Market Reports

Larkspur-Liberty-Hill-Austin

By John D. Hutchinson, vice chairman, global head of origination, Trez Capital The COVID-19 pandemic brought mass migration to the Sun Belt states, and by far, the most sought-after location of the pandemic migration boom was Texas. Multifamily investment demand remains strong due a higher quality of living, affordability and job growth. People are leaving high-tax, high-regulation states and moving to states like Texas with lower taxes and more favorable business climates.  Austin, specifically, has outshone the top cities in the “Texas Triangle” with its large influx of both people and jobs. Austin’s exponential population growth, attractive cultural qualities and high-income jobs have created demand for  and premium prices on real estate. Although the U.S. economy has seen changes in the last couple of months, such as inflation and interest rate hikes, the city still affords a great opportunity for multifamily investors. According to data from CoStar Group, Austin has doubled its construction starts over the past year and is expected to add 15,827 new units in 2022. In fact, there was a record 25 percent rent growth and strong occupancy at the end of 2021.  A Growing Market In 2021, the Austin area’s net population growth was about 16 …

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By Paul Sweetland, Senior Vice President, Colliers After a record year in 2021, Southern Nevada’s industrial market does not appear to be slowing down. The first-quarter vacancy decreased to 1.7 percent with 2.9 million square feet of net absorption. This is the lowest vacancy rate we have ever recorded in Southern Nevada. For comparison, vacancy only went as low as 3.1 percent during the boom that preceded the Great Recession.  Demand was positive for all industrial subtypes for the first quarter, while rents for warehouse and distribution space increased 46 percent year over year. All industrial sectors added jobs on a year-over-year basis, with the largest increase being in logistics, which added 8,100 jobs. The current industrial boom has been driven by the influx of relocations and expansions from all over the U.S., but primarily from California. Southern Nevada’s strategic location, with its ability to service 12 markets within one day, has also made it an ideal location for regional and national distribution. New industrial completions totaled 2.1 million square feet this quarter, almost all of it being warehouse/distribution product. Southern Nevada is in its third major wave of post-Great Recession industrial development, with more than 8 million square feet now under …

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The Raleigh-Durham office market is poised for future growth as it exits the pandemic, however the question for us all is when. Re-occupancy of buildings by office users has been stubborn in the current post-pandemic environment. Despite the sluggish activity since the beginning of the year, there have been bright spots with companies becoming more strategic about their office space decisions as they return, especially in newer projects that offer best-in-class experiences. Moving forward, there will be economic and geopolitical headwinds that may interfere with the pace of recovery. However, investors and developers continue to the see the value in the market due to our highly educated workforce, favorable business climate and one of the fastest growing population centers in the country. The return of the workplace is the main driving factor for the activity in the office leasing market. As companies execute their re-occupancy plans, they are reevaluating their existing buildings, footprints and workspaces in a way that we have never seen before. Forward thinking organizations are making decisions to create unique spaces where their employees want to come to work, rather than a space where they have to come to work. We have quickly seen that one size …

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Gateway-Kearny-Mesa-San-Diego-CA

By Chad Iafrate, Executive Director, and Phil Lyons, Managing Director, Cushman & Wakefield Retail leasing and investment sales transaction volumes continue to increase in 2022. This growth trend began to surge in the second part of 2021 following the pandemic recovery. Retail vacancy rates in San Diego County have decreased quarter over quarter to 5.9 percent, with vacancy lowest among power centers and strip centers. Asking rental rates, meanwhile, have increased across the county. This is primarily driven by significant rent growth at lifestyle centers (+5 percent from the previous quarter) and neighborhood centers (+2.8 percent). All major retail use categories seem to be back in expansion mode after four consecutive quarters of positive absorption. Pent-up consumer demand, stimulus and liquidity have all helped fuel growth plans in the retail sector with tenants continuing to try to make up for the lost year during the 2020 pandemic-related lockdowns.  Suburban shopping centers have been the beneficiary of the work-from-home model as employees who would typically frequent retailers near their offices have pivoted to restaurants and shops closer to their residences. Investor confidence in retail centers also continues to increase, most notably from rising REIT activity and exchange buyers. Local retail investment …

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By Richard Meder, Colliers While office markets across the country have experienced a slow climb back to normalcy following COVID-19-related restrictions, the Dayton office market has found its strength in the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB). Though the Dayton office market around WPAFB experienced similar ebbs and flows as that of the rest of the country during the pandemic, business never stopped. For some in other markets, the lasting effects of this disruption to the office market remain unknown. Business leaders must decide whether to implement a remote work lifestyle into their employee regimen or make a push to get back to normal office life — for some companies it is considered a hybrid approach. For the tenants in the WPAFB submarket, however, there was never question. While many office tenants vacated their spaces out of uncertainty, defense contractors cautiously occupying office spaces at the WPAFB submarket almost singlehandedly helped Dayton remain upright during the pandemic. With the submarket almost entirely consisting of defense contractors, this type of defense contracting work was not allowed to stop with the rest of the world.  Having to adhere to both local and federal guidelines, decision-making among defense contractors certainly slowed, but it never …

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Hoar-Construction

By Jake Snyder, director of preconstruction, Hoar Construction Thanks to its rich culture, technology-friendly atmosphere and eclectic music scene, Austin has blossomed over the past decade into a hotspot for businesses and residents alike that are seeking to ride the wave of the city’s phenomenal growth story. Just last year, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that Austin is the fastest-growing major metro area in the country, posting a 3 percent increase in population between 2020 and 2021. Pair that recent growth with a global pandemic, and you have an urgent need for increased healthcare development to accommodate the number of people moving into the city. However, as with most other facets of commercial real estate, construction took a proverbial uppercut blow from COVID-19. Project delays, price hikes and material shortages have made every aspect of the construction life cycle more difficult, but not impossible. According to Associated Builders and Contractors, nearly 650,000 additional workers are currently needed to meet the demand for labor on construction sites, while an estimated 1.2 million will leave their jobs this year to work in other industries. A recent report from labor market research firm JobsEQ also found that the Austin area could be short …

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South-Beach-Apts-Las-Vegas-NV

By Adam Schmitt, First Vice President, CBRE | Multifamily Investment Properties The multifamily construction pipeline in Las Vegas has ramped up in recent years and continues to be robust. Apartment developers have long capitalized on the growth of the Las Vegas market, and with the vast potential remaining in the city, multifamily builders are continuing to place their bets in Vegas. Our team at CBRE tracked a total of 4,317 multifamily units constructed in 2021, and are projecting more than 8,000 in 2022, with at least 16,000 in 2023 and beyond. For reference, over the past 10 years, the Las Vegas multifamily market has delivered about 3,700 annual units on average.  The projects being built in Las Vegas are predominately luxury, Class A developments that tend to cater to the lifestyle renter or renter-by-choice demographic. The locations of these developments are mostly concentrated in the Southwest and Henderson submarkets, comprising 62 percent of the construction pipeline. Developers have historically flocked to these submarkets because of the areas’ respective demographics, perpetual growth and strong multifamily fundamentals. More recently, multifamily developers have found opportunities in the Northwest and North Las Vegas submarkets as those regions have seen years of high rent growth, and the rent …

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In a constantly evolving and unprecedented era, Charlotte is an extremely well-positioned industrial market experiencing significant rent growth, an influx of new capital and development in new frontiers. As of first-quarter 2022, Charlotte was nearing an all-time low vacancy rate and rental rate growth reached more than 12 percent year-over-year. Needless to say, Charlotte has become a prime target for industrial investors, developers and tenants. Staggeringly low vacancy, strong tenant demand and rapid rent growth are trends the industrial real estate sector is experiencing around the county. While these trends are not necessarily unique to Charlotte, they are having a particularly large impact on how Charlotte is growing. These strong underlying leasing fundamentals accompanied by land scarcity left Charlotte under-supplied with developers on the hunt for land. A recent announcement by the Silverman Group is a great example. After closing on a 200-acre site just 30 minutes northeast of Charlotte in Rowan County, the Silverman Group announced a speculative industrial development capable of up to 1.9 million square feet and quickly signed a lease with Macy’s for an e-commerce distribution center spanning 1.4 million square feet. On the west side of Charlotte in Gaston County, NorthPoint Development has seen similar …

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Seymour-Street-Redevelopment-Montclair-New-Jersey

By Brian Katz (CEO), Amy Staats (vice president), Jonathan Greenberg (director), Adam Caplan (director) and Hugh Scullin (vice president) of Katz & Associates The Northern New Jersey retail real estate market has been flourishing in the post-COVID-19 era. Inventory continues to shrink across the board, with exceptional demand for drive-thru locations and mid-size boxes. Furthermore, the modern, well-anchored neighborhood and power centers seldom have more than one or two small shop vacancies. Some categories in high demand include discount apparel, grocery, food, health and beauty, fitness and medical. Northern New Jersey specifically benefits from its critical mass and its ease of access to main roads and points of entry. Tenants that have been able to refocus and adapt have thrived in a market that already has a lot going for it. Simply put, the post-COVID bounce has been better than we could have imagined, and from a company standpoint, the pipeline of deals that are in the works or have closed has been among the strongest in our history. Leasing Activity Leasing activity is up. Market adjustments aside, leasing activity has pretty much returned to pre-pandemic levels. In some instances, it’s even easier to get deals across the finish line …

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By Mark Volkman and Brian Leonard, JLL It’s no secret the industrial market has seen a monumental surge throughout the nation as a result of changing consumer behaviors.  How developers in each city are combatting the demand, though, is a different story. The success of the industrial market in Cincinnati, in particular, stems from its affordable cost of living, strong labor pool and impressive accessibility. With the city being only an eight-hour drive away from half of the country, it’s become a viable option for tenants with a large footprint that want a lower-cost facility compared with the price of those in major cities like Chicago, New York City or San Francisco. Like other cities throughout the U.S., Cincinnati’s successes have come with both challenges and a variety of emerging trends. Learn about some of the most prominent ones below. 1. The emergence of the Cincinnati-Dayton metroplex With the heightened demand for industrial space comes the need for developers to find land not only in the city, but in its suburbs, as well.  Dayton, a city about one hour north of Cincinnati via Interstate 75, has surfaced as a strong option for developers. Proctor & Gamble’s 1.8 million-square-foot distribution center, …

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