Honolulu’s office market has been stagnant for nearly 20 years with negative supply growth, limited demand, constant reductions in square feet per person and a very tight labor market. However, conversions from office to residential and/or hotel use and a major tenant move could change the market starting in 2019. Multi-tenant inventory has decreased by about 500,000 square feet since 1996 with the conversion of an office building to a hotel in 2015 through 2017; another taken off the market in 2016 for a hotel or residential conversion; and yet another converted to office condominiums in 2004. The market currently has about 11 million square feet in 73 Class A and B multi-tenant buildings. Half the inventory and 65 percent of the vacancy (940,000 square feet) is in the Central Business District (CBD), which is Hawaii’s financial center and sits adjacent to federal, state and municipal centers. New inventory has been limited to owner-users, medical office buildings and small mixed-use buildings. These include Hale Pawaa, a 135,000-square-foot medical office building, the 160,000-square-foot FBI building, the 240,000-square-foot NOAA Regional Center, the 75,000-square-foot Princess Kamamalu State office building and the 26,000-square-foot former Honolulu Advertiser Building for Hawaiian Dredging. Office users are generally …
Western Market Reports
From its near-perfect weather, parks and beaches to its commerce-friendly environment and well-educated workforce, Orange County has plenty of attractions to offer residents, businesses and multifamily investors. Add to that list well-paying jobs in the expanding professional and business services, and tech and healthcare sectors, and you can see why demand for housing in the county is on the rise. Job growth has pushed the unemployment rate to below 3 percent, a level not seen since the fourth quarter of 1999. The strengthening economy has created a tremendous tailwind for apartment demand in a metro where the cost of a single-family home is out of reach for most households. As a result, Orange County’s multifamily vacancy rate stood at the extremely low level of 3.8 percent at the end of the third quarter. The low level of apartment vacancy has also been positively affected by a change in the rate of new construction. After several years of increased supply, the amount of new housing in the pipeline has begun to decrease, having reached the apex of the current cycle in 2017. This year and next, the county will receive about 4,000 new apartments, down from the more than 4,800 units …
The Orange County retail real estate market remains resilient despite continued pressure from growing ecommerce sales and a new tranche of retailer bankruptcies. Sears is the latest retailer to file for bankruptcy in the Amazon era. Toys“R”Us, Fallas Paredes and Mattress Firm have all declared bankruptcy, while Lowe’s announced it would close all Orchard Supply Hardware stores. In comparison, ecommerce sales continue to experience double-digit increases year-over-year and analysts are quick to conclude the so-called “retail apocalypse” is imminent. Does this mean it’s time to panic if you are in the retail real estate business? Definitely not, but it does mean the edge belongs to those who are proactive and adaptable in their decision making. We are also seeing many retailers and developers step up their game in the wake of ecommerce popularity. Retailers like Walmart and Ralph’s/Kroger are offering free same-day delivery and, in the case of groceries, food delivery in as little as one hour. Retailers like Best Buy are not only price matching but offering better product education and experience via what the company calls a “stickier” relationship. Developers are getting better at placemaking, the multi-faceted approach to planning, design and management of space, giving people more …
When we last reported on the health of Hawaii’s industrial market in 2018, we offered rationale for a then 2.02 percent Oahu industrial vacancy rate. This rate was fueled by the completion of many large residential high rises in urban Honolulu, the ongoing construction of a $9.2 billion light rail system (voter approved at less than $5 billion), and booming tourism and military sectors, our two biggest economic drivers. Oahu’s small, 41 million-square-foot industrial market was under further compression as industrial product was either being taken — or functionally interrupted — by the state to support light rail construction or lost to high-rise residential construction and the expansion of our main Honolulu harbor. A prohibitive industrial construction cost scale, which generally exceeds $125 per square foot for metal skin shell warehouse, had also slowed spec and build-to-suit construction. Fast forward to late 2019, and our market reflects an Oahu industrial vacancy rate of just 2.13 percent, a monthly industrial base rent average of $1.24 per square foot and monthly operating expenses of $0.41 per square foot. Much of this rate is composed of property taxes, which have increased more than 30 percent year over year in some areas, and 50 …
The Orange County office market continues to remain healthy with an unemployment rate of 2.6 percent in the second quarter of 2018. This is down from 3.2 percent 12 months prior. The driving industry sectors for Orange County that occupy a large portion of office space include financial services, information technology, logistics and healthcare. We are currently seeing vacancy rates around 11.7 percent, which is about a 10 basis point increase from the second quarter of this year. The main reason for this increase has been momentum in completed construction projects with more than 2.2 million square feet that has been delivered over the past 12 months. At the mid-year point of 2018, more than 808,000 square feet of office space was under construction — the majority of which was speculative. The largest office projects under construction right now include Flight at Tustin Legacy in Tustin and the Quad at Discovery Business Center in Irvine Spectrum. There are four Class A, institutional-quality office projects currently under construction in the county that total nearly 1.3 million square feet — 75 percent of which is pre-leased to tenants. All this bodes well for the continued confidence in the Orange County market. We …
The industrial market in Orange County remains strong as demand continues to far outweigh supply. Vacancy throughout the region remains at historic lows, staying below 3 percent for the 13th consecutive quarter through the third quarter of this year. The largest submarket, North Orange County, is also the tightest submarket with a 1.2 percent overall vacancy. As an infill market, we do not anticipate significant increases in vacancy within the Orange County industrial marketplace for the foreseeable future, despite the new developments recently delivered, planned or under construction. There are several significant industrial development projects in various stages in the county. This is welcome news by users seeking to upgrade and expand into modern facilities while maintaining local operations. The first is a 30-acre redevelopment site in Huntington Beach that was purchased by Sares Regis Group earlier this year. Sares Regis is expected to begin construction shortly, with plans to deliver more than 600,000 square feet of new product in late 2019. Shea Properties recently began construction on Shea Business Center in Santa Ana, which is planned for nearly 530,000 square feet and a completion date in 2019. Western Realco is also nearing completion of Beckman Business Center, a 900,000-square-foot, …
The industrial market’s direct vacancy in greater Reno increased by 80 basis points to 4.53 percent at the end of the third quarter of 2018. It was carried by 715,821 square feet of positive net absorption, a relatively below average figure, as well as by an increase in new deliveries. Notwithstanding, pending transactions currently underway in the fourth quarter should mitigate the increase in the market’s overall vacancy. Tenant demand in the third quarter was robust for spaces with less than 50,000 square feet. Transactions that involved Class A space accounted for 84 percent of the total gross absorption. The North Valley was the best performer of all the submarkets, resulting in a 35 percent decrease in availability. The I-80/East submarket, however, recorded a substantially negative quarter due to deliveries/new availability pushing the vacancy to 12 percent. Sublease availability was static for yet another quarter, which demonstrates stability in the market. The average transaction size in Reno decreased slightly to 53,195 square feet. Heading into the fourth quarter, the market witnessed an increase in inquiries and tours involving more than 200,000 square feet. This gave existing landlords confidence that vacancies and new deliveries will be leased in the short term. …
It’s starting to feel like the 1970s all over again in Reno’s multifamily market. This is particularly true in terms of occupancy. A recent report from RealPage noted the current market’s eye-popping 97.3 percent multifamily occupancy level. This figure was only eclipsed once, nearly four decades ago, at a double eye-popping 97.9 percent when the region experienced a spike in new jobs. Reno’s total job count continues to grow at a record pace, fueling a nearly full apartment market. But, of course, the housing and job markets in Reno are both much larger than they were in the ‘70s, though there are similarities. In fact, current market conditions bring to mind the ages-old adage, “Those who fail to heed the lessons of the past are condemned to repeat them.” Developers cannot build multifamily units fast enough to sate demand. New residents arriving for new jobs cannot easily find an apartment, and those who do may have to pay a higher-than-expected rental rate. Consider this from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Reno’s economy expanded during the four years ending in May 2018 (the latest statistics available from the Bureau) by a steady 4.2 percent. This was an enviable gain for …
The northern Nevada office market is picking up steam, despite still lagging behind the robust growth taking place in the industrial and multifamily sectors. Year-to-date net absorption of 136,607 square feet has brought overall market vacancy rates down to 10.1 percent. Rates are well below that in the more desirable office submarkets. South Reno, once plagued with vacancy rates exceeding 30 percent during the downturn, now hovers at a rate of 6.3 percent. Downtown vacancy rates currently sit at 7.9 percent with no new supply on the horizon. In fact, no significant office property has been built in downtown Reno since 1981. Reno is a market in need of new office supply; however, new office construction is challenging to build on a speculative basis except in the most amenity-rich locations that offer visibility and accessibility. The lack of incoming supply and rising demand has caused office lease rates to increase. Rates have generally remained stable over the past few years with the exception of Class A office lease rates, which have climbed steadily over the past 12 months. There is a gap between existing Class A office lease rates, which range from $2 per square foot to $2.50 per square …
The retail market in Reno/Sparks continues to improve with big box retailers moving to the market and a steady decrease in the vacancy rate. The retail market in Reno/Sparks has seen an overall decrease in vacancy for the fifth consecutive quarter with the current vacancy rate hovering just under 7 percent. Average market rent is currently $1.50 per square foot, triple net, and appears to be slowly climbing as we continue to experience positive net absorption. Tenants moving and expanding in the area include Big Lots leasing 30,112 square feet in Spanish Springs, and Harbor Freight and Tractor Supply Company leasing 16,016 square feet and 38,326 square feet, respectively, in Sparks. Sprouts Farmers Market has opened two new locations in Reno and Sparks over the past 12 months, absorbing roughly 60,000 square feet. Grocery Outlet, Tuesday Morning, Marshall’s Home Goods, Burlington and Raley’s Supermarkets have also expanded in northern Nevada. The Reno/Sparks market has seen increased activity in the finance services and fast-casual restaurant industries. New fast-casual restaurants in the area include Mod Pizza, California Pizza Kitchen, Burrito Bandito, Sizzle Pie, Pine State Biscuits and Habit Burger. Chase Bank and United Federal Credit Union have opened several locations in Northern …