, a ballooning stock market, an 18-year low unemployment rate and near-3-percent annual growth in GDP (2.9 percent in the first quarter). Some borrowers have been able to refinance existing debt and lock in favorable rates in advance of the Fed’s hikes. Those who didn’t, perhaps because their loans were too far removed …
In a series of citywide events on June 13, the city of Cedar Rapids celebrated the recovery efforts from the historic flood of 2008 that crested that day 10 years ago. The events also remembered those that lost so much in the residential and business community. Many are still impacted by this natural disaster. As I have previously noted in past articles, the city’s recovery efforts have been nationally recognized, including: • All-America City Award in 2014 from the National Civic League, which recognizes communities where citizens work to identify and overcome citywide challenges and achieve uncommon results. • Phoenix Award in 2018 from the American Planning Association for outstanding achievement and innovation relating to environmental and community issues in the NewBo District redevelopment after the 2008 flood. • In July, Cedar Rapids ranked No. 13 on WalletHub’s list of the “Best-Run Cities in America.” The study compared the operating efficiency of 150 of the largest U.S. cities. But more than the above recognition, Cedar Rapids city government, businesses and citizens joined together to use temporary flood projection of earthen berms and sand filled defensive (Hesco) barriers to hold back a major flood event in September 2016, limiting damage to …
Single-tenant, net leased (STNL) retail properties continue to be among the most highly sought-after real estate investments. This is particularly true in Colorado and California where supply and demand constraints have created sales with significant premiums. Investors are accustomed to paying low cap rates for single-tenant assets within California as these properties have historically traded for a significant premium in comparison to the rest of the nation. However, the premium associated with Colorado STNL retail properties is a fairly new phenomenon. This Colorado premium can be attributed to a considerable supply and demand imbalance. There are very few available STNL properties within Colorado, and substantial capital actively chases this product type. California-based 1031 exchange investors seeking higher yields and Colorado-based 1031 exchange investors selling multifamily properties at historic pricing (due to significant appreciation in rents and historically low cap rates) are spurring the increased demand. Colorado’s strong economy and recent population growth has also led to a lot of new development. This has impacted the quality of available properties, many of which are new construction with long-term leases. The median sold cap rate for a STNL retail property in Colorado was 6.02 percent in 2017. This represented a 38 basis …
As demand for e-commerce and corporate distribution space continues to drive supply chain expansion in the Southeast, many developers are designing facilities to accommodate the truck-dependent, labor-driven operations present today and for the near-term. While robotics and automated vehicles are exciting to dream about, the reality is that these innovations are not expected to impact industrial building design any time soon in the Southeast. Modern industrial buildings that can support heavier than average employee parking needs while also providing abundant trailer storage are the standard for new projects. At the same time, these buildings need to support advanced technology, automation and extensive stacking and sorting operations. By building with an eye toward long-term tenant needs, developers are working to differentiate themselves in this highly competitive environment. These trends are particularly apparent in the Charlotte market, where developers have added 4.5 million square feet of industrial space over the past year. With a 5.3 percent vacancy rate in the first quarter of 2018, the market is well positioned to absorb the additional 4.7 million square feet of projects in the pipeline. Of that total, 62 percent is either preleased or set to be owner-occupied. Modern Design Demands At the core of …
In early 2017, real estate professionals in West Texas began to see a noticeable boost in demand for industrial properties across the Permian Basin. In keeping with economic tradition, demand for space in the Midland office market is now catching up to the industrial sector after a 12- to 18-month lag period. The beginning of 2018 is when Midland’s office market really began to gain steam, riding not only a surge in oil prices but also a 2.4 percent unemployment rate, which is more than a full percentage point below both the state and national averages. Several larger users entered the market at this time while some existing tenants, including Cimarex and Southwest Royalties, began looking for larger spaces. As of May 2018, the office occupancy rate had reached approximately 92 percent after wavering between 80 and 85 percent for much of the oil downturn. Average rents for office space are currently standing at about $22 per square foot for Class A space and $19 per square foot for Class B space. With approximately 6 million square feet of product, Midland’s office market is the unquestionable hub of the downstream side of the West Texas energy business. Any company with …