Southeast Market Reports

How Will the Richmond MSA Fare as Multifamily Buyer-Seller Price Gap Takes Shape?

by John Nelson August 23, 2022

Similar to the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, a gap has started forming with price expectations between apartment owners and investors. The price disparity at the start of the pandemic was driven namely by market uncertainty, adjustments to underwriting assumptions and increases to lender and insurance escrow requirements. As the pandemic played out, we saw a mass exodus from denser gateway cities, an influx of government stimulus money and a phasing out of state-specific stay-at-home orders that allowed the economy to open back up. Capital moved away from the retail and hospitality industries hit the hardest, with the multifamily sector reaping the benefit. The second half of 2020 saw a dramatic rise in rents, occupancy and new lease and renewal signings. These trends led to a calming of the debt and capital markets, paving the way for the price gap between buyers and sellers to evaporate as an unprecedented wave of investment flooded into the multifamily space, with 2021 hitting a new high of $213 billion of investment volume, well above the previous peak of $129 billion in 2019, according to Yardi Matrix data. Now midway through 2022, we’re seeing a buyer-seller price gap begin to take …

August 23, 2022

Industrial Market Reports Southeast Southeast Market Reports Virginia

Richmond’s Industrial Market Development Pipeline Shows No Signs of Slowing

by John Nelson August 16, 2022

At the mid-year mark, industrial occupancy in the greater Richmond area remains strong, closing with an overall occupancy rate of 98.5 percent in the categories being tracked (Class A, B, select C vacant and investor-owned product with a minimum of 40,000 square feet total RBA). Class A occupancy remained steady at 97 percent at the end of the second quarter. Class B occupancy also remained steady at 94 percent at the end of the first quarter. CoStar Group reports overall industrial occupancy at 96.8 percent for product of all sizes, including investor-owned facilities, but excluding flex space (minimum 50 percent office). There remains a shortage of space in the 25,000- to 50,000-square-foot range as most spec buildings being built are larger single-tenant buildings. 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 No. 1 state for business by CNBC. Metro Richmond has a civilian labor force of almost 700,000 (1.03 million population) with unemployment rates at 3.7 percent as of June. With 12 Fortune …

August 16, 2022

Market Reports Multifamily Southeast Southeast Market Reports Tennessee

Memphis Economic Outlook Provides Cause for Optimism for Multifamily Market

by John Nelson August 9, 2022

Inflation is here. Is the Memphis multifamily market built to withstand it? Coming off an unprecedented year of sales volume in 2021, Memphis multifamily assets continue to be in high demand despite rising interest rates. While year-over-year sales volume might be down, the average market sale price per unit increased by 10 percent to $90,700 over the same period, as of second-quarter 2022. While overall market rent per unit growth is off double-digit highs from 2021, it is still up a sturdy 8 percent year-over-year. Strong occupancy levels, low concession rates and limited on-market supply is keeping pricing buoyant, leading to steady cap rates in the face of rising debt cost — at least for now. Capital investment and renovation to existing multifamily properties contributed greatly to both rent growth and sales volume in 2021. Memphis is a very appealing option for investors seeking value, as over 50 percent of all transactions in 2021 fell within the $40,000 to $80,000 per unit range, which is much more competitive than many primary markets. With over two-thirds of existing inventory built before 2000, the vintage of current inventory provides ample opportunities to reposition assets. Local government entities have actively played a role …

August 9, 2022

Market Reports Retail Southeast Southeast Market Reports Tennessee

Memphis Retail Market is Returning to Pre-Pandemic Norms

by John Nelson August 2, 2022

Memphis has seen a tight retail market for quality space and development opportunities since the COVID-19 pandemic. Our market sits at a 3.5 percent vacancy rate, according to CoStar Group analytics, and overall retail leasing activity is strong. Memphis has benefitted from a consumer base that is ready to return to the pre-pandemic rhythms of life. Retail sales have been healthy overall, with strong increases in sales of restaurants, particularly restaurants with a drive-thru. Rents for high-demand space have increased accordingly given the lack of quality opportunities for new-to-market or expanding retailers. Investment sales activity has been steady with an average cap rate around 7 percent, according to CoStar. Well-located and stable shopping centers are trading lower. A handful of high-profile institutional assets are either on the market or about to hit the market, and we expect those to trade at sub-7 percent cap rates. Ford Motors and SK Innovation’s new electronic vehicle (EV) and battery production facility in Stanton, Tenn., (25 miles east of Memphis) is anticipated to have a positive impact on the local economy. The $5.6 billion mega campus, called Blue Oval City, will add around 5,700 new jobs at its plant, with several more thousands indirectly …

August 2, 2022

Industrial Market Reports Southeast Southeast Market Reports Tennessee

Memphis Industrial Market Boom Continues After Record Year of Leasing, Sales

by John Nelson July 26, 2022

2021 was a banner year for the Memphis industrial market by virtually every measure. Leasing exceeded 32 million square feet, easily doubling the average of 12.8 million square feet per year; annual net absorption reached 12.7 million square feet, the highest ever recorded; 14.6 million square feet of inventory delivered to the market; rental rates reached historic highs; and investment volume topped $2.2 billion. The potent demand that carried the market to such record-setting extremes continued into the beginning of 2022, with leasing activity in the first quarter approaching 6 million square feet and net absorption surpassing 3.3 million square feet. Sustaining the steady upward trend the Memphis market has followed since the beginning of 2019, the direct vacancy rate rose 50 basis points from last year to 6.8 percent, but this increase is largely due to the profusion of spec product rather than any significant moves out of the market. In typical fashion, the bulk of leasing activity occurred in the Southeast, DeSoto County and Marshall/Fayette County submarkets, comprising more than 75 percent of the quarter’s total volume. But even the Northwest submarket has seen more action recently with the delivery of Amazon’s 181,500-square-foot last-mile facility in the Raleigh …

July 26, 2022

Market Reports North Carolina Office Southeast Southeast Market Reports

A Return to the Office Spurs More Real Estate Decisions in Raleigh-Durham

by John Nelson July 18, 2022

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 …

July 18, 2022

Industrial Market Reports North Carolina Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Charlotte’s Underlying Fundamentals Support Strong Industrial Development, Forward Sales

by John Nelson July 11, 2022

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 …

July 11, 2022

Market Reports Multifamily North Carolina Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Charlotte’s Multifamily Market Sees Record Rent Growth, Investment Sales Activity

by John Nelson July 5, 2022

As Charlotte continues to expand its economy and population, its multifamily market is reporting unprecedented levels of activity. The market has experienced a tremendous rebound from the artificial pandemic performance in terms of investor demand, in-migration and rent growth. The market recorded double-digit rent growth in 2021, extremely tight vacancies across submarkets, record lease-up velocity and a modest supply of new deliveries. All these signs clearly point to a landlord’s market, and investors have taken notice. This year looks to be another solid one for Charlotte’s multifamily investment market, coming off a record-setting 2021 with nearly $6.4 billion in transactions (compared to $3.5 billion in 2020 and $3.7 billion in 2019). So far in 2022, pricing remains strong and sales are ahead of the pace set at the start of last year ($1 billion in first-quarter 2022 vs. $566 million in first-quarter 2021). Companies and residents are flocking to Charlotte, which is increasingly recognized as a high-growth market. It is business-friendly, offers a great lifestyle and is a talent magnet. Lowes, USAA and Centene are examples of companies expanding their footprints and hiring thousands of employees, all who need a place to live. Moreover, these are high-paying jobs ($100,000-plus), targeting …

July 5, 2022

Market Reports North Carolina Office Southeast Southeast Market Reports

A Migration Destination: Charlotte’s Office Market Continues to Evolve

by John Nelson June 27, 2022

By Chase Monroe, Carolinas Market Director and Charlotte Brokerage Lead, and Chris Schaaf, Executive Managing Director of Tenant Representation, JLL Nearly two years after the onset of the pandemic, Charlotte’s office market is showing strong signs of recovery as economic momentum builds. Last year, the Queen City set the stage for growth with 4.9 million square feet of office space delivered from pre-pandemic projects, boasting over 1 million square feet more than any other metro for deliveries that occurred in 2021. Market-wide preleasing also exceeded 60 percent and nearly 2.1 million square feet of office space was under construction. Entering 2022, the market continued to forge ahead as large occupiers started their return to the office, and leasing activity began to surge throughout the region. And long-anticipated projects, such as Legacy Union, 110 East and The Station broke ground. According to Urban Land Institute’s 2021 annual report, Charlotte ranked No. 6 among the hottest real estate markets in the United States, with developers and investors betting big on Sun Belt cities. Deemed an 18-hour magnet city by the Emerging Trends in Real Estate survey, people and businesses alike are flocking to Charlotte, the so-called “migration destination.” Thanks to strong economic …

June 27, 2022

Florida Market Reports Office Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Tenants Continue Moving to South Florida in Search of Class A Office Space

by John Nelson June 20, 2022

There is no denying in-migration is a driving factor in South Florida. Over 650,000 people moved to Miami at the height of the pandemic — nearly 89,000 came from out of state and a quarter of those came from New York. Year-over-year job growth is up 6 percent and is back at peak levels seen prior to the pandemic, while over 27 percent of employment is in office-using sectors for the first time ever. CBRE’s Spring 2022 Occupier Sentiment Survey revealed that most companies are back to developing long-term plans to expand or contract their office space now that employees are returning — at least some of the time — after two years of mostly remote work. For the second quarter in a row, net absorption in Miami totaled over 200,000 square feet, with the majority occurring in Miami’s central business district (CBD). Driven by expansions, Class A product accounted for approximately 85 percent of total absorption in the first quarter. The growth of Miami is starting to solidify as new-to-market tenants that looked to relocate to Miami during the pandemic are starting to move into their office spaces. Since 2020, over 1.3 million square feet of office leasing activity …

June 20, 2022

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