Market Reports

Job Growth Key to Orlando Apartment Market’s Strong First-Half Performance

by John Nelson October 26, 2015

Orlando’s multifamily market is in the midst of a golden era of sorts, as it sits squarely at the intersection of strong employment growth, an increasing population, a major demographic shift and a variation in lifestyle preferences. Together, these factors provide a tremendous tailwind for future strength in the local apartment market. While the national multifamily market continues to perform at a high level, Orlando is starting to show up on the radar of more institutional investors due to its recent outperformance and tremendous growth prospects. According to recent data from MPF Research, Orlando is on pace to see 5.6 percent rent growth in 2015, followed by 4.7 percent growth in 2016. The strong momentum in the MSA is being driven by a rapidly expanding and increasingly diversified job market. Going forward, the picture looks even brighter. MPF Research ranks Orlando as the No. 1 metro in the nation for job growth through 2020, with a growth rate (2.7 percent), more than twice the national average (1.1 percent). Unlike previous cycles, today’s growth is spread more evenly across employment industries, resulting in a more diverse, dynamic labor market. The highest growth sectors are forecast to be construction, healthcare/bio-tech, business services, …

October 26, 2015

Market Reports Michigan Midwest Midwest Market Reports Office

Resurgence of Downtown Grand Rapids Is Occurring on Many Fronts

by Christina Cannon October 22, 2015

Downtown Grand Rapids is booming with commercial real estate activity, and it’s coming from many directions. The combination of new residential units, restaurants, bars and a variety of entertainment options is leading people to not only live downtown, but also work and play downtown. Activity in the downtown office market — including office leases, new mixed-use construction and new retail — has increased over the last couple of years, and there is no sign of it slowing down. The overall office vacancy rate in the central business district (CBD) decreased from 9.4 percent in the first quarter to 8.25 percent in the second quarter. While Class A office space has performed well in recent quarters, there was a slight increase in the vacancy rate during the second quarter. As for Class B space, we observed a sizable decrease in the vacancy rate, from 10.1 percent in the first quarter to 8.5 percent in the second quarter. As a whole, the CBD office market experienced positive absorption of 74,293 square feet during the second quarter. Rental rates stabilized in the second quarter after increasing for the past several quarters. Meanwhile, some new construction and planned construction is hitting the market at …

October 22, 2015

Market Reports New York Northeast Northeast Market Reports Retail

Rochester Retail Market Anticipates Continued Improvement Through 2017

by Jaime Lackey October 21, 2015

The total retail inventory in the Rochester market amounts to 62.5 million square feet. Over the past year, the market has seen an overall decrease in the vacancy rate. The vacancy rate went from 8.0 percent in first quarter 2015 to 7.9 percent in the current quarter. Overall net absorption was positive 182,160 square feet. The general retail sector of the market, which includes all freestanding retail buildings except those contained within a center, reported a vacancy of 4.3 percent at the end of the second quarter 2015. The general retail space in Rochester is 34.3 million square feet. Average rental rates are currently at $12.26 per square foot. The shopping center sector — which consists of 19 million square feet and comprises community centers, neighborhood centers and strip centers — posted 10.9 percent total vacancy and average asking rates of $10.28 in second quarter 2015. Power center space is currently reported to be nearly 4 million square feet with a vacancy rate of 7.5 percent, and a slight decrease in rental rates to $13.46 per square foot. Malls in the Rochester market consist of lifestyle centers, regional malls and super-regional malls. The vacancy rate was 21.2 percent at the …

October 21, 2015

Market Reports New York Northeast Northeast Market Reports Office

The New York City Office Market is Booming

by Jaime Lackey October 21, 2015

New York City is booming. The local economy is the strongest it has ever been, with total employment numbers reaching all-time highs totaling over 4.2 million jobs through May 2015. This has led to a strong office market performance during the first six months of 2015, as office-using employment continues to grow, up 2.5 percent over the past 12 months. Demand for space continues to keep availability below 10 percent, and at 9.6 percent, Manhattan availability is down 50 basis points from last year. Despite minimal increases in Manhattan overall asking rents, up only 2.9 percent year-over-year through June, some submarkets are exceeding previous record-high asking rents from 2008. The demand from creative and tech tenants looking for space in Midtown South over the past few years has pushed asking rents up 19.1 percent above all-time highs. Downtown overall average asking rents have reached historical highs this year as well, and at $57.78 per square foot, rents are 10.3 percent higher than the previous highs in 2008. Most of this increase can be attributed to new construction at the World Trade Center site. Despite this, Midtown overall asking rents are still 5.3 percent off historical highs from 2008. Throughout Midtown, …

October 21, 2015

Market Reports Western Market Reports

Santa Monica Multifamily Market Thrives Amid a Few Challenges

by Nellie Day October 20, 2015

Santa Monica is Los Angeles County’s most stable beachside apartment rental location. The prices this market commands as the year progresses continue to surprise our brokerage team. No longer the sleepy beach town of old, we are seeing capitalization rates below 3 percent on 30- to 40-plus-year-old product with stringent, and at times almost suffocating, rent control laws. There have been multiple record-breaking transactions that have taken place in Santa Monica this year, including one mind-blowing apartment deal at 537 San Vicente Blvd. that sold for $16.1 million this past March. It was then sold to another party three months later for $19 million. The old adage about location rings true for Santa Monica as buyers consider future returns in this beachside enclave. The question right now on everyone’s mind is: how long can this last? It has been our opinion that this upward trend in pricing cannot last forever. It is inevitable that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates soon. However, as rates rise, we will see a minimal effect on Santa Monica multifamily investment, as this “real -estate safe haven” makes investment even more desirable as stability is attractive to owners seeking long-term returns. Even though some …

October 20, 2015

Florida Market Reports Retail Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Tourism Industry Has Orlando Retail Market Firing on All Cylinders

by John Nelson October 19, 2015

Underpinned by a $50 billion tourism industry that drew a record-breaking 62.3 million visitors in 2014 in addition to strong job, population and residential growth, there is no question that Orlando’s retail real estate market is stronger than ever. According to 2014 U.S. census data, Orlando outpaced 99 of America’s 100 most populous MSAs in year-over-year population growth. The City Beautiful also recently ranked as the No. 1 U.S. city for job growth by Fortune Magazine following a 3.7 percent increase in its employment base in the same year. The Orlando retail market has also benefited heavily from healthy gains in the housing sector, powered by Central Florida’s tourism and construction industries, which stimulate economic development in the region. Orange County Property Appraiser, Rick Singh, reported that average home sale prices were up more than 10.5 percent in 2014, while residential construction rose 79 percent in the same period. With this type of growth, Orlando is experiencing strong consumer spending and an increase in demand for retail space. The Orlando region’s Index of Retail Activity rose 8.5 percent year-over-year in the second quarter of 2015, while the metro-wide retail vacancy rate decreased to 6.5 percent, down from 8.2 percent at …

October 19, 2015

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Retail Wisconsin

Variety of Retail Construction Ramps Up Across Greater Milwaukee

by Christina Cannon October 15, 2015

Milwaukee is in the midst of a new construction boom in the retail sector, with three major projects currently underway and a fourth that was delivered in 2014 for a total of more than 1.1 million square feet of new space in the market. The majority of this space is being delivered fully leased. In many cases, these retailers are brand new tenants to the Milwaukee area. In the second quarter, overall vacancy ticked up 10 basis points to 10.2 percent. However, this was mainly due to store closures and consolidation in the Milwaukee market by retailers such as Office Depot, OfficeMax, Pick ’n Save, Sears and Kmart. But don’t be rattled by the uptick in vacancies. In reality, the market is incredibly active with new tenants entering the region and several expanding. Retailers recognize that there is ample room to compete for market share in Milwaukee and the surrounding area. Many of these new retailers will come on line in large ground-up projects now underway. Here are some of the notable projects: • In Menomonee Falls, a new Costco will open this fall and anchor a 300,000-square-foot development known as White Stone Station from Cobalt Partners LLC. • The …

October 15, 2015

Market Reports New York Northeast Northeast Market Reports Retail

New York City: Retail Riding High Again

by Jaime Lackey October 14, 2015

Seven years after the worst recession this country has seen since the Great Depression, New York City is riding high again. Manhattan has emerged as a vital center for global retail activity where we continue to see dynamic growth — driven by its economic fundamentals, urban migration, and its cultural and lifestyle attractions. Gone are the days when suburban expansion sounded the death knell for high street retail. Since 2010, in the near-aftermath of the economic collapse and for the first time in decades, urban cores are growing at a faster rate than their suburban counterparts. Eighty percent of Americans now live in urban areas, and retailers and property owners in New York City and around the world are scrambling to adapt. Millennials represent 24 percent of the overall U.S. population and are leading this urban charge. They want to live close to work. They’re driven by technology — and they demand an omni-channel retail experience that integrates smartphone and tablet use with a personalized, service-oriented, in-store approach. And importantly, it’s estimated they will represent nearly 30 percent of U.S. retail spending — the total of which was $4.6 trillion this year — by 2020. Manhattan also continues to benefit …

October 14, 2015

California Market Reports Retail Western Western Market Reports

Retail Rents on the Rise in Los Angeles

by Nellie Day October 13, 2015

The retail market in Los Angeles is demonstrating exponential growth. Rents are going up, cap rates are going down and occupancy is soaring. Naturally, as lease prices rise, so do sale prices. As such, it is becoming increasingly difficult for investors to find opportunities where substantial rent growth is possible. Tenant competition is also fierce, and landlords are benefitting from extremely high demand throughout the market. Competition Abounds It’s only natural that retailers are competing over space as occupancy rises. One trend that has emerged in Los Angeles is competition among not only direct competitors, but indirect competitors as well. For example, a small grocer might compete with a Ross Dress 4 Less for the same location. Fueling this competition is an increase in large national retailers seeking out smaller urban spaces in downtown areas. Target, for example, is opening a store in LA’s Koreatown on Vermont and 6th streets at the base of a high-rise apartment building. When national soft goods chains open in urban hubs, there will be an evolution of retail surrounding those stores. Smaller discount stores and mom-and-pop retailers will likely suffer, which will lead to vacancies that tend to open the doors for new specialty …

October 13, 2015

Market Reports Maryland Retail Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Baltimore City’s Retail Market Remains Hot, But Watch Out for the Suburbs

by John Nelson October 12, 2015

An apartment building boom is encouraging a consistent march of new residents to select sections of Baltimore City, and the construction of new retail venues to support this emerging audience has followed in lockstep. The last several years has seen the opening of stylish shopping centers featuring national anchor tenants such as Harris Teeter and Target, including The Shops at Canton Crossing, a 330,000-square-foot retail shopping center situated within the city’s east side, as well as McHenry Row, located in the Locust Point section of the city (next to Under Armour’s headquarters). Other notable retail developments underway in Baltimore City are the capital improvement and re-invention program at Harborplace; The Stadium Square, a $250 million mixed-use project situated near M&T Bank Stadium; the $25 million facelift being given to Lexington Market, a collection of 100 food vendors; the ongoing retail build-out of Harbor East (the recognized “place to be and be seen” spot of the city); and the initiation of construction on Harbor Point, the site of the new Exelon Corp. headquarters (the company merging with Constellation Energy). Baltimore County is Booming Owings Mills, Towson and White Marsh are the sites of four significant projects, several of which have been …

October 12, 2015

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