Honolulu’s office market has remained relatively unchanged for the past decade, but recent events have led to a dramatic shift in the direction of the Downtown submarket. Office vacancy rates in Downtown Honolulu have increased consistently in recent years, and steady leasing activity has led to declining vacancy. The Downtown office market is currently the tightest it has ever been. The vacancy rate in Downtown Honolulu decreased 70 basis points to 12.1 percent in the third quarter of 2019, which is the lowest vacancy rate for the submarket in more than nine years. The average gross asking rate in Downtown decreased slightly from $2.94 per square foot to $2.90 per square foot in third-quarter 2019. A significant amount of movement within the Downtown office market is driven by government need. The federal government, IRS, and city and county of Honolulu, as well as other engineering firms tied to civil projects, are some of the most active employers when it comes to leasing office space in the area. Non-governmental office-using job growth has stagnated in the past four years, which has hindered more growth in the overall office market. Unemployment statewide was at 2.7 percent for October 2019, according to Hawaii …
Like so many markets nationally, the Hawaii retail real estate market was firmly in a state of flux in 2019. Despite more new vacancies than new openings — and limited new development — the Hawaii market held its own amidst challenging times. Investment sales demand and fundamentals remained strong, new and prominent retailers entered the market, and existing operators continued to expand and innovate. Last year brought both closings and openings to the Hawaii retail sector. Bucking historic trends, store closures outpaced new store openings. The closings that did occur were all related to corporate downsizing decisions, versus poor store performance by the Hawaii locations. Hawaii stores consistently post strong sales performances when compared to same-store national averages. In most instances, the Hawaii locations were the last to fold, given their consistently strong sales. Sears closed its 128,000-square-foot Windward Mall in Kaneohe, Oahu, in May. Kmart closed its last Hawaii location, a 119,000-square-foot store in Lihue, Kauai, in September. There are currently five vacant Kmart buildings and one vacant Sears location throughout the state. Early 2020 will follow suit, with the anticipated February closure of all seven Pier 1 stores on the islands. Brighter news included the return of Marshalls, …
As one of the premier global tourist destinations in the world, the Hawaii market is dominated by condos and hotels. It is also home to mega investment deals. A review of Hawaii’s investment market over the past three years shows that the hotel industry has made up the following percentage of the top 10 deals for each year: • 91 percent in 2017 • 55 percent in 2018 • 23 percent in 2019 The total sales volume for these deals has also seen a decline from more than $1.5 billion in 2017 to less than $926 million in 2019 as a result of a decline in foreign investors. In case you’re wondering, yes, there are multifamily properties in Hawaii. In fact, apartment sales represented 37 percent of the total sales volume for the top 10 deals in 2018. The largest investment deal was the $540 million portfolio recapitalization of Project Europa on Ewa Beach in Oahu. This was larger than the $505 million Global Hyatt Portfolio sale, which included the Grand Wailea in Maui. Institutional sales in 2018 were in the range of $371,000 per unit to $395,000 per unit, with cap rates in the 4.5 percent to 5 percent …
From 2009 through 2015, Las Vegas renters were afforded the luxury of renting many of the high-rise condominiums around the Strip and Downtown Las Vegas. This was due to the massive amount of short sales and foreclosures during that time. There were about 7,876 condo units completed between 2006 and 2009. Shortly after the crash, these developments shifted to luxury rentals. During 2011, we tracked 785 condos that were rented with an average of $1.31 per square foot, or $1,838 per month. During that same time, we tracked sales prices of these high condos at an average of $154 per square foot, or $239,411 per unit. We also tracked 904 sales during 2011 that typically involved investors putting their inventory back into the “shadow inventory.” Fast forward to 2015, and resales of this same inventory were trading at an average of $238 per square foot. Rents of this inventory were at $1.45 per square foot, or $2,000 per month. The higher-end buildings like Mandarin Oriental (now Waldorf Astoria) were at $2.70 per square foot. The trend continues to today as sales prices continue to rise. Rents continue to go up and no new for-sale inventory is being delivered. Most of …
There are no guarantees in commercial real estate. For commercial real estate owners, developers and investors, however, betting on the continued strength of the Las Vegas marketplace has been as close to a sure thing as it gets in recent years. The Vegas commercial market is as strong as it’s ever been as we head into 2020. Delivery on new projects is up 800,000 square feet over 2018. About 1.2 million square feet of retail space will have been added to the market by year’s end, while retail rental rates are up 4.6 percent in 2019. What’s really exciting isn’t just the top-line numbers, but the evolving nature of a market that is becoming more diverse. Las Vegas is preserving its gaming and entertainment dynamism while introducing more robust retail and mixed-use elements that expand well beyond the iconic Strip. Consequently, Vegas market performance isn’t just strong, it’s sustainable. A market overview reveals some of those reasons for optimism, as well as a deeper understanding of what’s driving that commercial real estate evolution. It never hurts to be the entertainment capital of the world, and there’s no doubt that gaming, hospitality and entertainment remain the foundation of the city’s appeal. …
Once a bedroom community largely overshadowed by its Las Vegas neighbor, the City of Henderson is thriving. With a population of more than 300,000, Henderson recently surpassed Reno to become the second-largest city in Nevada. Henderson’s employment rates have been steadily rising, according to the city’s latest economic update. The city’s employment was at 144,000 last year and has risen to 153,800 in 2019. Henderson accounted for about 11 percent of all jobs in the Las Vegas Valley in 2018, according to labor market analytics company Emsi. Company leaders are also seeing the competitive advantage of growing a presence in Henderson. This has spurred relocations and start-ups in the area. Vinotemp, a leading wine storage solutions and appliance provider, recently relocated its Southern California headquarters to Henderson. The company’s new headquarters is more than 118,000 square feet, making Vinotemp the largest wine cabinet and cooling solutions provider in the nation. A major element in the high cost of doing business in California is the cost of operating in an office space. There is a stark contrast in the price per square foot for office spaces when comparing Southern California and Henderson. For example, the average per square foot for office …
Southern California’s Inland Empire region has enjoyed a sustained period of growth in the retail real estate sector. Good spaces in quality centers are leasing quickly. Although new developments have slowed, there is still about 1.2 million square feet of new space under construction. These are all top-tier projects that will very much enhance the communities where they are being built. Projects include a Sprouts-anchored center in Eastvale, a Grocery Outlet/Planet Fitness center in Beaumont, an Aldi-anchored center in Hesperia, a Stater Bros. center in Calimesa, AMC Theaters at Montclair Place in Montclair and a Cardenas grocery market center in Montclair. Conversely, apart from the Inland Empire, there are likely few other areas that were as impacted by the recent store closure announcements from Sears and Forever 21. Closings will occur in Montclair, San Bernardino, Victorville, Moreno Valley, Palm Desert, Riverside, Temecula and Rancho Mirage. All told, more than 900,000 square feet of big box space just hit the market. The Inland Center Mall in San Bernardino, which has been a very healthy property over the past few years, is dealing with both a Sears and Forever 21 closure. Macy’s and JC Penney (opened in 2016) still remain at the …
The Inland Empire industrial market signaled that it may be transitioning toward slower growth in the second half of the year. Leasing volume declined sharply to nearly 7.8 million square feet, which is the lowest volume seen in a single quarter since 2011. New construction deliveries pushed the average rent to the highest level on record — $0.86 per square foot. Of the 13.7 million square feet completed year to date, 32 percent remained available at the end of the quarter. Despite the deliveries, vacancy remained steady at 4.5 percent since the third quarter of 2018, proving demand for industrial space in the Inland Empire is still present. The U.S. economy may be facing a drop off after climbing steadily for the past 10 years. The trade war and tariffs are undoubtedly influencing the ports’ cargo volume, which supports industrial demand in the Inland Empire. Retailers usually prepare for increased sales during the holiday season by increasing imports in July and August. However, imports through August 2019 were down 2.4 percent from 2018. Imports had increased 3.1 percent last year at this time. The U.S. is dependent on imported goods, though, so cargo volume is unlikely to take a significant …
The Inland Empire has experienced a significant uptick in multifamily development in the past decade. We are currently seeing a healthy shift toward more units being developed, which is driven by substantial regional economic growth in the years following the recession. Multifamily development has grown from less than 2,000 units annually in 2009 to more than 5,000 units developed this year. The Inland Empire has one of the highest imbalances of housing in comparison to significant population growth and increasing renters’ demand, according to CBRE research. The Inland Empire market currently has 15 developments with a total of 3,445 units under construction. Significant developments are taking place in key cities like Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga. This is partially driven by the nearby Ontario International Airport, as well as Ontario’s position as a major logistics, warehousing and shipping hub. Market rents support the much-needed new supply. The City of Riverside currently has 595 units under construction. Riverside has the highest population in the Inland Empire, with consistent population growth over the past decade. An additional 391 units are under construction in Moreno Valley, which is also buoyed by its growth as a regional logistic center, with new industrial warehouse development adding …
Employers throughout Orange County continue to seek ways to attract and retain the best and brightest talent as unemployment dropped to 2.4 percent in the second quarter, below both the California and U.S. rates. That, in turn, has resulted in landlords reinvesting in their properties, providing creative and flexible work spaces, and offering a variety of onsite amenities and service that help companies fulfill that goal. Landlords continue to seek out creative competitive advantages by improving the actual employee experience within the workplace. This often results in amenities like gyms, fitness classes, outdoor work areas, restaurants and collaborative open spaces. Add to that complimentary concierge and personal services, dog-friendly campuses, onsite hosted events and entertainment opportunities and it’s evident to see that property owners are stepping up their tenant services game, thereby enhancing employee innovation and productivity in the workplace. With all that in mind, three new office projects completed construction in the second quarter. FLIGHT at Tustin Legacy added 457,217 square feet of unique, creative office space with 26 percent already pre-leased. The major warehouse-to-office conversion project at 2722 Michelson was delivered fully leased to Anduril, an aerospace defense firm, which subsequently subleased 47,733 square feet to advertising technology …