Texas Market Reports

Trade and politics are nothing new for El Paso, Texas and its sister city Ciudad (Cd.) Juarez, Mexico. The history of the region is rooted in the interrelationship between two countries, three states and a trading route that originally ran from Mexico City to Santa Fe along the Camino Real. Today, international trade and political fights from elsewhere still have a considerable influence on what locals are talking about. But the regional industrial market continues to thrive by staying well below the radar. Despite concerns of imminent steel tariffs, restructuring of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the construction of an expanded border wall, the regional industrial economy keeps humming along, bringing the real estate market along with it. For industrial real estate tenants, the lure of a globally competitive workforce in Cd. Juarez and a link to the U.S. transportation infrastructure in El Paso makes this region a beacon for industrial users across the world. Triangle of Trade Take a two-hour drive along the loop highway circling El Paso, Cd. Juarez and Santa Teresa, New Mexico, and you will find an eye-opening list of international companies with industrial footprints. Foxconn from Taiwan, Polygroup from China, Bosch from Germany …

Seaports are often considered the economic engines of the markets they occupy. So when a port is increasing its business and handling more product, that growth is usually accompanied by a spike in industrial development in the surrounding metro areas. Such is the case in Texas, a state where port activity encompasses more than 1.5 million jobs and $360 billion in economic impact, according to the Texas Ports Association. The organization also states that the value of product passing through Texas ports currently represents approximately 25 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) of Texas and 6.4 percent of GDP for the United States. Overall volumes of maritime commerce are also on the rise following the completion of the Panama Canal expansion, a $5.4 billion project that wrapped in 2016. Ships and their cargoes are getting larger while the logistics of distribution are calling for faster delivery. Times are changing, and Texas ports are changing with them. The passing of the Water Resources and Development Act in 2016 has cleared the way for major improvements and expansion projects to occur on America’s rivers and harbors. And while industrial development is on the rise at and around the Ports of Beaumont, …

As the retail sector continues to adapt and evolve to meet consumer demand for e-commerce and next-day or same-day delivery, industrial real estate will hold its place in 2018 as the top-ranked property sector. The property type has held this title for the past four years, according to the annual Emerging Trends in Real Estate study, conducted by PwC and the Urban Land Institute. The growth of e-commerce has been so rapid that the demand for industrial warehouse space has far outpaced supply in most markets for years. However, Emerging Trends also indicates that supply and demand began to come into balance in 2017 and will continue to do so in 2018. That balance gives users the opportunity to pay for industrial spaces that better suits their needs, as new buildings with increased technology and other amenities are popping up in prime areas. The growth of e-commerce has also created new demand for properties that were previously considered Class B and C industrial buildings, particularly those located along the “last mile” to consumers in urban areas. Basic Stats & Trends Current demand for industrial real estate in San Antonio is highly diverse. According to the latest report from REOC San …

The story of industrial real estate today, at least in terms of national media coverage, centers around compressing cap rates and the steady stream of capital flowing into the sector. But in Austin — the kid brother of two major industrial markets, Dallas and Houston — the story over the past 12 months has been the large increase in the volume of industrial construction. Austin delivered 3.1 million square feet of industrial product in 2017, a 55 percent increase over the total space delivered during the previous year. Throughout the past year, the metro also trailed the national average in industrial vacancy, net absorption and percent change in rental rates from 2016 to 2017. Many developers that broke ground during one of the healthiest periods in Austin’s industrial history are now delivering space at a time when the Austin economy is starting to cool. Employers have found themselves in a more competitive environment, with annual job growth slowing to sub-3 percent levels and the unemployment rate reaching numbers not seen since the dot-com boom. Market Evolution Austin’s recent industrial performance should not be seen as cause for alarm, but rather as an opportunity to understand the changing mindset of the …