Western Market Reports

Portland-Building-Albuquerque-NM

By Jordan Shipley, Associate Broker, Allen Sigmon Real Estate Group Lease rates are up and vacancy is down, two important things all landlords want to hear. For office landlords in New Mexico, these are two promising trends that have continued for the past few quarters to round out 2019. Average asking rates in Albuquerque came in at $18.76 per square foot, full service, according to Collier’s fourth-quarter 2019 Albuquerque office market report. Colliers also noted this was the first time average market rates have stayed above $18 per square foot for three consecutive quarters. This is currently the highest-recorded asking rate on record for the market. Office users that are relocating are shrinking their overall space with fewer hard-wall offices and more collaborative work areas. With this trend comes ability to use tenant improvement money in different ways than simply walling off an office for each employee. Some of this money can now be spent on amenities like coffee bars, modern finishes, and wellness features, such as showers for those who bike to work or exercise at lunch. Collaboration is also extending beyond the demising walls of the office space as mixed-use projects become more popular. Winrock Town Center and Uptown Tower, two …

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2130-Violet-St-Los-Angeles-CA

By Chandler A. Larsen, Principal, Avison Young This year started off where 2019 finished for the Los Angeles office property sector – and that’s red hot! During the first two and a half months of the year, office space absorption was on pace to beat 2019. Rents were steadily increasing past $39.84 per square foot on an annual gross basis, record-high (psf) sales prices were recorded across product types and rising construction costs were complemented by a construction pipeline of more than 8 million square feet of office space. Suddenly, by mid-March, COVID-19 had taken hold in the U.S. and abruptly halted all the momentum the Los Angeles office sector had built up. However, the emergency interest rate cuts proposed by central banks across the globe have flooded markets with liquidity, helping to avoid contagion throughout the financial sector. This, in conjunction with the $170 billion in commercial investor relief included in the current stimulus package, points to the potential for a short downturn. Nevertheless, the jury is still out on just how long and how deep this slowdown will be as previously unimaginable unemployment numbers continue to be reported and economic forecasts are trending in the wrong direction. In …

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Juan-Tabo-Plaza-Albuquerque-NM

By George Chronis, Senior Advisor, SVN/Walt Arnold Commercial Brokerage New Mexico retail has been negatively impacted by the state’s stay-at-home order due to the coronavirus. The retail industry was looking pretty promising with robust sales and leasing activity in 2019 and at the beginning of 2020 – New Mexico included. I thought we were off to a good start with several developments near completion, several in progress and several more to begin in 2020.  The full economic impact of shuttering our economy for two months or more won’t be known for quite some time. General retail, gyms, restaurants and soft good retailers have been hit the hardest. I have recently consulted with landlords, tenants and developers who have active projects throughout the state. Developers and landlords in the Permian Basin have been hit especially hard by a double whammy. This includes New Mexico’s stay-at-home order, which was compounded by lower global demand for crude oil and the price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia. We shall see who emerges and reopens for business when the stay-at-home order is lifted. There will be some opportunities to expand for those who still have strong financial positions after all this passes. Many landlords …

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19400-19302-S-Laurel-Park-Rd-LA-CA

By Kurt Strasmann, Executive Managing Director, CBRE Industrial properties have been in high demand in recent years both nationally and, particularly, in Southern California and the Greater Los Angeles area. Our region is a strategic hub for goods coming from all over the world, especially Asia, and boasts the necessary infrastructure to store and deliver product regionally and throughout the nation. Greater LA is also a major consumer hub. About 50 percent of product coming through the LA and Long Beach ports remains in the region. Our first-quarter numbers emphasize LA’s strong industrial fundamentals prior to COVID-19 taking effect. These numbers have put the market in a strong position to weather the recession, which we expect to be short. The 1.7 percent overall vacancy rate in the first quarter represented the limited supply and high demand for industrial space within the region. The diverse tenant base has created further market resiliency with occupiers in logistics, food and beverage, entertainment, manufacturing and a broad array of other industries. Going forward during these extraordinary times, we do anticipate an increase in vacancies and decreasing tenant leasing activity through at least the fourth quarter.  Until we return to a more normalized state, we need …

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Facebook-Data-Center-Los-Lunas-New-Mexico

By Riley McKee, Advisor, NAI Maestas & Ward If summarized in one word, New Mexico’s industrial real estate market can best be described as undersupplied. Steady increases in demand, combined with a dearth of new construction, have resulted in record-low vacancy rates in Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Santa Fe – the state’s primary metropolitan areas. A string of noteworthy projects are underway in Albuquerque. Food products supplier Ben E. Keith Foods is building a 260,000-square-foot regional headquarters and distribution center to service markets throughout the region. FedEx Freight recently opened a 95,000-square-foot distribution center strategically positioned on a 50-acre site to expedite planned expansions. Brunacini Development, the city’s largest industrial landlord, just completed a 140,000-square-foot multi-tenant distribution center anchored by Bunzl, a London-based food packaging distributor. Finally, and perhaps most notably, nuclear energy firm Kairos Power acquired an 110,000-square-foot research and development facility after a nationwide site selection process. It plans to expand the facility, which sits on 35 acres, as part of an incentive package with the state. Las Cruces is seeing strong development activity as well, specifically in Santa Teresa, an international Port of Entry that sits 21 miles south of the city. W. Silver Recycling, which processes …

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Skyline-Canyon-Apts-Reno-NV

By Kenneth Blomsterberg, Senior Managing Director of Investments, Marcus & Millichap Reno recorded robust job creation last year. This was bolstered by corporate growth at the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center in Sparks, which houses Tesla’s Gigafactory, Apple and Switch data centers, in addition to a collection of fulfillment and distribution centers. The standout pace of employment growth supported the strongest rates of net migration and household formation this cycle, increasing local housing demand. With an average mortgage payment for a single-family home hovering around $2,100 per month throughout last year, leasing was the preferred choice among new residents despite rapidly rising rents across all apartment classes. In response, developers finalized 1,350 units in 2019, building on the 1,400 rentals delivered in 2018. Completions during the two-year span were concentrated in southern Reno neighborhoods and Sparks. These are areas where new supply has been well received, evidenced by the submarkets’ low 4 and mid-4 percent Class A vacancy rates as we entered 2020. Investors were also active during the past 12 months, motivated by solid economic growth and historically tight Class C vacancy. Significant demand was registered from outside value-add investors, with California-based buyers accounting for roughly half of total deal flow. …

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Fourth-Street-Distribution-Center-Rancho-Cucamonga-CA

By David Burback, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Kidder Mathews A 1.4-million-square-foot distribution center in Rancho Cucamonga that was formerly owned by Big Lots, recently sold for $48 per square foot on the land value. The new owner plans to replace the existing building with a new state-of-the-art distribution center. By every metric, the Inland Empire continues to be the national leader in the industrial real estate sector. The area enjoys the advantage of being just 40 minutes from the two largest and most active ports in the country.  Driven by the strategic expansion of supply chains and the rapid emergence of ecommerce, the Inland Empire remains the most robust industrial market in the country. Annual new construction is approaching 25 million square feet, and the absorption of space is in equal proportion. Rents have increased by 65 percent, sales prices have increased by 80 percent and land prices have more than doubled over the past five years, according to our research. There seems to be some moderation from these double-digit, year-over-year increases as we move into 2020. Yet, the market remains active on all fronts – user, developer and investor alike. The most active sector of the industrial …

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Skypointe Office Project, Reno, Nevada

By Scott Shanks, principal, Dickson Commercial Group The Reno/Sparks office market is in a unique position: caught in the throes of a rapidly expanding commercial marketplace and aided by an ever-increasing population base. The most vibrant commercial real estate sectors in our area are industrial and multifamily, and they have been for decades. The office market is also seeing new companies, new developers and new buildings. For the first time in many years, we will see a true speculative office development begin construction this summer. McKenzie Properties will be going vertical with its Skypointe development. Tolles Development Company is in the middle of completing its Rancharrah project, which contains 64,000 square feet of retail space and 36,000 square feet of office space. Last, but certainly not least, Reno Land Inc. and its partner Lyon Living have started the first phase of their Park Lane development, a 46-acre, master-planned development that will include office, retail and multifamily. This new development shows the Reno/Sparks area is on the move, and fast. The area provides for a quality of life that is difficult to find when combining Lake Tahoe, the Sierra Nevada mountains and the Truckee River, which bifurcates the city. In comparison …

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3200-E-Guasti-Road-Ontario-CA

An hour east of downtown Los Angeles, the Inland Empire office market contains about 25 million square feet of office product in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. This market has undergone tremendous growth over 10 years, and a more diverse stable of occupiers has moved in since the area was decimated by the housing crisis of 2007. At times overlooked, the Inland Empire’s office market is more than just the low-cost alternative to Southern California’s LA and Orange counties. With a sector vacancy rate of just 9 percent (lower than neighboring submarkets) the Inland Empire’s economic engine is supporting one of the fastest job growth areas in the country over the past decade, boasting an unemployment rate of only 3.6 percent. The fourth quarter of 2019 witnessed the first speculative general office building development in more than eight years. Average asking rates have also increased to $2.05 per square foot, the highest level since 2009. With sustained positive absorption and continued rising rental rates, this area has shifted to become a landlord market over the past couple years and, with this, concessions will continue to evaporate. Education and health services, government, and professional and business services have all seen recent …

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Reno’s industrial real estate market has kept a jaw-dropping pace over the winter months. The fourth quarter of 2019 saw record-setting gross absorption numbers for any quarter at 3.34 million square feet with 10 transactions above 100,000 square feet. This amount of activity so late in 2019 typically suggests a slow start to the new year. However, activity seems to have picked up steam, as many users are considering new growth in Reno/Sparks. As a whole, 2019 was a fruitful year for industrial real estate. The market continues to draw attention for its West Coast distribution fundamentals and pro-business environment from tenants, developers and investors. Developers constructed 3.5 million square feet of industrial product, split almost equally between speculative and build-to-suit construction. About 17 million square feet of our 90-million-square-foot market changed hands at market-low cap rates to industrial investment groups. This included many groups that were new to the market, as well as several existing groups doubling down in Northern Nevada. Inventory remains the primary concern for tenants and developers as we come into 2020. With some minor caveats, new construction is getting absorbed as quickly as it is brought to the market. Given the strong start to 2020, …

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