Market Reports

Richmond’s Multifamily Sector is the Best-Kept Secret in the Southeast

by John Nelson November 8, 2021

Mention “rising secondary multifamily markets in the Southeast” and what might come to mind are markets such as Charlotte, Raleigh, Nashville or Orlando. A less discussed candidate is Richmond, which has a case to be considered the multifamily sector’s best-kept secret. It’s a secondary market that’s moving forward full steam ahead for two primary reasons: supply and demand. More people = demand According to the 2020 Census, the population of the city of Richmond stood at 232,226, a 12.7 percent increase from the 204,375 reported in 2010. Richmond is the county seat of Henrico County, which had a population of 333,766 as of 2020. This is an 8.6 percent increase over the 2010 population count of 307,201. More residents are moving to Richmond, mainly for one reason: jobs. But the metro has other appealing factors as well, incuding its geographic location and low costs of living and doing business. In addition to being the site of growing employment centers, Richmond is proximate to major East Coast cities. New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., are easily accessible via train or airplane. But Richmond is relatively affordable, especially compared to other Mid-Atlantic markets and gateway cities on the East Coast. With …

November 8, 2021

Industrial Life Sciences Market Reports Texas Texas Market Reports

Austin, San Antonio Industrial Markets Both Experience Unprecedented Demand

by Taylor Williams November 5, 2021

By Joe Iannacone, senior vice president, Titan Development; and Omar Nasser, senior vice president, AQUILA Commercial The Central Texas industrial market stretches between Austin and San Antonio along the Interstate 35 “Innovation” Corridor, an approximately 80-mile expanse that encompasses some of the fastest-growing cities in the nation. Austin, now the 10th-largest city in the nation population-wise, continues to see unprecedented growth in the tech, e-commerce and household industry sectors. Most notably, Tesla decided to construct its Cybertruck Gigafactory in East Austin along State Highway 130, which has and will be a boon to the region. The electric car maker also recently announced plans to relocate its headquarters from Silicon Valley to Austin. San Antonio, the nation’s seventh-largest city, has seen continued growth in the automotive, financial, life sciences and food and beverage sectors. Large companies continue to flock to the region to establish a major presence, including USAA, H-E-B and Toyota. The markets in between Austin and San Antonio from south to north — Schertz, New Braunfels, San Marcos, Kyle and Buda — have benefitted from the synergies of both markets due to their location and strong economies. As a result of the continued economic activity and with the effects …

November 5, 2021

Illinois Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Office

Chicago Office Market: Should I Stay or Should I Go?

by Kristin Harlow November 4, 2021

A common question Chicago office brokers are hearing from clients these days is, “When is the best time to start negotiating with my landlord?” In fact, it is also a question brokers are asking themselves, contemplating when they should advise their clients to get into the market. The truth is: 1) it’s very hard to say, and 2) it depends on the situation. Let’s explore what we do know. This is a historically tenant-favorable office market. Vacancy rates have increased from 13.8 percent to start 2021 up to 17.7 percent currently. Concessions are far over-weighted with construction allowances and free rent packages 20 to 30 percent higher than they were pre-pandemic, and landlords are being more flexible on term lengths allowing tenants three- or five-year leases despite offering full buildouts. On the other side of the coin, gross rental rates (base rent plus real estate taxes and building operating expenses) have not declined. In fact, in the last quarter they increased from $42.34 to $42.57 per square foot. The trends and market conditions surrounding concession packages and rental rates haven’t really changed in the last 12 months or so. The above touches on what the market is doing, but what …

November 4, 2021

Affordable Housing Market Reports Multifamily New York Northeast Northeast Market Reports

Affordable Housing Lenders, Investors in New York City Face Underwriting Challenges

by Taylor Williams November 2, 2021

By Taylor Williams For lenders and investors in New York City’s affordable housing market, accurately underwriting rent growth, operating costs and long-term asset appreciation can be a tricky proposition in today’s economic environment. To be fair, buyers and financiers of affordable housing properties in many U.S. markets are being forced to adjust and recalculate their metrics due to forces they can’t control. Yet macroeconomic factors like rising inflation, which puts heavy pressure on construction and operating costs, can often seem more acute in the Big Apple, where the cost of living and doing business is already higher than virtually anywhere else in the country. Economic Drivers The labor and materials costs for the renovations and rehabilitations that many affordable housing communities need are rising. According to Producer Price Index data supplied by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, for the month of August, the latest report available at the time of this writing, the aggregate cost of construction materials had risen by 19 percent from August 2019. Much of this rise in materials costs is due to disruption of the global supply chain via COVID-19, causing developers of much-needed housing stock to incur heftier budgets and longer construction timelines on …

November 2, 2021

Lee & Associates Breaks Down Third-Quarter Economic Outlook by Sector

by Sarah Daniels November 1, 2021

The calculus for which asset classes are likeliest to demonstrate strong growth continues to shift as the pandemic appears to be receding. Patterns in labor shortages, supply chain issues and material costs have managed to solidify through the third quarter of 2021. Lee & Associates’ newly released Q3 2021 North America Market Report dissects third-quarter 2021 industrial, office, retail and multifamily findings, with a focus on where demand is moving and the challenges facing each asset class. Lee & Associates has made the full market report available at this link (with further breakdowns of factors like vacancy rates, market rents, inventory square footage and cap rates by city). Below is a bird’s-eye overview of four commercial real estate asset classes as general categories, broken down to frame each through the trends and complications they faced up to the fourth quarter, according to Lee & Associates’ research. Industrial: Q3 Posts More Record Demand Pandemic-fueled consumer spending drove up third-quarter demand for warehouse and distribution facilities that eclipsed previous records. And despite a nationwide surge in new construction, some metros can barely accommodate the pace of tenant expansion. Additionally, year-over-year rent growth is at a record 6.7 percent for the industrial property sector …

November 1, 2021

Market Reports Restaurant Retail Southeast Southeast Market Reports Virginia

Redevelopments and Backfills Drive New Retail Activity All Around Richmond

by John Nelson November 1, 2021

“Infill, redevelopment and reuse” are the mantras in the city of Richmond and even in some suburbs, where new construction continues to follow residential growth in nearly all the surrounding counties, with Chesterfield and Henrico being the most active. The municipalities themselves play key roles as well. Costs for land and construction continue to escalate, so creativity is key no matter what avenue pursued in the retail world. And like most of the United States, Richmond’s developers and property owners are getting creative to keep their centers relevant. Short Pump Town Center, Richmond’s darling mall that is owned by a partnership of Brookfield Properties, QIC and local developer Pruitt Cos., is not immune to closures and felt the pain when Nordstrom announced it was not reopening after shuttering the store during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, with the strength of the retail market in Short Pump, the mall and the surrounding market continue to perform. The Container Store and an expanded Arhaus backfilled a vacant hhgregg, and the mall has recently announced deals with Fabletics and Warby Parker. ShopCore Properties, which owns West Broad Village anchored by Whole Foods Market, REI and HomeGoods, struggled for years with vacancy …

November 1, 2021

Market Reports Retail Texas Texas Market Reports

Austin, San Antonio Move Toward Single Metroplex, Further Stabilizing Retail Markets

by Taylor Williams October 29, 2021

By Matt Epple, executive vice president, Weitzman Austin; and David Nicolson, president, Weitzman San Antonio One of the best-known metroplexes — a term that was coined way back in 1915 to describe the phenomenon whereby two or more important cities expand to form one continuous urban area — in the country is Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW). Now, new data from the U.S. Census Bureau has led the Texas State demographer to predict that Texas’ next new mega metro will be Austin-San Antonio. Austin gained nearly 200,000 new residents over the past decade for a growth rate of 21 percent. San Antonio added 107,218 people and is one of the top 10 largest U.S. cities by population. Together, the two markets form a powerhouse metro area of nearly 5 million people. The Austin and San Antonio metro areas each represent robust economies with strong population, job and housing growth. Together, they are almost unbeatable. While the markets are on track to merge into a metroplex, for now they are each distinct enough that we produce separate research reports. But without a doubt, these two metro areas account for some of the most positive retail performance in the state. In formulating this market …

October 29, 2021

Illinois Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Multifamily

Condo Deconversions Will Continue in Chicagoland Area

by Kristin Harlow October 28, 2021

If we consider that 2017 was the year that deconversion sales in Chicago began in earnest, we are now four years into the cycle. I’m frequently asked my opinion of how much longer this cycle will last, and what it will look like going forward. To me, that comes down mainly to supply and demand, with an eye on change in the relevant state and city statutes governing these sales. The supply of condominiums in Chicago is still plentiful, especially condominiums that were converted from apartment buildings. While there was a bit of a condo-buying frenzy in the early part of 2021 as the world opened back up, that frenzy has dissipated. Condominiums that would typically take a couple of months to sell sold in days, and often at asking price. With that said, there was little meaningful price appreciation. The factors that hinder appreciation of these condominiums did not change: high amounts of rental units in the association; lack of amenities; and aging buildings that are either behind on maintenance or expensive to keep up. Those factors are unlikely to ever change. The current demand for multifamily properties is quite strong. Most investors sat on the sidelines in 2020, …

October 28, 2021

Arizona Market Reports Office Western Western Market Reports

Phoenix’s Office Market Remains Questionable

by Jeff Shaw October 26, 2021

By Laurel Lewis, Senior Vice President, NAI Horizon The office market is in uncharted territory, like going “Down the Great Unknown.” When John Wesley Powell navigated through the Grand Canyon, he did not know what lay ahead. Perhaps if he did, he might have chosen to leave it uncharted. Yet here we are in the midst of the proverbial river, wondering what lies ahead. The advent of a pandemic is changing minds about how and where we work. The work-from-home model may have started a decade ago, but the pandemic and new technology have exacerbated the trend. How will this affect the office market and, more specifically, the office market in Phoenix? The long-term effects remain to be seen, but we know Phoenix continues to attract new residents and new businesses. The Central Business District, for instance, is experiencing renewed interest. This is enhanced by the City of Phoenix’s efforts to offer a pedestrian-friendly environment, more entertainment and access to the light rail. The investment is paying off. Companies in bioscience, education, technology and financial services are taking an interest in the area’s vibrancy. To top it off, the second quarter came to a close with the Phoenix Suns making …

October 26, 2021

Data Centers Industrial Market Reports Southeast Southeast Market Reports Virginia

Richmond Industrial Pipeline Shows No Sign of Slowing Development, Leasing

by John Nelson October 25, 2021

At the mid-year mark, industrial occupancy in the greater Richmond area remains strong, closing with an overall occupancy rate of 93 percent in the categories we track (Class A, B select C vacant and investor-owned product with a minimum of 40,000 square feet total). Class A occupancy increased to 96 percent at the end of the second quarter, up from 93 percent at the end of the first quarter. Class B occupancy experienced a slight decrease to 91 percent, down from 92 percent at the end of the first quarter. CoStar Group reports overall industrial occupancy at 95 percent for product of all sizes, including investor-owned facilities, but excluding flex space (minimum 50 percent office). Richmond’s strategic Mid-Atlantic location along Interstate 95 provides access to 55 percent of the nation’s consumers within two days’ delivery by truck, and in addition to being the northernmost right to work state on the Eastern seaboard, Virginia has once again been named as the top state for business by CNBC. Business Facilities also ranked Richmond as one of the top locations for corporate headquarters. With 12 Fortune 1000 companies located in the region, Richmond is home to the most Fortune 1000 headquarters compared to …

October 25, 2021

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