Georgia

Powered By Healthy Job Market, Multifamily Investment Remains a Safe Bet

by Alex Patton December 10, 2019

ATLANTA — Increased job growth in major markets throughout the Southeast and lower borrowing costs have quelled fears of a 2020 recession, and multifamily investors are feeling confident going into the new year. The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently reported that the U.S. economy generated 266,000 jobs in November and the unemployment rate fell 10 basis points to 3.5 percent. Healthy job growth in major population centers drives heightened demand for housing, particularly in the multifamily sector. Speakers at France Media’s InterFace Multifamily Southeast conference shared their perspectives on the multifamily investment market of 2019 and their predictions for 2020. The conference, which took place Tuesday, Dec. 3 at The Whitley hotel in the Buckhead district of Atlanta, attracted 384 industry professionals. “Multifamily is a pretty much tried-and-true section of the real estate investment market,” said Steven Shores, president and CEO of Pollack Shores. “We have very low volatility compared to other sectors, and if you’re trying to make an allocation between some sort of alternative asset versus cash or bond portfolio, we look pretty attractive from a risk-investment perspective.” Shores noted that existing assets are trading at cap rates anywhere between 4 to 5 percent, depending on the location, …

December 10, 2019

Development Georgia Mixed-Use Southeast

Granite, MetLife Break Ground on Midtown Union Mixed-Use Development, Including Invesco’s Headquarters

by Alex Tostado December 9, 2019

ATLANTA — MetLife Investment Management, MetLife Inc.’s institutional asset management business, and Granite Properties have broken ground on Midtown Union, a large mixed-use development in Midtown Atlanta. Designed by Cooper Carry, with Brasfield & Gorrie as the general contractor, the project at 1295 Spring St. consists of a 26-story, 606,000-square-foot office building; an 18-story, 355-unit residential tower atop eight levels of parking; a 12-story, 205-room hotel; 30,000 square feet of retail space and a 635,000-square-foot parking deck providing 1,909 parking spaces. Midtown Union is adjacent to Interstates 75 and 85 via the 17th Street Bridge. The development will feature a pedestrian-friendly extension of Arts Center Way and connect between Spring and West Peachtree streets. StreetLights Residential, in partnership with MetLife Investment Management, will develop the multifamily tower featuring studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom homes. The lobby will offer 24-hour concierge service, a coffee bar, conference lab and coworking space. Amenities will include resident storage, pet spa, fitness center, club room and an outdoor deck with pool, seating and grilling stations. Stormont Hospitality Group and The Allen Morris Co., in partnership with MetLife Investment Management, will develop the hotel with over 5,000 square feet of meeting space, a restaurant and a bar. Granite Properties and MetLife Investment Management will deliver the LEED-Certified …

December 9, 2019

Acquisitions Georgia Office Southeast

TerraCap Management Sells Office Portfolio in Northern Atlanta Suburb for $46.1M

by Alex Tostado December 9, 2019

KENNESAW, GA. — TerraCap Management LLC, a privately held investment firm based out of Estero, Fla., has sold Chastain Center to an undisclosed buyer for $46.1 million after completing capital improvements. The six-building, 303,000-square-foot, single-story office portfolio is located 25 miles northwest of Atlanta in Kennesaw. The office portfolio was 86 percent leased at the time of sale, with over seven years of remaining lease term in place. Tom Shafer and John Hinson of CBRE represented TerraCap in the sale. Lincoln Property Co. represented TerraCap on both leasing and management. TerraCap originally purchased the property for $30 million in January 2016.

December 9, 2019

Development Georgia Office Southeast

Coro Realty, Southeastern Capital to Convert Former Masquerade Music Venue in Atlanta into Offices

by Alex Tostado December 6, 2019

ATLANTA — Coro Realty and Southeastern Capital Cos. are transforming the 118-year-old Excelsior Mill buildings in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward into 30,000 square feet of office space. The two companies purchased the building in 2016 when it was known as the music venue, The Masquerade. The partnership has teamed with designer Smith Dalia Architects to open the floor plan and add natural light. Much of the manufacturing equipment will remain in place, including an extensive heavy-duty gear and pulley system originally used at the property. Completion is slated for first quarter of 2020. The property is located across from Ponce City Market along the Atlanta BeltLine’s Eastside Trail. Scott DeMeyer and Emily Richardson with Colliers International are leading the office leasing efforts.

December 6, 2019

Acquisitions Georgia Mixed-Use Southeast

Ackerman Brokers Sale of 65-Acre Parcel Near Mall of Georgia for Fuqua’s Exchange at Gwinnett Project

by Alex Tostado December 5, 2019

BUFORD, GA. — Atlanta-based Ackerman & Co. has brokered the sale of 65 acres across Interstate 85 from the Mall of Georgia in Buford, approximately 30 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta. The Orkin family, of Orkin pest control, sold the parcel to Atlanta-based Fuqua Development for $18 million. The space will accommodate Phase I of Fuqua’s The Exchange at Gwinnett, a $320 million mixed-used development that will feature office space, a hotel, apartments and 500,000 square feet of retail space, including a food hall, “fashion hall,” and a Cinebistro movie theater, according to local media reports. Ackerman & Co.’s John Speros and Larry Wood brokered the sale of the property, located at the intersection of I-85 and Georgia Highway 20. Wood and Speros also represented Rooms To Go in the acquisition of a 4.5-acre site within the development for construction of a 52,000-square-foot store to replace its 24,000-square-foot store fronting the Mall of Georgia.

December 5, 2019

Conference Coverage Features Georgia Multifamily Southeast Southeast Feature Archive

Retail, Office Trends Influence Apartment Development Strategies, Says InterFace Panel

by Kristin Harlow December 5, 2019

ATLANTA — Much of today’s new apartment projects feature a ground-floor retail component. But developers at France Media’s 10th annual InterFace Multifamily Southeast conference actually expressed concern about this type of development approach. “The overall retail market is just not what it once was,” said Richard Aaronson, CEO of Atlantic Residential. “A lot of municipalities are recognizing that ground-floor retail in a residential building is not ideal.” In other words, if there is difficulty leasing the retail space, a bunch of empty storefronts doesn’t bode well for the overall project. Aaronson said his company is implementing ground-floor retail on a limited basis and is instead incorporating first-floor apartments and community spaces. Aaronson spoke on a panel titled, “What Makes a Development Project Successful in Today’s Market?” Joining Aaronson on the panel was Harvey Wadsworth, managing director with Mill Creek Residential; Peter Joerss, director of acquisitions for PointOne Holdings; Jason Doornbos, executive managing director for Landmark Properties; and John Leonard, first vice president with Marcus & Millichap who served as moderator. The conference took place Tuesday, Dec. 3 at The Whitley in Atlanta’s Buckhead district and welcomed 384 attendees. Complicating matters, however, is that some cities require new apartment developments to …

December 5, 2019

Georgia Industrial Market Reports Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Atlanta Industrial Market ‘Falls Together,’ Averaging 57 MSF of Leasing, Sales

by Alex Tostado December 4, 2019

In the words of Marilyn Monroe, “Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.” The retail market forges ahead in its quest to essentially reinvent itself in response to the ever-increasing growth in online sales. This revitalization is characterized by decreasing the footprint of their brick and mortar stores and expanding the size of their e-commerce fulfillment centers. Fortunately, the biggest beneficiary of this growing trend is the industrial market. There’s been a lot of talk about retailers suffering from the boom in internet sales. Quite frankly, do you really believe a retailer cares if they sell their product in a storefront or through the internet and their e-commerce delivery system? I contend they do not care as long as it is their product being sold. The retailers that do not embrace internet sales, in conjunction with their in-store sales, will be going the way of companies like Toys “R” Us — losing sales and eventually closing down because they are not able to compete in today’s online world. The competition between e-commerce delivery systems has heated up even further due to “just in time” or last-mile delivery. Customer expectation on some items is shifting from two-day …

December 4, 2019

Acquisitions Georgia Multifamily Southeast

Greystone Brown Facilitates $36.5M Sale of Multifamily Portfolio in Metro Atlanta

by John Nelson December 2, 2019

AUSTELL, GA. — Greystone Brown Real Estate Advisors has brokered the $36.5 million sale of a three-property, 490-unit multifamily portfolio in Austell, a suburb of Atlanta in Cobb County. Taylor Brown, Chandler Brown, Barden Brown and Walter Miller of Greystone Brown represented the seller, HKP Austell LLC, in the sale. Greystone & Co.’s Leor Dimant originated a $30 million acquisition loan on behalf of the undisclosed buyer. The three properties are adjacent to one another and less than five miles from downtown Austell. Built in 1988, Hunter’s Grove comprises 200 one- and two-bedroom units. Kingsley Village, which was built in 1974, includes 146 units, and Parkview Apartments, built in 1971, features 144 units. Both Kingsley Village and Parkview Apartments offer one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans. All three apartment complexes feature access to nearby Interstate 20, several industrial parks and Six Flags Over Georgia.

December 2, 2019

Georgia Market Reports Retail Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Retail Investors View Atlanta as a Looming Gateway Market, but More Affordable

by Alex Tostado December 2, 2019

As we enter the last quarter of 2019, well into the longest economic expansion in history, the Atlanta retail real estate market is healthy and active, with multi-year retail rent and occupancy growth. The city’s retail investment sales volume totaled $2.2 billion in 2018, making it the eighth most active retail investment market in the country. Not a gateway market, yet In my career, Atlanta has always been a “non-institutional” market, and has stayed largely off the radar of deep pools of institutional capital aimed at New York, Boston, San Francisco and other gateway cities with deeper economies, higher rents, lower cap rates and higher values. Nevertheless Atlanta’s population, GDP and growth make it the undisputed capital of the Southeast by a country mile. The metro’s shopping centers have benefitted from this paradox: it has the biggest economy in the South and is among the top metros in the nation for employment and population growth. However, its average rents are lower and its average retail cap rates are higher than almost every one of its peers in the Southeast and the United States at large. Despite the overblown narrative of the retail apocalypse and despite how or when the current …

December 2, 2019

Georgia Market Reports Multifamily Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Forget Atlanta — Capital Cascades into Georgia’s Secondary and Tertiary Markets

by Alex Tostado November 27, 2019

Georgia’s secondary and tertiary multifamily markets continue to demonstrate growing attraction as capital flows from investors leaving the Atlanta metro area in search of higher yield transactions. The greater Georgia market, which spans the state excluding the 29-county Atlanta metro area, has become a destination for investment due to growing capital inflows to the Southeast and cap rate compression in metro Atlanta. Multifamily transaction volume in the Southeast totaled $11.8 billion in second-quarter 2019, up 25 percent year-over-year, allowing more capital to enter Georgia’s secondary and tertiary markets. The trickle-down effect of investment into these markets, boosted by strong job growth and increasing renter households, works to promote a strong renter marketplace with increasing returns in the region. Georgia markets demonstrated tightening fundamentals and noticeable rent gains in recent years, particularly south of Atlanta, due to supply-side pressure and limited new deliveries. According to CoStar Group, metro Atlanta delivered nearly 11,000 units, up 15 percent year-over-year through the second quarter, while Georgia’s secondary and tertiary markets delivered roughly 2,200 in total, down 40 percent. Greater Georgia’s lack of supply has generated pent-up demand in multifamily, resulting in residents who are willing to pay more for higher value assets while landlords …

November 27, 2019

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