Texas Market Reports

Fort Worth Rises on Multifamily Investors’ Radars

by Taylor Williams March 24, 2020

The U.S. economy’s continued expansion, combined with the migration of people from high-tax states in the Northeast and California, bodes well for multifamily real estate investment in metros across the Southeast and Texas. Many cities in the so-called “Sun Belt” will continue to experience strong demand for apartments thanks to the low cost of living and new jobs stemming from corporate investment across the region. The Fort Worth market has been a beneficiary of all of these dynamics, and there are a plethora of compelling reasons why multifamily investors are eager to invest in the Panther City. Population Boom Fort Worth’s population has seen considerable expansion over the past decade, serving as a catalyst for Texas to become a leader in this key fundamental. U.S. Census Bureau data shows that from 2010 to 2018, Texas led the nation in population growth with over 3.5 million new residents, 1 million of which moved to the DFW area between 2010 and 2019. Just this past year alone, Texas continued to be a national leader in population growth, with Tarrant County coming in at No. 3 for total new out-of-state residents, according to the Texas Association of Realtors®. In terms of how this …

March 24, 2020

Market Reports Office Texas Texas Market Reports

Population Boom Spurs Momentum in Fort Worth’s Office Market

by Taylor Williams March 20, 2020

These days, one of the most widely-shared facts about Texas’ economy is the fact that the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex adds about 360 new residents per day. But a lesser-known part of that statistic involves the fact that Fort Worth is experiencing a faster rate of population growth than Dallas. According to U.S. Census data, Fort Worth was the third fastest-growing city in the country from 2012 to 2017. In 2018, Fort Worth gained 20,000 new residents, compared to just 2,000 new Dallasites. According to the latest information from the U.S. Census Bureau, Cowtown is now the 13th-most populous city in the United States, having surpassed San Francisco and Columbus, Ohio, to reach a total of 895,000 residents. On the heels of all that population growth has come a rapidly expanding local economy. Census data shows that Fort Worth saw more than a 21 percent increase in its population of employed residents in the five years leading up to 2017. This growth enabled Fort Worth to become the third-fastest-growing U.S. job market. Part of Fort Worth’s appeal is the fact that it has a diverse employment base, with growth in medicine, manufacturing and warehousing/distribution being especially pronounced during this cycle. …

March 20, 2020

Industrial Market Reports Texas Texas Market Reports

As Industrial Booms in Metroplex, Fort Worth Carves Out A Distinct Niche

by Taylor Williams March 17, 2020

Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) has been among the top metros for industrial development and investment alike, with net absorption and leasing rates holding strong for the past several years. With the bulk of industrial development in DFW being big box product over 100,000 square feet, there’s been minimal development of smaller assets. So far in 2020, roughly 4.3 million industrial square feet has gone under construction in the metroplex. Approximately 10 percent (362,000 square feet) of that total centers on industrial projects under 100,000 square feet — the result of higher construction costs for smaller assets that don’t justify market rents. Current market rents do not satisfy yield requirements for developers to construct smaller assets. However, the general investment outlook for existing smaller industrial product is much more secure due to minimal new competing properties. Roughly 15 million square feet, or 40 percent of North Texas’s industrial pipeline, sits within five miles of DFW International Airport or Fort Worth Alliance Airport, according to CoStar. Approximately 3.3 million square feet of new product is expected to come on line by the second quarter in the DFW Airport region. Over half of the 30.9 million square feet of product under construction in DFW …

March 17, 2020

Market Reports Retail Texas Texas Market Reports

Fort Worth Retail Market Displays Benefits of Natural Growth

by Taylor Williams March 13, 2020

When I talk to out-of-staters about Texas, they often think I mean “Dallas” when discussing the Metroplex as a whole. That’s when I explain how important the Fort Worth market is to our thriving and healthy Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) retail scene. Weitzman, which operates offices in Texas’ major markets, has handled development, leasing and management in the Fort Worth market since our founding 30 years ago. Today, the Fort Worth area is home to some of the state’s most robust residential, commercial and cultural growth. In terms of retail, our most recent market survey shows that as of January 2020, Fort Worth’s retail market is about as healthy as it’s ever been. The Fort Worth-area market, which we’ll call Fort Worth for the sake of simplicity, largely encompasses Tarrant County. Today, Fort Worth reports a total multi-tenant retail inventory of 62.8 million square feet. As a reference, that figure accounts for about a third of the entire DFW retail market inventory, which clocks in at just over 200 million square feet. Fort Worth’s occupancy rate is around 93 percent, a healthy rate on par with the Dallas area’s occupancy. In terms of subcategories of retail product, the numbers of Fort …

March 13, 2020

Market Reports Multifamily Texas Texas Market Reports

Margins Moderate for Multifamily Developers in Dallas-Fort Worth

by Taylor Williams February 28, 2020

Multifamily developers in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex in 2020 expect to see a slightly slower pace of rent growth brought on by record levels of new supply in recent years. This trend, paired with higher costs of adding features that distinguish properties from their competition, could lead to slightly more modest profit margins for multifamily developers. According to the latest data from CoStar Group, the average rate of multifamily rent growth in DFW between 2015 and 2019 was roughly 3.5 percent, skewed in part by a massive annual gain of 6.1 percent in 2015 and 3.9 percent in 2016. The citywide vacancy rate compressed below 7 percent in those two years, leading to an even more pronounced building boom. Since then, annual rent growth has maintained the current projection of 2 to 3 percent, with gains in the Class B space outpacing those of Class A product, a classification that captures virtually all new construction outside of purpose-built affordable housing. During the five-year period ending in 2019, nearly 110,000 new units were delivered in DFW, with annual supply growth as a percentage of total inventory topping 10 percent in some years. The new year purports to be the first …

February 28, 2020

Industrial Market Reports Texas Texas Market Reports

DFW Industrial Market Poised for More Growth in 2020

by Taylor Williams February 21, 2020

The Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) real estate market is remarkable. In a recent meeting with a broker from another market, he made the observation: “You guys in Texas are like a country unto yourself. It’s not that you don’t know there are 49 other states, you just don’t care!” While that was a bit of an exaggeration, the point was well taken. Certainly DFW is not immune to national affairs and recessions, but the market appears to have enough momentum to carry through 2020, though the uncertainty of the presidential election could cause a few users and buyers to pause before making decisions. In 2016, as Global President for the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR), I travelled throughout North America and Europe. Continually meeting with SIOR brokers in other markets gave me unique perspective on how DFW really does compare to the rest. The leasing and absorption activity far outweigh most other markets, making it an enviable location. Texas will always be a magnet for businesses as long as it retains a pro-business state of mind: Texas is a central part of the country and a right-to-work state with no state income tax, among other attractive incentives. Oftentimes, as …

February 21, 2020

Market Reports Multifamily Texas Texas Market Reports

How Austin’s Growth Creates Opportunities for Multifamily Developers, Investors

by Taylor Williams February 18, 2020

With its unique culture, relatively low cost of living, warm weather and booming economy, Austin has emerged as one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States. As more people and companies flock to this vibrant city, the multifamily real estate market looks primed for growth from both a development and investment perspective. At its core, this real estate potential lies in the fact that the housing supply needs to keep up with a growing population of workers. According to the Austin Board of Realtors (AboR), in October 2019, the number of homes sold reached new highs, while the inventory of single-family homes reached new lows. As this gap shows, and as ABoR notes in its report, housing demand is outpacing housing stock, particularly in areas close to major employers and transit options. To remedy this problem, multifamily developers and investors can step in to build multi-unit buildings throughout Austin. Adding multifamily buildings can help tackle the housing shortage much faster than building more single-family homes, and many newcomers to Austin are young, well-paid professionals looking to rent apartments in exciting urban neighborhoods. As such, developers and investors can look to add more units in both existing high-density areas that …

February 18, 2020

Industrial Market Reports Texas Texas Market Reports

Population Growth Will Continue to Fuel Austin Industrial Market in Coming Years

by Taylor Williams February 14, 2020

When real estate professionals contemplate the nation’s top industrial markets, Austin is not the first market to come to mind. Bigger and more established markets like Dallas, California’s Inland Empire, Chicago and Houston are often the newsmakers with tens of millions of square feet of industrial product under construction and tenants routinely signing deals for million square foot-plus deals. Austin has been mostly known and admired for its office market and tech-forward economy, gaining notoriety circa 2000 with the tech boom and exploding in growth over the last five years with expansions and commitments from Apple, Google, Facebook, Indeed, Amazon, Oracle, Charles Schwab and Expedia. However, Austin’s emergence as one of the nation’s best cities to live in with ample opportunities for high-paying employment has resulted in astounding population growth — one of the biggest drivers for industrial real estate. As the population expands so does demand for goods and materials that are stored in warehouse buildings, and the Austin industrial market will certainly benefit from this trend for the foreseeable future. Per the Texas Demographic Center, the Austin metro population stood at roughly 1.25 million people in 2000. It is anticipated that the metro area will be home to …

February 14, 2020

Market Reports Office Texas Texas Market Reports

As Core Rents Rise, Austin Office Market Welcomes Adaptive Reuse in Suburbs

by Taylor Williams February 11, 2020

It’s no secret that Austin has exploded with jobs and people over the last 10 years, and evidence of the growth has perhaps been most visible in the asking rents for office space. Rental rates in Austin’s most sought-after neighborhoods have essentially doubled since 2010, when major tech firms really began eyeing the state capital for its pro-business climate and supply of educated workers, as well as its high quality of living. Today, we see full-service office rates well above $50 per square foot in the hottest submarkets. According to our data, the average full-service rent in downtown Austin typically ranges from $65 to $69 per square foot. Submarkets like The Domain and East Austin command rates that typically average about $55 and $50 per square foot, respectively, on a full-service basis. These rates include operating expenses which can be between $15 to $25 per foot depending on location, mainly due to property tax increases found in these higher density areas of Austin. While these rates appear to be a smaller issue for the tech giants that drive significant growth among office-using industries in Austin, the rapid rate of appreciation is unquestionably pricing out some users that also need to …

February 11, 2020

Market Reports Retail Texas Texas Market Reports

Entertainment Users in Texas Embrace Flexibility

by Taylor Williams February 7, 2020

Retail landlords want to fill space, especially given that large gluts of it have been returned to market as store closures have accelerated, a move that has coincided with entertainment users that want to expand their footprints. But the logistics of bringing entertainment concepts into retail spaces — particularly vacated junior or big box spaces — are very complicated. This holds particularly true for entertainment concepts that involve movies and bowling. Ceiling heights and column spacing, for example, prevent many spaces from being repurposed cost-effectively for entertainment uses like bowling alleys and theaters. In addition, lease terms for these deals are often based on traditional retail metrics like sales per square foot. According to Howard Samuels, president of California-based advisory and brokerage firm Samuels & Co., there is a strong disconnect between entertainment uses and conventional retail real estate that has yet to fully integrate experiential uses or “location-based entertainment (LBE).” “Entertainment retail as a backfiller of boxes is a misnomer,” says Samuels, whose firm specializes in entertainment transactions. “Those users typically don’t want fixed walls and need higher ceiling heights. Most location-based entertainment concepts are very challenging to design, develop, open and operate. These concepts have very specific criteria …

February 7, 2020

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