Todd Harrop, executive vice president and national director of capital markets at Bellwether Enterprise in Columbus, Ohio, believes 2019 will be another opportunistic year for lenders and intermediaries. REBusinessOnline discussed with Harrop the abundance of capital in this market – and how discipline and changes in capital providers’ programs have put these funds to work. What is the biggest challenge you anticipate in 2019 as an intermediary in commercial real estate? Much like 2018, we continue to be optimistic about the commercial real estate finance market in 2019. In 2018, we were challenged with a variety of market disruptors including rising interest rates, market volatility, geopolitical risks, and signs of an overall slowing global economy. In 2019, we expect these disruptors to continue. Furthermore, the debt space remains very crowded as capital flows continue to rise and opportunities have declined due to fewer refinance opportunities. The good news is capital is far from complacent and underwriting remains very disciplined, which should enable the markets to continue to function well. Where do you see the biggest opportunity for your company in 2019? In general, I believe there is an increased opportunity for mortgage bankers/intermediaries in 2019. This is due to the fact …
Northeast
Records were meant to be broken. That’s a phrase commercial lenders have become fairly familiar with over the past few years. Multifamily lending, in particular, has enjoyed a good run. In the fourth quarter of 2018, the Mortgage Bankers Association released the MBA Annual Report on Multifamily Lending. According to the report, strong market conditions helped fuel a 6 percent increase in multifamily lending in 2017. Lenders provided a record high of $285 billion in new mortgages for apartment buildings with five or more units. Jamie Woodwell, vice president of commercial real estate research for MBA, cited a few reasons for this uptick in activity. “The multifamily lending market in 2017 benefited from improving fundamentals, rising property values and low interest rates,” he says. “The result was larger loan sizes and record levels of overall borrowing and lending…Demand came from borrowers and lenders of all sizes, with loan amounts ranging from thousands of dollars to hundreds of millions.” This breakneck pace continued last year as low unemployment, job growth and overall economic strength gave investors and lenders confidence in the market. Freddie Mac had its best year ever in terms of multifamily production in 2018. The government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) closed …
It’s no secret that pop-up and experiential retail are hot topics. But it can be hard to figure out how best to engage audiences with an individual activation before, during and after the event. To help marketers solve this conundrum, Brandon Chesnutt, vice president and director of digital & development at Identity, hosted a session titled “Six Winning Pop-Up Retail Marketing Ideas Property Managers Can’t Ignore” during the 2019 Ancillary Retail Expo, a two-day conference produced by InterFace Conference Group and Ancillary Retail magazine. At issue during the session, which took place in mid-January at the Hilton Daytona Beach hotel, were a host of key topics for retailers looking to decide which pop-up retail marketing strategies generate the most attention, excitement and foot traffic. Chesnutt introduced the property owners and managers in attendance to tactics and campaign ideas that have the attention of retail marketers, including targeted social media advertising and tailored group activations. The Detroit native acknowledged that it’s an exciting time for marketers of all stripes, but said that excitement and energy comes with a host of questions about best practices in a rapidly changing industry. “The expectations of what is considered marketing are shifting,” said Chesnutt. “If …
WOODBURY, N.Y. — Greystone has provided $78.5 million in HUD-insured financing for a skilled nursing complex in Woodbury. Fred Levine of Greystone originated the refinancing, which carries a fixed rate and fully amortizes at 30 years. Greystone also arranged the high-leverage bridge acquisition loan that this refinancing replaces. The borrowers were not disclosed. Located on Long Island, the 588-bed Cold Spring Hills Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation facility offers an array of specialized services and programs, including clinical care; physical, occupational and speech therapies; amputee rehabilitation; pulmonary/ventilator care; cardiac care; and memory care. Significant, multi-year renovations were completed to the property’s five interconnected residential buildings properties and additional office building in 2010.
Cushman & Wakefield Brokers Sale of 192,741 SF Office Building in Bridgewater, New Jersey
by David Cohen
BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — Cushman & Wakefield has brokered the sale of a 192,741-square-foot office building in Bridgewater. Located at 721 U.S. Highway 202/206, the four-story property is situated on nearly 16 acres. The property was vacant at the time of sale. Gary Gabriel, Andrew Merin, David Bernhaut, Brian Whitmer and Frank DiTommaso of Cushman & Wakefield’s New Jersey capital markets team represented the seller, Mack-Cali Realty Corp., in the transaction. The buyer was a local developer.
HOBOKEN, N.J. — HFF has arranged $10.8 million in acquisition financing for a 30-unit apartment property in Hoboken. Located at 204 Grand St., the six-story property was built in 2000 and consists of five one-bedroom and 25 two-bedroom units. The property was fully occupied at closing. Jamie Leachman, Drake Greer and Michael Klein of HFF secured a four-year, floating-rate loan for the borrower, Spirit Bascom Ventures, through lender Citizens Bank.
ROCHELLE PARK, N.J. — Tulfra Real Estate has secured a $10.3 million construction loan for a self-storage facility in Rochelle Park. Located at 120 W. Passaic St., the planned 100,0000-square-foot property will include 823 units. The lender was First Bank of Hamilton. Terms of the financing were not disclosed. The new self-storage facility will be managed by CubeSmart.
BELLEVILLE, N.J. — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the $1.6 million sale of an apartment building in Belleville. Located at 242 Mill St., the property consists of 15 units and 11 parking spaces. Kevin Taub of Marcus & Millichap’s New Jersey office represented the seller, a limited liability company, in the transaction. The buyer was also a limited liability company.
Talonvest Arranges $17.4M Acquisition Loan for Self-Storage Portfolio in Rhode Island
by David Cohen
Rhode Island — Talonvest has arranged a $17.4 million acquisition loan for a self-storage portfolio in Rhode Island. The three properties consist of 1,416 storage units across 177,575 square feet. Erich Pryor, Jim Davies, Tom Sherlock, and Terra Hendrich of Talonvest represented the borrower, Rosewood Property Co. in the transaction. The lender was a national bank. Terms of the financing included a 10-year, fixed-rate loan with interest-only payments for the full loan term. The three metro Rhode Island properties expand Rosewood’s portfolio to 48 self-storage properties across 12 states.
Market Basket Supermarket to Anchor Maynard Crossing Mixed-Use Project in Suburban Boston
by David Cohen
MAYNARD, MASS. — Capital Group Properties and SRS Real Estate Partners have announced that Market Basket Supermarket will be the anchor grocery store for the Maynard Crossing mixed-use project in Maynard. The 306,000-square-foot development is slated to open in the first quarter of 2020. The project will also include The Vue at Maynard Crossing, a 180-unit apartment complex developed by LeCesse Development as well as a 143-unit independent living community for seniors developed by Hawthorn Retirement Group. The project will also feature multiple restaurants, retail shops, fitness options and medical offices. Maynard is approximately 25 miles west of downtown Boston.