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District of ColumbiaIndustrialMarket ReportsSoutheastSoutheast Market Reports

Resilient DC Industrial Market Is Growing But Softening as Vacancy Rates Creep Higher

by John Nelson

The U.S. industrial real estate market continues to sustain, with national vacancy rates steadily creeping toward 7 percent (6.8 percent at the time of this writing). Over the past three years, the industrial real estate market continued to set records and became known as the darling asset class within the commercial real estate community. However, the market is showing signs of reversion to historical velocity and vacancy rates. The industrial vacancy rate is steadily climbing in the Washington, D.C., metro area as demand softens for third-party logistics in second-quarter 2024. Vacancies are up to 6.5 percent after reaching an all-time low of 3.8 percent at the end of 2022.  The market remains tight by historical measures. However, normalized leasing velocity, a few large tenant moveouts and reduced demand is expected to provide upward pressure on the vacancy rate in 2025. Subleasing activity trended upward in the past six to 12 months to over 1.3 million square feet. A few examples of large sublets include 393,000 square feet put on the market at Capital Gateway in Brandywine; Builders First Source moved out of 135,000 square feet at Plaza 500 in Alexandria; and in the second quarter, Western Express vacated 102,000 square …

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Affordable HousingCompany NewsDistrict of ColumbiaMultifamilySoutheast

US Justice Department Adds Six Landlords to Rental Price-Fixing Lawsuit

by John Nelson

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ), along with 10 state attorneys general, has filed an amended complaint in its antitrust lawsuit against RealPage. The complaint targets six of the nation’s largest property managers, alleging that the companies used RealPage’s pricing algorithms to share sensitive data and coordinate pricing strategies, which the DOJ states resulted in artificially inflated rents. The DOJ stated that the landlords had colluded with one another by directly communicating with competitors’ senior managers about sensitive topics such as rents and occupancy; conducting “call arounds” to discuss sensitive information and pricing strategies; and participating in “user groups” hosted by RealPage, where landlords would allegedly discuss how to modify the software’s pricing methodology as well as their own pricing strategies. The DOJ’s co-plaintiffs are the Attorneys General of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee and Washington. The six landlords included in the amended complaint are Greystar Real Estate Partners LLC; Blackstone’s LivCor LLC; Camden Property Trust; Cushman & Wakefield Inc. (formerly operating independently as Pinnacle); Willow Bridge Property Co. (formerly Lincoln Residential); and Cortland Management LLC (Cortland). Altogether, the six companies manage approximately 1.3 million apartment units across 43 states and Washington, D.C., …

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AcquisitionsDevelopmentDistrict of ColumbiaLeasing ActivityOfficeSoutheast

BXP Purchases 12-Story Office Building in DC, Plans Major Redevelopment

by John Nelson

WASHINGTON, D.C. — BXP, a publicly traded office REIT that was previously known as Boston Properties Inc., has closed on its purchase of 725 12th Street, a 12-story office building in Washington, D.C.’s East End. The Boston-based firm acquired the 300,000-square-foot property for $34 million. The seller was not disclosed. BXP plans to demolish the office building and redevelop the site to make way for a new 320,000-square-foot, Class A office property. The REIT recently signed law firm McDermott Will & Emery to occupy approximately 150,000 square feet across the top five levels of the new office development. Lou Christopher, Jordan Brainard, Rob Copito and Clay Hammerstein of CBRE represented McDermott Will & Emery in the lease negotiations. Evan Behr of JLL represented the landlord. BXP expects to deliver the new office building in late 2028.

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District of ColumbiaMarket ReportsMultifamilySoutheastSoutheast Market Reports

Strong Investment, Rent Growth Signal Strength for DC Multifamily Market

by John Nelson

The multifamily market in the Washington, D.C., metro area has experienced meaningful shifts in 2024, marked by moderate demand, consistent construction and evolving investment patterns. As a major urban hub, D.C. continues to attract both local and out-of-state investors eager to tap into its growing potential.  Out-of-state capital A key trend in the D.C. multifamily market is the strong influx of out-of-state capital. This year, 44 percent of buyers in our DMV (D.C., Maryland and Virginia) listings came from outside the region, drawn by the area’s stability and long-term growth potential. These out-of-market investors often pay a premium over local buyers, keeping deal volume and pricing competitive even amid rising interest rates. This steady inflow of external capital has reinforced the market’s resilience, underscoring the perceived value of D.C. multifamily assets. The demand from out-of-state investors has also provided stability to the market, helping to sustain price levels and liquidity despite macroeconomic headwinds. By bolstering interest in multifamily properties, this capital flow supports continued growth and positions D.C. as a desirable destination for long-term investment.  As this trend persists, the D.C. metro area is likely to remain a focal point for diverse capital sources, ensuring strength and adaptability in its …

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AcquisitionsDistrict of ColumbiaOfficeSoutheast

Real Capital Solutions Purchases DC Office Building for $29.3M

by John Nelson

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Real Capital Solutions (RCS) has purchased an 11-story office building located at 1501 M St. NW in Washington, D.C.’s East End submarket for $29.3 million. Gerry Trainor of Transwestern brokered the transaction. The seller was not disclosed. Designed by Hartman-Cox Architects, the office building features 178,510 rentable square feet. The previous owner invested $13 million to upgrade the building’s lobby, restrooms, fitness center and a three-story “town hall” amenity space. RCS plans to add further improvements, including a spec suite program and the expansion of the town hall concept to the seventh and eighth floors.

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District of ColumbiaLeasing ActivityOfficeSoutheast

Workbox to Open 29,000 SF Coworking Space in DC’s Dupont Circle District

by John Nelson

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Workbox plans to open a new 29,000-square-foot coworking space at an office building located at 1333 New Hampshire Ave. NW in Washington, D.C.’s Dupont Circle district. The new space is set to open in February and will represent the company’s first location in the Mid-Atlantic and its 12th nationwide. Workbox also recently announced a coworking location in Pittsburgh that is set to open next month. Workbox – Dupont Circle will feature an entire floor of workspaces, lounges, conference rooms and amenity spaces. Additionally, the space will offer offices and suites for teams ranging in size from one to 40 individuals, all of which have flexible monthly rental agreements.

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District of ColumbiaSoutheast

US Economy Posts Strong Rebound in November by Adding 227,000 Jobs

by John Nelson

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. economy added 227,000 jobs in November, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The figure is a strong rebound from October when the economy added 36,000 jobs, which is an upward revision by the BLS from its previous report of 12,000 jobs for the month. CNBC and other media outlets cite impacts from Hurricane Milton and the Boeing strike as reasons why the October total fell so far short of expectations. In addition to the October revision, the BLS revised September’s job total upward to 255,000, which brings net employment for the two months 56,000 jobs higher than previously reported. The November total also surpassed Dow Jones economists’ expectations of 214,000 jobs for the month, according to CNBC. The most actively expanding employment sectors in November included healthcare, which added 54,000 jobs, and leisure and hospitality, which added 53,000 jobs. The healthcare total is in line with the sector’s 59,000 average over the prior 12 months, but the leisure and hospitality figure more than doubled its 12-month average of 21,000 jobs, according to the BLS. Other sectors that added jobs in November include government (+33,000), transportation equipment manufacturing (+32,000) and social assistance (+19,000). …

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District of ColumbiaLeasing ActivityOfficeSoutheast

Milbank Signs 65,000 SF Office Lease at 1101 New York Avenue in DC

by John Nelson

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Milbank, an international law firm, has signed a 65,000-square-foot lease at 1101 New York Avenue, a 388,000-square-foot office building in Washington, D.C.’s East End. The office building is now 94 percent leased to firms including A&O Shearman, National Retail Federation, EY and Bloomberg. Dale Schlather, Malcolm Marshall and Alson Offutt of Cushman & Wakefield represented Milbank in the lease deal. Kyle Luby, Matt Pacinelli, John Klinke and Tim McCarty of Stream Realty Partners represented the landlord, a partnership between Oxford Properties Group and Norges Bank Investment Management. Jim Potocki of Oxford Properties was also part of the leasing team at 1101 New York Avenue, which has 28,000 square feet of availability.

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Affordable HousingDistrict of ColumbiaLoansMultifamilySoutheast

FHFA Expands Multifamily Loan Purchase Caps for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac in 2025

by John Nelson

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has increased the multifamily loan purchase caps for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for their 2025 production. The two government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) will each have caps of $73 billion, or $146 billion combined, which is a 4 percent increase from the 2024 caps of $70 billion apiece. Bob Broeksmit, president and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), says that the move to increase the cap is fitting due to recent moves by the Federal Reserve, which has twice reduced the federal funds rate in recent months. “The 4 percent increase in the multifamily loan purchase caps to $73 billion for each GSE is appropriate, given the slightly improved market conditions and lending activity that’s expected next year due to the slow decline in interest rates,” says Broeksmit. The FHFA will continue to exclude multifamily loans that finance workforce housing communities from the 2025 cap and require the GSEs to have at least 50 percent of their multifamily originations finance “mission-driven” affordable housing. The FHFA will continue to monitor the multifamily mortgage market and “maintains the ability to raise the caps further if necessary to support liquidity in the market.” If …

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District of ColumbiaIndustrialLoansSoutheast

PRP Obtains $291M CMBS Loan for 4.5 MSF National Logistics Portfolio

by John Nelson

WASHINGTON, D.C. — PRP has obtained a $291 million CMBS loan for the refinancing of a national logistics portfolio totaling more than 4.5 million square feet. Eastdil Secured arranged the single-asset single-borrower (SASB) loan through JP Morgan. The portfolio spans five newly constructed buildings in the industrial markets of Houston; Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C.; St. Louis, Ill.; and Birmingham, Ala. The properties were fully leased at the time of financing including to tenants including a global online retailer, a home improvement company and power tool manufacturer, according to Washington, D.C.-based PRP.

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