Boston’s metro west office market continued to move along at a steady clip in 2018. Many of the trends seen in the west market have been consistent over the past few years. One of the most prominent trends is that tenants continue to prefer high-quality properties. Class A product has benefited from the demand, resulting in a limited supply of Class A large blocks. In contrast, commodity space is still lagging from a demand standpoint. Additionally, many landlords have been performing gut renovations on older properties and have been reaping the rewards of their investments. The west market has also benefited from tenants migrating from Cambridge and life science demand, which are two closely related trends. Cambridge, particularly Kendall Square, is well known as the national hub of the life science industry. With that pedigree, pricing there has grown tremendously, and available space is scarce. As such, many life science occupiers are looking west to fulfill their needs, and the Cambridge market conditions have pushed other non-life science occupiers west as well. A proximity to the inner urban core makes towns like Watertown and Waltham particularly attractive. The above trends are not new, but one is. New economy tenants, who …
Fueled by low interest rates, an abundance of available debt capital, and superb fundamentals, the demand for multifamily assets in the U.S. has exploded over the past few years. This increased demand has led to fierce competition between capital in the multifamily sector, and consequently, a dramatic compression of going-in cash yields. With rents in “top-tier” cities at peak levels, these markets look prohibitively expensive. As a result, foreign capital is beginning to explore new markets to find more attractive yields. Long considered a second-tier U.S. city by global capital, Philadelphia has historically been overlooked in favor of cities such as New York City, Washington D.C., Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. When evaluating Philadelphia in comparison to other major metropolitan regions, the slow and steady growth of the Philadelphia MSA did not differentiate it enough to attract the foreign investor. Instead, those capital sources targeted cities with higher population growth, job growth, and rent growth. In good times, that calculation paid off with higher yields and greater appreciation. However, today most investors conclude that we are in the late stages of this real estate bull market. Yet, they still have capital which needs to be deployed. Those divergent factors …
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Vie Management, Middle Eastern Investor Acquire 2,059-Bed Student Housing Portfolio in Six States for $134.6M
MIAMI— A joint venture between Miami-based Vie Management and a Middle Eastern asset manager have acquired a six-property student housing portfolio totaling 911 units and 2,059 beds. The purchase price was $134.6 million. The properties are located in six states and include: University Downs Apartments and Condos, a 222-unit property serving the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. University View, a 55-unit property serving Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida. Hillcrest Oakwood Apartments, a 224-unit property serving Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan. Colonie Apartments, a 184-unit property serving the University at Buffalo in Amherst, New York. Southgate Apartments, a 151-unit property serving Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania. Ella Lofts, a 75-unit property serving Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. “These acquisitions are new canvases to us,” says Ari Rosenblum, CEO of Vie. “[The are] places to create experiential living environments where students can watch live music, study at a coffee shop, or work out at the best gym in town all within the confines of the community in which they live.” Claudio Sgobba of HFF represented the buyers in securing a $75.3 million loan in connection with the acquisition. The financing features a 10-year term, …
NEW YORK STATE — Jacobson Properties has brokered the $45 million sale of the New York State Medical Office Portfolio, five properties located in the Capital Region and Hudson Valley of New York State. The 209,382-square-foot portfolio is anchored by St. Peter’s Hospital, Ellis Hospital, Seton Health System and Westchester Medical Center Health Network. Lisa Menin of Jacobson Properties and Leo Jones of Cushman & Wakefield/Pyramid Brokerage Co. represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction. The buyer was a national private equity healthcare investor.
NEW YORK CITY — CapStack Partners has arranged a $19 million loan to refinance The Ravel Hotel in Long Island City. Located at 8-08 Queens Plaza, the 113-room hotel also includes 17,000 square feet of event space, a redesigned rooftop restaurant, pool club and outdoor beer garden. CapStack’s investment banking group worked on behalf of the undisclosed borrower to secure the 10-year, fixed-rate loan through an undisclosed lender. Loan proceeds were used to refinance construction costs
YONKERS, N.Y. — Marcus & Millichap has negotiated the $2.7 million sale of a 9,500-square-foot retail property in Yonkers. Located at 896 McLean Ave., the property is currently net leased to Dollar Tree. Alan Cafiero, Ben Sgambati and Matt Leszyk of Marcus & Millichap’s New Jersey office represented the seller, a private investor, in the transaction. The buyer was a personal trust.
NEW YORK CITY — Cushman & Wakefield has arranged a $13.4 million bridge loan for two adjacent development sites in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens. Located at 89-25 and 89-26 162nd St., the sites total approximately 237,000 square feet. Preston Flammang, Jessica Ke and Anthony D’Amelio of Cushman and Wakefield represented the borrower, Great Atlantic Construction, in the transaction. The lender was Lightstone Capital Markets. Terms of the financing were not disclosed.
NEW HAVEN, CONN. — Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM) has signed a 30,000-square-foot lease at 545 Long Wharf Drive in New Haven. CCM, an organization of municipal leaders, will relocate its corporate offices from 900 Chapel St. to 545 Long Wharf Drive. O,R&L Commercial represented CCM in the transaction. The landlord, 545 Long Wharf Holdings, was represented by David Hansen of CBRE New England.
MALVERN, PA. — Newmark Knight Frank has brokered the $15.5 million sale of Malvern Executive Center, a 91,190-square-foot office campus in Malvern. Located at 100 Deerfield Lane, the property was 73 percent occupied at the time of sale. The private campus includes abundant parking and a state-of-the-art fiber optic cabling system. Mike Margolis, Dave Dolan, Dave Garonzik and Jim Dugan of NKF represented the seller, PNL Cos., in the transaction. The buyer was undisclosed.
EAST HANOVER, N.J. — HFF has negotiated the sale of Eagle Rock Executive Office IV, a 178,000-square-foot office building in East Hanover. The sales price was undisclosed. Located at 120 Eagle Rock Ave., the property is situated within a three-building office park. The three-story property is currently 79 percent leased to a tenant roster that includes Prudential Insurance Company of America, Kessler Foundation and GFK. Kevin O’Hearn, Jose Cruz, Stephen Simonelli and Michael Oliver of HFF represented the seller, Boxer Property, in the transaction. The buyer was Northeast Capital Group.