Market Reports

Araceli-Denver-CO

By Chris Mitton, Advisor, Pinnacle Real Estate Advisors Denver has been seeing major growth of new residents from 2020 through the second quarter of 2022. Denver is gaining many residents from coastal cities due to our lower cost of living, and gains of such tech giants as Conga, RingCentral, Xactly, Slack, and Angi. Since 2020, Denver has added 8,100 jobs in business services and 2,900 jobs in the financial activities sector. Over the last five years population growth in Denver has increased 8 percent compared to the 3.8 percent national average. The multifamily market has benefited from this population growth. Denver has absorbed 6,400 units over the past 12 months, placing it in the top 15 metro areas in the country. Colorado has seen record high prices in single family homes as well, which is pricing out many first-time homebuyers. This is forcing many renters to stay in multifamily apartments. However, if you haven’t been living under a rock, you know that the Federal Reserve has been increasing interest rates at a record pace. The single-family market has seen an increase from 1,200 homes for sale during the start of the year to 7,300 homes in August. With this increase in supply …

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail

By Andy Gutman, Farbman Group This is a complicated and even confusing time for anyone trying to make sense of the commercial real estate market. Conflicting economic indicators and pervasive concerns about inflation — and even the potential for a recession — create a somewhat cloudy outlook, even as promising opportunities remain in some markets. In the Midwest, there are noticeable market-specific differences that give a sense of just how much variability there is across the region. Taking a closer look at the commercial real estate in a city like Detroit — where the commercial real estate investment activity remains high — and comparing it with other Midwest markets in terms of retail activity, receivership rates, commercial real estate taxes, crime rates and urban revitalization efforts, can start to give us a better sense of how and why some Midwest markets are currently viewed as more favorable than others. It can also give us a feel for what investors and commercial real estate decision-makers are likely to be evaluating when they look at how to spend their dollars in the months and years ahead. Detroit looking good What is it about Detroit that makes it an appealing commercial real estate …

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail
Sullivan

By Ryan Sullivan, partner, attorney, Kruger Carson PLLC Over the last few years, record numbers of businesses have relocated to Texas to take advantage of the strong economy, including a red-hot commercial real estate market. Whether a party intends to acquire or lease real property, he or she must be aware of several customs and laws that make Texas real estate transactions different from those in other parts of the country. Below is a high-level survey of some of these issues. Independent Consideration Purchasers of real property in Texas will want to ensure that their purchase agreements include payments of sums that they cannot recoup even if they terminate during their “free look” period. Otherwise, Texas courts have taken the position that purchase agreements are not enforceable against sellers until some portion of the earnest money has become nonrefundable. Deceptive Trade Practices The Deceptive Trade Practice/Consumer Protection Act (DTPA) is intended to protect consumers against unconscionable business practices or unequal bargaining power. The DTPA does not apply to many commercial transactions, but because of the high potential for liability, a carefully drafted waiver should be included in most purchase agreements and leases as a matter of best practice. Closing Costs …

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail
Coletti

By Lou Coletti, president & CEO, Building Trades Employers Association In the 1930s, the United States was in the throes of the Great Depression. Millions of people lost their jobs, and savings were obliterated overnight. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt seized the opportunity to bring the country back from the brink of economic collapse, creating the Works Progress Administration to put 8.5 million Americans to work building new schools, roads, bridges and water systems. In 2020, the country faced a similar shock to the system as COVID-19 locked down our cities, shuttered businesses and sent entire populations into isolation for months on end, only to contend with a maze of rules and restrictions as the economy reopened. Almost three years later, major metropolises like New York City have an unprecedented opportunity to rebuild both the physical infrastructure and social fabric of their respective regions.   Much like in the days of the Great Depression, the construction industry has a key role to play in rebuilding our physical and social infrastructure. This time, however, it’s imperative that we prioritize equity, not only within individual projects but also within the industry at large. The combination of economic upheaval caused by COVID-19 and the …

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail

Atlanta’s prowess within the Sun Belt as the dominant multifamily market did not happen by accident, nor did it occur overnight. Back in the 2000s, Atlanta was still an emerging market that was working to attract new employers while battling a season of oversupply that hampered rent growth across the city’s numerous submarkets. Now, and since the mid-2010s, Atlanta has defined itself as the premier entry point for investors looking to break into the Sun Belt, and its proven track record ensures it will continue serving as a global magnet for relocation, investment and expansion. Atlanta’s diversified economy has attracted some of the nation’s biggest and best names in just a few years’ time. While Silicon Valley has captured the tech world’s eye for decades, global powerhouses such as Microsoft, Google and Meta (Facebook) have started planting their flags in Atlanta with reported goals of adding tens of thousands of highly paid employees by 2030. Tech companies are capitalizing on a strategic opportunity in Atlanta to broaden their workforce in a market that boasts a highly educated and diverse population while providing an attractive cost of living. With respect to Atlanta’s employment growth, the presence of Georgia Tech cannot go …

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail
Chapter-Buildings-Seattle-WA

By Charlie Farra, Senior Managing Director, Newmark The Puget Sound office market has fared better than many peer metro areas during the pandemic. While the market remains tenuous in the region, local office fundamentals have improved to date in 2022. A consistent through the chaos is a flight to quality.  If employers expect a return to office, they are being tasked with creating a physical environment that is far more favorable than a home office or local coffee shop. We are referring to this as “commute-worthy real estate.” Energy, collaboration, amenities, views, natural light and safety are some of the main points of focus and, due to current economic conditions, the ability to find such space at discounted pricing is within reason. New office leases are trending toward 75 percent of their pre-pandemic footprint as companies consider how and where to operate their businesses going forward. Professional service companies currently account for the most demand and are in the office more frequently than the technology sector. In tech cities like Seattle, this is a seismic shift from the previous decade, which saw skylines transform from the expansions of Amazon, Microsoft, Meta and Google.  Many companies returning to the office are utilizing a hybrid …

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail

By Denny Sciscoe, The Lund Co. The Omaha industrial market is experiencing increased leasing velocity, positive rent growth and record-breaking development. The market consists of 18 submarkets, totaling 103 million square feet of inventory.  Omaha has traditionally been a risk-averse market with steady, slow-paced growth. Since 2016, Omaha has seen increased speculative development, which is absorbed as fast as it is built. In 2020, we began to see hyper-development, fueled by increased demand and developer confidence.  The increased demand was a result of COVID-19, where we experienced five years of growth in a 12-month period as occupiers scrambled to find space for inventories and e-commerce, which was exasperated by the demand to store “just in case” inventories. The supply and demand dynamics of our market have been almost perfectly balanced. The average deliveries are around 1.3 million square feet annually, and our average absorption has been around 1.4 million square feet.  Since the beginning of 2022, we are tracking about 5 million square feet of demand and another 2.2 million square feet of space that is currently in the construction pipeline. Overall vacancy currently sits at 2.6 percent, which is 100 basis points below our average of 3.6 percent.   …

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail
Patriot-Place-El-Paso

By Cody Roskelley, senior developer at Pennrose Texas has experienced tremendous residential growth over the last few years. Families are leaving high-cost, high-tax areas like New York and California for more affordable alternatives. According to The Tax Foundation, Texas was one of the Top 10 U.S. states for inbound migration in 2021, posting population growth around 1.3 percent on a year-over-year basis. With population increase also comes opportunities for economic growth and regional investment. However, having high-quality, affordable and workforce housing stock is key to the state successfully capitalizing on this moment. Between historically high rates of inflation and single-family home prices, as well as aggressive interest rate hikes, having the affordable housing infrastructure in place to attract new residents is critical. While most people generally agree that there is a need for more affordable housing, there is often local pushback once such communities are proposed in their neighborhoods. Much of the opposition stems from a lack of understanding of what affordable housing is — and isn’t. For example, individuals making anywhere between 30 to 80 percent of the area median income (AMI) can qualify for affordable housing. There are also several different subcategories of affordable housing: Low-Income Public Housing: …

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail
Lacey-Logistics-Lacey-WA

By Bill Condon, Executive Vice President, Colliers The most significant impact to Seattle’s industrial market this year comes from outside the market. Inflation resulting in raised interest rates has stymied sale activity but done little to slow leasing activity. Tenant demand has remained high, particularly among third-party logistics (3PL), ecommerce and aerospace companies. Logistics remains the main driver for activity and development in submarkets from Tacoma south. This year alone, Holman Distribution leased 353,000 square feet in Frederickson and Maersk leased 246,000 square feet in Lakewood. Both of these cities only had sporadic activity prior to 2020. For 3PL companies, the south Puget Sound/Tacoma area is attractive due to its proximity to the Port of Tacoma and the desirable labor pool in Pierce County. Closer to Seattle, Blue Origin leased 172,000 square feet in Kent, furthering the legacy of aerospace activity in Puget Sound. The rapid rise in interest rates has created a difference in expectations between sellers and buyers, whose interest rates have nearly doubled since the start of this year. This disconnect between the seller’s value and buyer’s ability to purchase is likely to delay transactions until there’s more stability in capital markets nationally. While tenant demand remains robust, there …

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail
150-Tornillo-Way-Tinton-Falls-New-Jersey

By Taylor Williams  “Negative leverage.” At face value, the term has an undeniably ominous connotation. The first half is an umbrella word for all things adverse and pessimistic, while the second evokes a sense of financial helplessness and dependency, of being permanently hamstrung by creditors. Yet in the context of industrial investment in major markets throughout the Northeast, the term is more synonymous with flexibility and acceptance, as it represents a framework through which deals continue to get done despite the very dicey conditions of the U.S. capital markets. Since the Federal Reserve began aggressively raising the federal funds rates this spring to combat severe inflation, all commercial property types have been hit with softening buyer demand and, consequently, price declines. At the time of this writing, the nation’s central bank had a target range of 3 to 3.25 percent for short-term interest rates, nearly 300 basis points above its stated goal at the beginning of the year. Increases of that magnitude in the cost of debt adversely impact demand across all asset classes, as there are only so many buyers that can pay entirely in cash. Investors that can pay all cash expect — and usually receive — discounted …

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail