Southeast Market Reports

Job Growth Key to Orlando Apartment Market’s Strong First-Half Performance

by John Nelson October 26, 2015

Orlando’s multifamily market is in the midst of a golden era of sorts, as it sits squarely at the intersection of strong employment growth, an increasing population, a major demographic shift and a variation in lifestyle preferences. Together, these factors provide a tremendous tailwind for future strength in the local apartment market. While the national multifamily market continues to perform at a high level, Orlando is starting to show up on the radar of more institutional investors due to its recent outperformance and tremendous growth prospects. According to recent data from MPF Research, Orlando is on pace to see 5.6 percent rent growth in 2015, followed by 4.7 percent growth in 2016. The strong momentum in the MSA is being driven by a rapidly expanding and increasingly diversified job market. Going forward, the picture looks even brighter. MPF Research ranks Orlando as the No. 1 metro in the nation for job growth through 2020, with a growth rate (2.7 percent), more than twice the national average (1.1 percent). Unlike previous cycles, today’s growth is spread more evenly across employment industries, resulting in a more diverse, dynamic labor market. The highest growth sectors are forecast to be construction, healthcare/bio-tech, business services, …

October 26, 2015

Florida Market Reports Retail Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Tourism Industry Has Orlando Retail Market Firing on All Cylinders

by John Nelson October 19, 2015

Underpinned by a $50 billion tourism industry that drew a record-breaking 62.3 million visitors in 2014 in addition to strong job, population and residential growth, there is no question that Orlando’s retail real estate market is stronger than ever. According to 2014 U.S. census data, Orlando outpaced 99 of America’s 100 most populous MSAs in year-over-year population growth. The City Beautiful also recently ranked as the No. 1 U.S. city for job growth by Fortune Magazine following a 3.7 percent increase in its employment base in the same year. The Orlando retail market has also benefited heavily from healthy gains in the housing sector, powered by Central Florida’s tourism and construction industries, which stimulate economic development in the region. Orange County Property Appraiser, Rick Singh, reported that average home sale prices were up more than 10.5 percent in 2014, while residential construction rose 79 percent in the same period. With this type of growth, Orlando is experiencing strong consumer spending and an increase in demand for retail space. The Orlando region’s Index of Retail Activity rose 8.5 percent year-over-year in the second quarter of 2015, while the metro-wide retail vacancy rate decreased to 6.5 percent, down from 8.2 percent at …

October 19, 2015

Market Reports Maryland Retail Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Baltimore City’s Retail Market Remains Hot, But Watch Out for the Suburbs

by John Nelson October 12, 2015

An apartment building boom is encouraging a consistent march of new residents to select sections of Baltimore City, and the construction of new retail venues to support this emerging audience has followed in lockstep. The last several years has seen the opening of stylish shopping centers featuring national anchor tenants such as Harris Teeter and Target, including The Shops at Canton Crossing, a 330,000-square-foot retail shopping center situated within the city’s east side, as well as McHenry Row, located in the Locust Point section of the city (next to Under Armour’s headquarters). Other notable retail developments underway in Baltimore City are the capital improvement and re-invention program at Harborplace; The Stadium Square, a $250 million mixed-use project situated near M&T Bank Stadium; the $25 million facelift being given to Lexington Market, a collection of 100 food vendors; the ongoing retail build-out of Harbor East (the recognized “place to be and be seen” spot of the city); and the initiation of construction on Harbor Point, the site of the new Exelon Corp. headquarters (the company merging with Constellation Energy). Baltimore County is Booming Owings Mills, Towson and White Marsh are the sites of four significant projects, several of which have been …

October 12, 2015

Market Reports Maryland Office Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Shifting Blocks of Space, Apartment Conversions Help Shape Baltimore’s Office Market

by John Nelson October 5, 2015

Three major storylines are playing out in Baltimore, the northern part of the one-two city punch that combines for more than 9 million people and forms the fourth-largest metropolitan region of the country. These three sub-plots each contribute to the larger vernacular of the Charm City story. The activity in the office sector is occurring against the backdrop of a robust warehouse/industrial market, as national companies are recognizing the attractiveness of the Port of Baltimore and access to the Eastern Seaboard. Baltimore is also enjoying the healthiest retail environments seen in years, highlighted by the construction of new large-scale shopping centers to service Millennials and empty-nesters moving downtown. 1. Shifting Blocks of Space Two separate 200,000-square-foot blocks of prime office space are moving to the now-under-construction Harbor Point overlooking Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, the development centerpiece of the Constellation Energy Group merger with Exelon Corp. Upon completion, the former industrial brownfield site will feature more than 1.6 million square feet of commercial office space. Add in a separate 200,000-square-foot move by the Baltimore headquarters of M&T Bank from 25 S. Charles St. (with sources indicating the company may back-fill the space themselves) and you have pretty large shoes to fill in …

October 5, 2015

Market Reports Maryland Multifamily Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Baltimore’s Resurgence as a City Supports Burgeoning Apartment Market

by John Nelson September 28, 2015

The transformation of downtown Baltimore into a contemporary world-class city began nearly two decades ago, but over the past few years it has irrefutably evolved into a true 24/7 city and a top-tier housing market that is nationally recognized by the investment community. An influx of commercial investment drove job growth, which inevitably boosted downtown Baltimore’s daytime population. But what is remarkable is how many of these individuals also decided to become city residents. The number of degree-holding young people living in downtown Baltimore increased by 92 percent between 2000 and 2010, exceeding the pace of 20-something magnet cities like New York and Boston. Whether it was the chicken or the egg, this new group of residents favored a rental urban lifestyle, and downtown Baltimore delivered nearly 4,700 new apartments between 2000 and 2010. Ambitious developers John Paterakis and Michael S. Beatty paved the way in the late 1990s with the development of Harbor East, which congregates upscale retailers, Class A office space and luxury rental apartments. Its immediate success filled a niche in the market and spurred growth in other communities around the Inner Harbor, including the Ritz-Carlton. As this wave of development continued throughout the 2000s, slowly but …

September 28, 2015

Market Reports Mixed-Use Southeast Southeast Market Reports Tennessee

Chattanooga is Enjoying a Boom of Office, Retail and Hotel Activity Amid its Urban Renewal.

by John Nelson September 21, 2015

Chattanooga is situated at a U-turn of the Tennessee River amidst forests and mountains, hence the community’s nickname, Scenic City. Two of Chattanooga’s largest employers are Volkswagen, which has a plant here, and Amazon, which runs a distribution center in the city. Insurance firm Unum Group, a Fortune 500 Company founded in 1848, is headquartered here and is one of the larger occupiers of downtown office space. Long-known for its natural resources and as a tourism destination, Chattanooga is experiencing a real estate boom fueled by urbanization trends and its proximity to Atlanta (2 hours south) and Nashville (1.5 hours northwest), as well as its growing recognition as one of the South’s top tourism and entertainment venues. Key to the urban renewal is the conversion of dozens of properties — mostly from office uses to residential, retail or hotel uses. The combination of the Great Recession and a 2009 move by BlueCross BlueShield into a new $229 million downtown facility has led to the relatively high vacancy rate of 17.5 percent that persisted up until early 2014. Most of the 600,000 square feet of facilities vacated by BlueCross BlueShield were not suitable for multi-tenanted office use and the spaces would …

September 21, 2015

Market Reports North Carolina Retail Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Food Fight Among New, Established Grocers Highlights Charlotte’s Retail Activity

by John Nelson September 14, 2015

As Charlotte’s job growth has returned, so has traffic into Uptown during rush hour, a new apartment project on every corner, healthy single-family demand and a food fight. Currently there is an all-out war for grocery market share between behemoths Harris Teeter, Publix and Walmart Neighborhood Market, all adding stores at a record rate, while Whole Foods Market continues to expand within the market on a measured basis. Newcomers Sprouts Farmers Market and Lidl, a German-based supermarket grocer offering discount items, are set to make market entries between 2016 to 2018, with Food Lion planning to refurbish a number of their stores in the market. Pappas Properties has begun construction on a Harris Teeter at Berewick and Raley Miller in a joint venture with Levine Properties, and has filed a rezoning petition to add another Harris Teeter at the corner of Fairview and Providence. Harris Teeter has recently added a store in Cornelius, as has Publix. Publix has recently opened a new store in the booming South End submarket located along the transit line on South Boulevard and has won zoning approval for a store to be constructed at Cotswold. A grocer is also rumored to be scouting a redevelopment …

September 14, 2015

Market Reports Multifamily North Carolina Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Charlotte’s Uptown, South End Set Pace for City’s Apartment Development Activity

by John Nelson September 7, 2015

Lately, Charlotte seems to have more of everything: jobs, residents, young people — all of which has driven more demand for quality multifamily properties in urban neighborhoods with multiple lifestyle amenities. Renters’ desire for parks, transit options and walkable access to work, culture, and entertainment has led Charlotte’s Uptown/South End region to become the fastest-growing apartment submarket in the nation, according to a study by MPF Research. Since the recession, Uptown/South End has experienced a period of remarkable growth in the multifamily market, and has seen an 82 percent increase in units since 2012, the study says. Overall, renter-occupied units make up just over two-fifths, or 40 percent, of the city’s housing market, a percentage that is already higher than the national average and anticipated to increase. As more properties are built, Charlotte’s 5.1 percent vacancy rate is likely to increase over the long term, but demand is expected to remain strong as the city’s dynamic economy and population continue to grow. The area’s population is set to increase about 2 percent annually over the next five years, far outpacing the country’s overall rate of 0.75 percent. Much of that is due to an influx of well-educated, younger people moving …

September 7, 2015

Market Reports North Carolina Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Charlotte’s Industrial Market Rides Wave of Absorption, Development

by John Nelson August 31, 2015

The Charlotte industrial market is extremely well-regarded by most national investors, with consistent rent growth, strong occupancy and increasing values. The fourth quarter of 2014 revealed the third-highest annual net absorption ever recorded in the Charlotte industrial market, continuing a pattern of growth that began in the fourth quarter of 2010. This continued recovery can be directly attributed to a combination of restrained development, expansions by existing space users, an influx of new companies and increased economic stability. Due primarily to geographic constraints and a high demand for land by all types of developers, there is a limited supply of large tracts suitable for industrial developments, which protects the value of existing properties. Air Support Industrial tenants are drawn to Charlotte for its strategic location along I-85 between Atlanta and the Mid-Atlantic states, as well as proximity to the Carolinas, southern Virginia and eastern Tennessee. Quality buildings are available at competitive prices in the region. Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) continues to be a significant economic development driver, and Charlotte’s distribution network will be further enhanced by Norfolk Southern’s intermodal terminal recently completed on 230 acres adjacent to CLT. The terminal will include two loading tracks totaling 9,056 feet, eight …

August 31, 2015

Market Reports North Carolina Office Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Population Growth, Affordability Push Charlotte Office Market to New Heights

by John Nelson August 24, 2015

It’s no secret that the Sunbelt states have been, and continue to be, the front-runners for corporations looking to relocate to cities with a much lower cost of doing business. With each state taking different approaches, North Carolina does not often offer the relocation incentives that can be found in states such as South Carolina and Texas. Instead, North Carolina favors a system that offers less up-front cash incentives, but tries to offset that with a tax structure and business-friendly climate in an effort to compete for the large, attractive relocations. Because of this, the catalyst for growth in Charlotte has only been moderately associated with the recruitment of out-of-market users looking to relocate headquarters to more affordable and attractive markets. In large part, Charlotte’s growth has been driven by organic growth of existing businesses. In fact, more than 70 percent of the positive absorption in the central business district (CBD) since 2010 has occurred through organic growth. This expansion of existing business has provided for employment growth conditions that work hand-in-hand with the rapidly swelling population. In between new-to-market relocations that provide headline-grabbing bursts of employment, the diverse and impressive growth of Charlotte’s existing companies has attracted talent and …

August 24, 2015

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