Like the rest of the country, metro New Orleans is slowly coming out of the COVID-19 fog. The uncertainty of these uncharted waters caused a lot of anxiety for multifamily owner and operators. Although there were some challenges, the market has survived the pandemic surprisingly well. The overall vacancy factor for the city is in the 5 to 6 percent range and should compress further given the modest pipeline of new inventory coming on line. The highest vacancy rates reported are in Algiers (15 percent) and East New Orleans (12 percent) where the majority of service and tourism workers lived and the most affected by COVID-19. It should be noted that we feel this downturn in occupancy is temporary and is showing signs of recovery as our tourism industry slowly rebounds. The Downtown/Warehouse district also experienced increased vacancies as residents fled the urban market for the suburbs with communities reporting vacancy rates as high as 15 percent. As the height of COVID-19 dissipated, the submarket rebounded strongly with many communities reporting 92 to 95 percent occupancy. Although previous years have seen a host of new developments enter the Downtown submarket, currently there are only two communities in the pipeline that …
EUGENE, ORE. — Cumberland Holdings has completed the disposition of Sheldon Butte, a garden-style, value-add multifamily property in Eugene. Clear Capital acquired the asset for $35.7 million. Located at 2555 Willakenzie Road, Seldon Butte features 176 apartments. Community amenities include a leasing office, community lounge, fitness center, pool and spa, four laundry facilities, a recycling center, dog park, picnic and barbecue areas, and a community garden. The property was built in 1972. Ira Virden, Carrie Kahn and Frank Solorzano of JLL Capital Markets represented the seller in the deal.
The mountaintop of multifamily transactions was blown off in 2020 and 2021. Sales transactions are up 300 percent from 2017. Chattanooga’s hot market has gone from $150 million in transactions to nearly $500 million. Hungry investors have found prices lower than in many other desirable cities, the cap rates higher, attractive rental price increases and the locale unbeatable. Two-bedroom apartment rents are up over 17.6 percent in 2021 according to a recent local study yet still 19 percent below the average rate nationally. Residential price increases have outpaced the multifamily increases and made many single-family homes unaffordable for first-time homebuyers, further feeding the apartment demand. In addition to the volume of transactions increasing by some 300 percent, the sales price per door has risen significantly. In 2017 the average price per door for the market was $69,459 and in 2021 we are seeing $132,125 for a 90.2 percent increase. This statistic includes all product classifications. Class A prices per door have increased from $107,193 to $163,488. This is an increase of 52.5 percent. Class C product has risen from $46,176 to $93,308 per door. This indicates a 102 percent growth. Class C has outpaced all other classes in the last …
ARLINGTON, TEXAS — Locally based general contractor KWA Construction has completed The Truman, a 358-unit apartment community that represents Phase II of the $250 million, 1,300-unit Arlington Commons development. Designed by JHP Architecture and developed by Nehemiah Co., The Truman features one-, two- and three-bedroom units with stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and European-style cabinetry. Amenities include a pool, fitness center, game room, coworking lounge, outdoor grilling stations and a dining room with private event space. Rents start at $1,360 per month for a one-bedroom unit.
SAN ANTONIO — Newmark has brokered the sale of Waterford Park, a 224-unit apartment community in northeast San Antonio that was built in 2008. The property offers one-, two- and three-bedroom units and amenities such as a pool, fitness center, coffee lounge, business center and a dog park. Matt Michelson of Newmark represented the seller, Kansas City-based development and investment firm Cohen-Esrey, in the transaction. San Antonio-based REEP Equity purchased the asset for an undisclosed price. Waterford Park was 96 percent occupied at the time of sale.
GARLAND, TEXAS — Palladium USA has broken ground on Embree Eastside, a 107-unit mixed-income housing community in Garland, a northeastern suburb of Dallas. About a quarter of the units will be rented at market rates, while the remainder will be reserved for renters earning between 30 and 60 percent of the area median income (AMI). Amenities will include a pool, dog park, walking trails, fitness center, conference room, computer lab and a kids’ playroom. HEDK is the project architect. General contractor Brownstone Construction is teaming up with the Garland Housing Finance Corp. on construction. PNC Bank provided both equity ($13.7 million) and debt ($11.2 million) for the project. The first units are scheduled to come on line in January 2023.
EDGEWOOD, WASH. — The Wolff Co. has completed the disposition of 207 East, a multifamily property located at 207 Meridian Ave. in Edgewood, to Security Properties for an undisclosed price. Jon Hallgrimson, Eli Hanacek, Mark Washington and Kyle Yamamoto of CBRE Pacific Northwest Multifamily represented the seller in the deal. Built in 2020, 207 East features 288 apartments in a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans, with an average unit size of 892 square feet. The 14-building property spans 16 acres and features a resort-style pool, spa and sundeck, multiple clubhouse lounges, a community kitchen with espresso bar, a 24-hour fitness center, a yoga studio and co-working pods.
OGDEN AND ROY, UTAH — Next Wave Investors has purchased a portfolio of four apartment communities, totaling 114 units, in the Ogden-Clearfield metropolitan statistical area of Utah. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The portfolio includes: LaDawn Apartments, a 64-unit community located at 1777 W 4800 S in Roy Iron J Apartments, a 24-unit property at 2245 Jefferson Ave. in Ogden Jefferson Townhomes, a six-unit community at 110 Jefferson Ave. in Ogden Monticello Apartments, a 20-unit property at 560 27th St. in Ogden Next Wave plans to renovate the properties. Planned renovations include upgraded appliances, fixtures and countertops, new carpet and flooring in unit and common areas and fresh paint. Additionally, Next Wave may add carports, complete roof repairs, renovate the leasing offices, and upgrade community signage and landscaping at some of the properties.
SUNNY ISLES BEACH, FLA. — Atlanta-based Jamestown has completed the sale of Beach Place, a 308-unit apartment community in Sunny Isles Beach, about 19 miles north from Miami. A private buyer purchased the property for an undisclosed amount. Jaret Turkell, Roberto Pesant, Jose Mota and Omar Morales of Berkadia Institutional Solutions represented Jamestown in the sale. Beach Place features four, six-story buildings offering 213 one-bedroom units and 95 two-bedroom units averaging 900 square feet. Units feature stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, tile and hardwood flooring, walk-in closets and patios or balconies. Community amenities include a fitness center, pool, hot tub, bark park, dog wash, business center and bike parking. The property was 96 percent leased at the time of sale. Located at 17101 N. Bay Road on seven acres, the 277,200-square-foot property is located near Aventura Mall, Bal Harbour Shops, Oleta River State Park and Florida International University.
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — Charleston-based Blaze Capital Partners has sold Dwell at Greenridge, a 256-unit apartment community located in North Charleston. The buyer and sales price were not disclosed. Built in 1980, The Dwell at Greenridge is a two-story multifamily community that offers one- and two-bedroom units ranging in size from 650 to 960 square feet. Community amenities include a pool with sun deck, grill and picnic areas, clubhouse and two laundry centers. Located at 7910 Crossroads Drive, Dwell at Greenridge is situated close to Interstate 26 and two of South Carolina’s largest manufacturers: Boeing and Volvo. The property is also located about 16 miles from the College of Charleston and approximately nine miles from Charleston International Airport. Blaze Capital Partners made investments to modernize the property over its ownership period, including adding new signage and marketing, building a new clubhouse and fitness center and redesigning exterior amenities and landscaping.