Texas Market Reports

United States’ 16th Largest City Continues Fast Growth Post-Recession

by Haisten Willis August 21, 2015

As the 16th largest city in the United States and one of the fastest growing metro markets, Fort Worth is consistently a hot market in Texas and hasn’t slowed down post-recession. The current retail market is showing a low vacancy rate of 6.5 percent along with increasing rental rates. Surprisingly, these rates have not slowed leasing activity. Instead, the combination of increasing rates and dwindling vacancies have spurred new development. In years past, Fort Worth has been seen as a secondary market to Dallas, but with its strong economy and high returns, the city is now able to stand on its own. Fort Worth is seeing a lot of capital being tossed around the market. With a strong economy and low operations costs, money is pouring in from all angles, including from out-of-state and international investors. California, New York and overseas investors are beginning to recognize the stability of the city and the potential for stronger returns, and are aggressively starting to pursue opportunities here. For example, Iowa-based Lockard Development is in the process of expanding its Walmart anchored Renaissance Square power center at Berry Street and Hwy 287 in East Fort Worth to include more national credit tenants. Lockard …

August 21, 2015

Industrial Market Reports Office Retail Texas Texas Market Reports

Dynamic, Fast Growth Comes to the Four-County Area of ‘Rio South Texas’

by Haisten Willis August 7, 2015

It’s safe to say that the Rio Grande Valley, now also referred to as Rio South Texas, is one of the most dynamic and fastest growing regions in the state. The four-county region at the southernmost tip of Texas bordering Mexico and hugging the Gulf of Mexico consists of Hidalgo, Cameron, Starr and Willacy counties. With nine ports of entry, five international airports, a first-class deep water port, a population of over 1.2 million and three interstates, it is easy to see why the Rio Grande Valley is one of the largest trade corridors in the world. Growth in all aspects, including retail, office, medical, education, industrial and housing, brought nearly $700 million in construction permits for all of 2014. Retail Sales tax revenue being sent back to the cities continues to increase at a healthy pace. Walmart’s opening of 12 new stores in the region affirms the positive growth and the confidence in the valley. The impact a Super Walmart has is evident with a city’s sales tax revenue. Two new stores in Donna and Elsa increased local sales tax revenue 14 percent and 57 percent, respectively. Retail sales in the region continue to rise, showing the strength of …

August 7, 2015

Market Reports Multifamily Texas Texas Market Reports

Why San Antonio’s Multifamily, Corporate Housing Markets are Hot, Stable

by Haisten Willis July 24, 2015

San Antonio, despite being the second largest city in Texas by population, sometimes takes a back seat to the Lone Star State’s other booming metro areas. The city might not have the energy of Houston, the weirdness of Austin or the Cowboys of Dallas, but more than 1.4 million people call the Alamo City home, and businesses are starting to take notice. San Antonio has added more than 300,000 residents since 2000, and a reasonable cost of living makes it an attractive city for workers young and old. The city continues to experience strong corporate growth and increased tourism activity, which is bringing more jobs to the city. San Antonio’s unemployment rate of 3.8 percent sits well below the national rate of 5.5 percent, and is also below Texas’ unemployment rate of 4.2 percent. Texas is the home of oil, and recent price uncertainty has made some investors worry about the state’s big cities. But there’s no worry in San Antonio: While new oil and gas production from the Eagle Ford Shale south of the city is expanding and having a positive impact on the region, the presence of energy-related businesses in San Antonio represents only one sector of the …

July 24, 2015

Market Reports Retail Texas Texas Market Reports

Texas’ Best Kept Secret is Out as San Marcos Draws Local, National Investors

by Haisten Willis July 17, 2015

Despite headwinds from the oil and energy industries’ latest moves, cities throughout Texas continue to boom. Austin and San Antonio have, in recent years, led the charge. However, one city situated along Interstate 35 between those powerhouses is emerging out of its sleepy college town roots and drawing attention from local and national investors. Once the primary destination for weeklong vacation shopping excursions to the country’s fourth largest outlet mall, San Marcos is quickly moving up the ranks. Recently named the fastest growing city in the U.S. by the Census Bureau for the third year in a row, it’s clear that one of Texas’ best kept secrets is out. Spec properties dot the landscape, fueled by the increasing demand for housing, hotels and industrial space, and are often leased before construction has completed. The economic forces driving the city’s growth are many. It is located on the I-35 Regional Growth Corridor between Austin and San Antonio with nearby access to I-10, toll road SH 130, as well as two international airports.It’s home to Texas State University, with more than 36,000 students, and rapidly gaining a reputation for its engineering, materials science and biotech programs. It is home to Tanger’s outlet …

July 17, 2015

Industrial Market Reports Texas Texas Market Reports

Healthy Demand Jumpstarts Construction Activity in Dallas Industrial Market

by Haisten Willis July 10, 2015

The Dallas/Fort Worth industrial market is one of the biggest and most strategically important in North America. With an inventory of more than 500 million square feet of warehouse and distribution space, the DFW industrial market serves a metro area of 6.8 million people and a larger region that stretches to Mexico. More than 70 percent of goods exported to Mexico roll through the metro area, and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has been a huge driver of those exports. These days, the industrial market is buoyed by a local economy that is outpacing most of the nation’s major metros. In March, Dallas/Fort Worth registered an unemployment rate of 4 percent, compared to 5.9 percent in Atlanta, 6 percent in New York, 6.4 percent in Chicago and 6.6 percent in Los Angeles, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The GDP also grew by a healthy 2.2 percent in 2014. Dallas/Fort Worth’s economic momentum has heightened demand for industrial space. The first quarter of 2015 marked the 18th consecutive quarter of positive absorption, according to CBRE. The DFW industrial market has been among the top five markets in absorption over the past several years, and this impressive …

July 10, 2015

Industrial Market Reports Texas Texas Market Reports

The Emergence of South Dallas

by Haisten Willis June 19, 2015

The South Dallas industrial submarket has emerged and is here to stay. As one of the hottest up-and-coming industrial submarkets, South Dallas has all the components to continue to thrive for the foreseeable future. For the last five years, South Dallas has been a basin for major industrial development. Located south of downtown, the well-positioned submarket provides several key logistical advantages. The convergence of several major arteries makes South Dallas an ideal distribution market, and the ability to import, store and export goods, particularly from Mexico, California and the Port of Houston, greatly benefits the area. Supply can easily move along I-20 or I-35 while avoiding some of the worst congestion of the DFW Metroplex. This infrastructure, coupled with intermodal access, allows for a faster and more efficient transport of goods. Additionally, unlike the other major industrial submarkets, South Dallas contains an abundance of land at favorable pricing. Since early 2010, South Dallas has dominated the market in terms of new construction. It has been the fastest growing submarket, accounting for over 25 percent of the total delivered construction in the entire Metroplex in the last five years. Historically, South Dallas has been considered a big box market. The latest …

June 19, 2015

Market Reports Office Texas Texas Market Reports

Las Colinas, Far North Dallas And Richardson/Plano Stand Out in Hot Market

by Haisten Willis June 5, 2015

Dallas/Fort Worth has experienced unprecedented growth over the past few years, and we have all the fundamentals in place to continue this growth. Since 2005, we have added more than 600,000 jobs to the region. That’s a whopping increase of 21 percent! The current outlook is for growth to continue at these levels. In fact, by 2030 population in our region is expected to hit 9 million, an increase of 2.1 million new residents. From a real estate perspective, these fundamentals will fuel demand across all property types for the foreseeable future. More importantly, DFW has evolved into one of the most balanced economies in the U.S. and has created the “perfect storm” for our continued, steady growth. In addition to our central location, key drivers include our diverse employment base, deep roots in technology, low cost of doing business, pro-growth philosophy and affordable housing. For a comparison to the rest of the country, office absorption in Dallas has paced ahead of most U.S. markets in the last few years. In the first quarter of 2015, Dallas made up almost 30 percent of the national net absorption among the 50 largest U.S. markets JLL tracks. While a large proportion of …

June 5, 2015

Market Reports Mixed-Use Texas Texas Market Reports

Smart Code Helps El Paso Develop for the Future

by Haisten Willis May 29, 2015

In March 2012 The El Paso City Council unanimously adopted Plan El Paso, a comprehensive development plan based on the principles of green and smart growth. Smart Code, which is based on these same princples, was largely chosen to combat sprawl, large land use and carbon pollution. After numerous citywide meetings with citizens, government entities, nonprofit groups and business leaders, the plan moved forward. Smart Code emphasizes new urbanism, density, walkability, mixed-use development and open space with access to public transit. Developers have the choice in most instances to pick the traditional zoning code or opt for Smart Code. The Smart Code offers potential Chapter 380 economic incentives with city council approval. Sales, use and property tax abatements are available for qualified projects. Higher densities and higher property values through Smart Code generate greater taxes, which justify the rebates. Some developers say project costs are about 30 percent higher under Smart Code when compared to the traditional code. Smart Code typically makes the most sense for infill development in higher-income areas. Prior to the economic downturn of 2008, a large mixed-use development in northeast El Paso was slated to become the first project in the city to implement elements of …

May 29, 2015

Market Reports Office Texas Texas Market Reports

Demand for Energy, and Houston Office Product, Will Remain

by Haisten Willis May 22, 2015

The real estate capital markets are a funny thing — one minute you’re up and the next you’re down. The debt market starts making investors bring more equity to the table, reserves tied to energy-related tenancy are mandated, the four-letter word “recourse” is thrown around and more scrutiny is placed on every detail. No one wants to be laughed out of a committee meeting for trying to push through a multi-million dollar loan on an office building in the Energy Capital of the World. The same holds true in the equity market. Return requirements that fluctuate along the risk/return spectrum haven’t changed, but underwriting scrutiny has. Market rent growth has been scaled back or even gone negative, energy-related tenancy is being given a lower retention ratio or being downsized, downstream tenancy is more favorable than upstream tenancy, mark-to-market value-add strategies have been replaced with income preservation strategies, etc. Individually, these various reactions in the debt and equity market don’t have a huge impact on values. Combined, they have a material impact. You would think that this environment would bring about great opportunities for investors with a long-term, bullish view on Houston’s office market. Instead, most owners will be patient, electing …

May 22, 2015

Industrial Market Reports Texas Texas Market Reports

World’s Third Busiest Airport Drives Growth, Economic Development in Texas

by Haisten Willis May 15, 2015

Texas has been a beacon of light during our country’s recent bout of recession. No doubt, this has to do with our business-friendly regulations and the physical space and capacity for business growth. Our economy is growing stronger every day. This past March, the United States Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) released the latest employment numbers, and Regional Commissioner Stanley W. Suchman pointed out that the Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) area ranked first in the rate of job growth and third in the number of jobs added among the country’s largest metropolitan areas. DFW’s largest growth last year was in the professional and business services sector, as 33,000 jobs were added. Other growth sectors included trade, transportation and utilities (30,500 jobs), education and health services (19,200 jobs), and leisure and hospitality (17,300 jobs). It is hard to open the business section of the morning paper anymore without seeing news of a company relocating to the DFW Metroplex, bringing along the promise of thousands of jobs. As a result, commercial real estate is booming in north Texas. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is an important force behind Texas’ growth and a contributor to one of the nation’s most prosperous and vital economies. …

May 15, 2015

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