Western Market Reports

The Changing Face of the Inland Empire Office Market

by Jeff Shaw May 11, 2020

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 …

May 11, 2020

Industrial Market Reports Nevada Western Western Market Reports

Reno’s Industrial Market Remains In Demand

by Jeff Shaw May 6, 2020

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, …

May 6, 2020

Colorado Industrial Market Reports Western Western Market Reports

Colorado Springs Industrial Market on Pace for Another Level Year

by Taylor Williams February 15, 2020

The Colorado Springs industrial market has trended positively over the past 10 years. Though it is a very gradual trend, we are now at a point where we anticipate the market to slow or level off. The market will not see a lot of change throughout 2020, though we expect the market to stay positive due to the lack of new construction, high costs, possible hesitancy related to elections and lack of available quality industrial product. The overall vacancy rate for the Colorado Springs industrial market started the year below 7 percent. That rate has dipped lower each quarter, nearing 5 percent at the end of 2019. We foresee room for the rate to continue dropping through 2020, but believe we may see a slight rise in the vacancy rate due to some new construction and existing occupants becoming more efficient with their spaces. This industrial market has not seen the amount of new construction needed over the past two years to keep pace with the high demand the market has experienced. This will impact growth and trends throughout 2020. There was roughly 72,000 square feet of new industrial product under construction during 2019. When it comes to new construction …

February 15, 2020

Colorado Market Reports Multifamily Western Western Market Reports

Colorado Is Experiencing Residential Growth, But Uncertainty Could Temper That

by Taylor Williams February 14, 2020

The past 10 years has brought population growth to Colorado, which many associate with Amendment 64, or the legalization of marijuana, along with an overall flat interest rate. The new issue is whether Colorado can sustain this growth, despite the heavy focus on affordability. So far, however, the state has experienced continued growth in population, income and multifamily sales volume, according to CoStar. Tapestry Segmentation also reports a median household income in the Greater Denver area of $76,094, which is 28 percent higher than the national figure reported by the U.S. Census. The Denver multifamily market is enticing to tenants as many view the option to lease as an easier path than purchasing a home. This, in turn, has enticed investors and developers to build due to demand. Investors also see opportunity in converting apartments to condos when the market shifts. At the same time, there are concerns that the Federal Reserve’s Interest on Excess Reserves (IOER) policy could present uncertainty to the overarching environment. The intention of the IOER policy is to allow banks to have a lower reserve, which is intended to remove the volatility of interest rates. However, many experts are questioning if …

February 14, 2020

Colorado Market Reports Office Western Western Market Reports

Is Class B Office the Big Play for Denver in 2020?

by Taylor Williams February 8, 2020

The Denver office market remains strong. Vacancy continued to compress in 2019 as rental rates and sale prices forged ahead to the highest levels in history, allowing landlords and sellers to remain in control of the market. Class A office transactions accounted for $1.7 billion in office sales in Denver Metro over the past year, versus $1.2 billion of Class B office sales, with average market cap rates of 6.6 percent and 7 percent, respectively. Interestingly enough, vacancy rates are higher in Class A product at 11.7 percent versus 10.1 percent in Class B. Sale prices and rental rates continued to grow in both classes. However, there was a significant difference in rental rate and sale price numbers as Class B lagged by about 20 percent to 25 percent in both categories. With a potential downturn looming, it begs the question, is Class A or Class B office a better long-term value? Considering rental rates and income are a direct derivative of what investors will pay for office buildings, investors must ask themselves whether rental rates are sustainable. It is apparent that the “chase” for the cool, hip, new Class A office is real, but the question is whether Class …

February 8, 2020

Colorado Hospitality Market Reports Western Western Market Reports

Colorado Hotel Market Fundamentals Remain Stable Despite Increased Construction Activity

by Taylor Williams February 7, 2020

Strong gains in population and travel spending highlight Colorado as an increasingly popular place to work and visit, boosting demand for hotel rooms in the state. Leisure travel spending has climbed by 28.9 percent over the past five years, surpassing $22 billion in 2018. More than half of those funds were spent on commercial lodging. Business travel is also bolstered by companies either entering or expanding in the state. These demand factors translate to hotel occupancy and revenue metrics that have consistently exceeded the national average since 2014. Colorado’s November annual average occupancy rate rose 90 basis points year over year to 68.1 percent, compared with the national metric that held flat at about 66.2 percent. Colorado’s annual average RevPAR grew 3.8 percent over that same span, more than triple the U.S. pace, to $98.48. Robust gains in both occupancy and RevPAR demonstrate how demand for Colorado hotel rooms has outpaced numerous supply additions. The state’s inventory of hotel rooms has expanded by about 13 percent over the past five years, with 4,226 hotel rooms under construction. More than half of the keys underway will be delivered in Denver and Colorado Springs. Notable new projects in the Denver metro include …

February 7, 2020

California Market Reports Western Western Market Reports

The Creative Trend Continues in Orange County

by Taylor Williams February 1, 2020

Orange County continues to be a diverse marketplace for commercial real estate as we reflect back on 2019. Thanks to a growing and varied workforce made up of highly skilled and educated workers — with tech and life sciences at the forefront of transactions — the county’s economy remains strong. Looking ahead, Orange County’s local market is very resilient, despite the fact that economy leasing volume has slowed as tenants are focusing on space-efficient decisions. This market continues to remain stable thanks to a number of existing buildings that have been or are currently under renovation to meet the demand of companies that are branching out from traditional office space. A few of these repositioned properties include the Launch, the Met, 2722 Michelson Drive and the Press, which is currently under construction in Costa Mesa. Overall vacancy in the county has been 13.8 percent, while overall asking rental rates are $2.95 per square foot (full-service gross) with Class A rates sitting at $3.23 per square foot. Some submarkets are home to the majority of this activity, including the Airport area and South Orange County due to ideal geographic locations for businesses and new office development. Of course, fundamentals vary by …

February 1, 2020

California Market Reports Multifamily Western Western Market Reports

Orange County’s Multifamily Market Continues to Grow

by Taylor Williams January 31, 2020

Orange County’s multifamily housing market remained exceptionally strong throughout 2019. The average asking rent closed the quarter at $2,055 per unit, up 3.3 percent from the fourth quarter of 2018. This was the highest asking rent on record, up 34.5 percent from the prior peak reached in the third quarter of 2008. The Central submarket saw the largest year-over-year rental rate increase, with the asking rent there rising 3.8 percent to $1,920 per unit. This quarter, the Irvine submarket also saw its average asking rent adjust a bit, down 0.7 percent from the prior quarter to $2,446 per unit as existing inventory competed with new construction added to the market. However, the average rent in Irvine is up 3.2 percent from last year. Completed construction has pushed vacancy up. The total vacancy rate in Orange County this quarter registered 4.8 percent, up 30 basis points from the prior quarter, steady from the fourth quarter of 2018. Four significant projects totaling 2,567 units were completed this quarter. This includes Promenade at Irvine Spectrum with 1,781 units; SkyLoft, a 388-unit development in Irvine; the Charlie Orange County, a 228-unit complex in Santa Ana; and the Murphy, a 170-unit complex in Irvine. Annual …

January 31, 2020

California Industrial Market Reports Western Western Market Reports

Orange County’s Industrial Market Stays Healthy Going Into 2020

by Taylor Williams January 25, 2020

Demand for Orange County industrial space remained healthy in 2019 as vacancy rates ended another year in record-low territory at 2.9 percent, fueled by a strong second-half net absorption. The movement in the second half of 2019 was largely a result of the Fed’s decision to keep interest rates low, which provided assurance for buyers that had been on the fence. The attractive interest rates have led to steady price increases, however, adaptation has been slow. The average time on the market has increased by roughly 30 to 60 days from 2018. Many buyers also struggled with post-close deferred maintenance. With the typical industrial building in Orange County being construction in 1985, buyers are often challenged with renovation costs adding to their bottom lines. Meanwhile, landlords in 2019 became more conservative in rent demands as average gains in asking full-service rents fell to 4.2 percent countywide, compared to 4.9 percent in 2018. Leasing activity remained steady with an average asking rate across Orange County of about $1 per square foot, triple net. A handful of notable new construction projects advanced in 2019. In the fourth quarter, 10 buildings totaling nearly 1.2 million square feet were completed in North Orange County, …

January 25, 2020

California Market Reports Retail Western Western Market Reports

Orange County’s Retail Transaction Volume, Consistency Will Continue in 2020

by Taylor Williams January 24, 2020

Retail transaction volume was strong in January as the shorter 2019 holiday season created a tight window for year-end closings, residual transactions pushed into the New Year and gave 2020 an early jump on what should be another great year. Total transactions in 2020 should continue to build from the big start. The massive transaction volume from the second half of 2019 — more specifically, a glut of fourth-quarter sellers — has produced a wave of investors needing to complete 1031 exchange purchases in the second and third quarters of 2020. By comparison, 2019 featured a slower than typical start due to a combination of elevated interest rates and residual investor hangover from the equity markets debacle of the fourth quarter of 2018. Our sense is that 2020 will benefit from enormous velocity, driven by private investor demand and seller willingness to meet market expectations in favor of quicker transactions as fears of the late cycle, election turmoil and international unrest grow. Further evidence of seller’s alignment with market expectations, trailing available data has shown the asking price to sale ratio narrowed from nearly 12 percent in first-quarter 2019 to 3 percent in fourth-quarter 2019. This brought the bid/ask more …

January 24, 2020

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