The multifamily market in Los Angeles continues to be a hot property sector as the economy improves and jobs are added throughout the region. I believe we’ll hear much of the same buzz about the market in 2015 that we’ve heard for the past few years. This includes statements like vacancy rates are very low and demand outweighs supply. This results in rising rents, strong demand for multifamily investment property, climbing prices climbing and cap rates that continue to compress. Los Angeles County ended the third quarter of 2014 with a vacancy rate of just 3.2 percent. Asking rents continued to increase, with third-quarter rents coming in at an average rate of $1,521 per month. This is up 0.9 percent from the second quarter of this year, according to Reis. On the investment side, properties are trading at sub-4 percent cap rates. There were 80 apartment sales totaling $693 million in the third quarter, with an average per-unit price of $300,000. Some of LA’s hottest multifamily submarkets include the Westside, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Hollywood, Echo Park, Silverlake and Downtown LA. The most in-demand and promising submarket for multifamily is likely Playa Vista, however. Google recently announced it purchased 12 …
2014 was an exceptional year for sales and leasing activity for the Raleigh-Durham industrial market. Velocity in investment sales boomed in 2014 — the strongest year since 2006, and second strongest in history. Developers are actively seeking land to build new parks as demand for Class A industrial space outweighs supply and rental rates begin to rise. Although, the Raleigh-Durham MSA is a smaller industrial market in the region, it’s been ranked No. 1 by Forbes as the Best Place for Business and No. 2 for the Fastest Growing Large U.S. City from 2010-2030 by the United Nations Population Division. Companies continue to announce corporate relocations and expansions and unemployment is lower than the national average at 4.5 percent in October. EDM America relocated its $150 million headquarters operation to Raleigh from Pennsylvania. Argos Therapeutics announced an expansion project in Durham — a $57 million bio-manufacturing plant. The area has also seen an influx of third-party logistics companies, moving companies and suppliers for the home building industry opening new locations and consolidating to larger blocks of space. As user demand continues, there is a strong desire by investors to become a part of our market or expand their current footprint. …
Omaha’s office market finds itself in a favorable position at the start of 2015. Local economic indicators are solid, absorption has been positive year over year, and vacancies across the board are declining. One big reason is that Omaha businesses are growing. The low vacancy rate of Class A space is driving an appropriate amount of new construction, and Omaha’s abundant supply of quality Class B office space is expected to accommodate demand. Class A Advantage As businesses compete for the best and brightest employees, office space becomes an important hiring tool, causing businesses to look for inviting buildings and spaces in locations with enhanced amenities. This trend has increased activity in Omaha’s Class A office market, driving down the vacancy rate and spurring new construction. Omaha’s Class A vacancy rate stood at 5 percent at the end of the third quarter of 2014. The average asking rent was $24.95 per square foot on a gross basis, up 4 percent since the start of 2014. The uptick in Class A rents is likely to continue Corporate headquarters and speculative buildings are spurring the Class A construction boom. Local businesses such as Millard Refrigerated Services, Tenaska, Gavilon, TD Ameritrade, NorthStar Financial …
Apartment rents and multifamily asset values are rising while vacancy remains low in Connecticut’s New Haven and Fairfield counties. Young professionals and commuters are moving out of suburban areas to reside in downtown locations so they can take advantage of transit-oriented, live-work-play environments. Costly single-family housing is another factor contributing to new residents seeking rentals rather than buying homes. There is a strong demand for apartments, which keeps vacancy low and prompts new development in the region, so much so that delivery of multifamily housing units this year will more than double those built in 2013. Demand however, outweighs the new supply and the current, record-low vacancy levels will be unaffected. Average prices for apartment assets in New Haven and Fairfield counties rose 3 percent over the last year to $169,000 per unit as the overall quality of listings improved. While the region experiences strong rent growth and higher yields than the likes of New York City and Boston, more foreign investors and institutional buyers continue to emerge with sights set on multifamily assets; and in particular, top-tier assets with more than 250 units in primary markets. Properties near Metro North commuter rail stations and employment centers will generate elevated …
There are many opportunities for Orange County tenants and landlords in this ever-evolving region of more than 3 million residents. The county’s unemployment rate was 6.2 percent in 2013, compared to the nationwide rate of 7.3 percent. Homeowners have also prospered over the past two years as Orange County home values rose a whopping 25.8 percent on average in 2013. The median home price is a stout $560,000 and climbing. What does this spell? Opportunity – for businesses, jobs and investors. Tenants are back full throttle with expansion plans for the Southern California basin. The big issue tenants and developers will have to face is a lack of available entitled land where they can construct and occupy a retail strip center or single-tenant restaurant. Tight governmental regulation and healthy city development fee structures can drive the costs of development too high, thereby stunting development growth. Conversely, if you currently own property, the prospects for continued yield growth are promising due to the lack of supply and a global “uber appetite” to own California commercial real estate. We will see a tremendous transition of generational wealth over the next five years, the magnitude of which we have not seen before. This …
The overall snapshot is that Atlanta’s economy is on a growth tract in terms of employment and corporate growth, and has definitely rebounded from the recession and its previous overbuilding. Economic growth and the current lack of speculative development are driving the improvement in the retail market. Rental rates, occupancy levels, absorption, leasing momentum and pricing are increasing. In addition, new retailers are entering or looking to enter the market. However, the retail market’s improvement varies across the metro region. Vacancy and Rental Rates Due to positive absorption and leasing momentum in both vacant and sublease space, the overall occupancy rate and average rental rate for Atlanta’s retail inventory have been increasing. According to CoStar’s third quarter retail market update, the overall vacancy rate is now down to 8.8 percent and the average rental rate is $12.78 per square foot. However, when you break it down by submarket and property types, rental rate and occupancy gains vary significantly. Quality shopping centers in strong submarkets and locations have experienced very strong gains, yet Class B and C centers and those located in certain submarkets are still lagging the overall market. The Buckhead, Central Atlanta, Central Perimeter and Georgia 400 submarkets are …
During the 2013 Legislative Session, the Texas Legislature established a state tax credit against franchise taxes equal to 25 percent of eligible costs and expenses incurred in rehabilitating certified historic structures. Combined with the 20 percent federal historic tax credit, owners and developers of historic properties in Texas have significant incentives to revitalize and rehabilitate rather than demolish qualifying historic structures. Texas is not well known for preserving historic buildings. While the federal historic tax credit was enacted in 1986, this incentive alone was not enough to prompt owners and developers to negotiate the process of completing a certified rehabilitation with the Texas Historic Commission and the National Park Service. Take for example Mike Sarimsakci’s 211 N. Ervay project located in Dallas. While the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is an example of 1950’s and 1960’s architecture, prior to the enactment of the Texas credit, Sarimsakci did not consider utilizing tax credits because he could raise the capital privately. Further, many tenant brokers indicated that many of the office tenants he sought were searching for unique spaces that had character and a story to tell. The enactment of Texas’ state historic credit altered this …
Large-scale new retail development in Connecticut has historically been relegated to super-regional markets or traditional retail nodes — north of Fairfield County, for the most part. It’s really a simple formula: strong national and regional retailers typically want to be surrounded by dynamic retail synergy, and if there’s a great enough demand for a specific market, developers jump on the opportunity to capitalize. It’s happened in Manchester/South Windsor, it’s happened in Milford and its happened in Danbury. From time to time we see pockets of development in less traditional markets but overall, developers stick to “less risky” markets where demand is imminent and the municipalities are of the pro-development variety. Recently, though, larger-scale developments in smaller towns are starting to appear more frequently and retailers and brokers seem to be slowly embracing the emerging trend. Are we running out of developable land in the super regional markets? I don’t think this is the case. I think developers are recognizing that well-placed, large-scale retail projects in smaller towns are garnering significant interest from national brands of all sizes. Developers have had success getting the ever-important anchors to these sites, and that is more than half the battle. -Smaller-format retailers follow in …
The Southern California Leading Economic Indicator is continuing its upward trend. It has been on the incline for more than four years, since the last decrease in 2009. This suggests a rise in economic activity over the next six months that will continue the solid fundamentals for the Orange County industrial market well into 2015. A near record low industrial vacancy rate of 3.5 percent, along with an unemployment rate of less than 6 percent, has caused an aggressive search for viable land amongst developers. Numerous cities in Orange County have modified their industrial zoning regulations this year to permit a variety of additional uses that encourage new development. As a result, residential and retail property developers have been removing existing industrial buildings from current inventory. Growing companies in Orange County are starting to feel the inventory squeeze. The lack of available space is making it difficult to meet a client’s needs. This is causing landlords, buyers and tenants to make extensive renovations to the few buildings left available to them. The limited supply has been a major factor in the increase in value for larger assets, as clients are willing to pay more for properties. Sale prices are up …
The Southeast’s increasing relevance in the global marketplace is due in large part to the success of its ports. Internationally recognized companies like BMW, Boeing and Walmart have expanded in the Southeast to operate closer to the ports handling their imports and exports. According to JLL’s Port, Airport & Global Infrastructure research division, volume of twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2013 at 13 seaports across the country was 3.3 percent higher than in 2007. TEU volume at West Coast seaports dipped by 6.8 percent in that period, while East Coast ports exceeded their 2007 volumes by 19.1 percent. The large spike of activity for East Coast ports in the past seven years has resulted in a windfall of industrial tenants expanding in and around the ports. Three of the largest Southeastern ports in terms of capacity are the Port of Charleston, PortMiami and the Port of Savannah. Each have been a boon to the industrial market in their respective state, and with the expansion and harbor deepening projects underway at each port, each should only escalate their importance in the coming years. In the Driver’s Seat The South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) is currently in a growth mode with container …