Top Stories

Industry Growth Highlighted at NMHC Student Housing Conference

by Jeff Shaw September 28, 2017

TAMPA, FLA. — The National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) Student Housing Conference wrapped up Sept. 27 at the Marriott Waterside hotel, highlighting the industry’s productivity and progress in the second and third quarters, and providing a forecast for a strong fourth quarter. The tone of the conference was bolstered by Monday’s news that American Campus Communities (ACC), the industry’s largest owner, had purchased a 3,776-bed portfolio from Core Spaces and DRW Real Estate for $590.6 million, the largest transaction to date in 2017 in the sector. Also setting a strong tone was attendance of this year’s conference; more than 850 industry professionals, according to NMHC. The conference kicked off its educational sessions Monday afternoon with a panel featuring five industry leaders — Randy Churchey, CEO of EdR; Bill Bayless, CEO of ACC; Donna Preiss, CEO of The Preiss Company; Brian Dinerstein, CEO of The Dinerstein Company; and Wes Rogers, CEO of Landmark Properties. The panel, moderated by Peter Katz, executive managing director of Institutional Property Advisors, was very bullish on the sector as a whole. They emphasized that the increased sophistication of the sector is gaining the attention of the investment community. What’s more, the growth of the sector is …

September 28, 2017

California Multifamily Top Stories Western

Essex Apartment Homes Acquires 24-Story Mixed-Use Property in San Jose

by Nellie Day September 27, 2017

SAN JOSE, CALIF. — An affiliate of Essex Apartment Homes (NYSE: ESS) has purchased 360 Residences, a 24-story, mixed-use residential and retail tower in downtown San Jose. The purchase price was $133.5 million, according to Silicon Valley Business Journal. The mixed-use asset is located at 360 Market St., situated one mile from Google’s proposed office campus as well as the future downtown San Jose and Diridon BART stations. The transit-oriented property also provides access to Interstates 280, 680 and 880, U.S. Highway 101 and State Highway 87. 360 Residences was built in 2010. It features 213 ultra-luxury condominium units with high-end finishes and floor plans that average 1,320 square feet. Community amenities include a resort-style pool, fitness center, community lounge with chef’s kitchen, and executive business center with conference room and concierge services. The asset also contains 10,167 square feet of ground-floor retail that is fully leased. The seller, Capri Capital Partners LLC, purchased 360 Residences from Kennedy Wilson for $118 million in April 2012. HFF’s Scott Bales, Peter Yorck and Miles Kersten represented Capri in this transaction. San Mateo, Calif.-based Essex Apartment Homes is a self-administered and self-managed REIT that owns, operates, manages, acquires, develops and redevelops apartment communities …

September 27, 2017

Arizona Florida Multifamily Southeast Top Stories Western

Investcorp Acquires Six-Property Multifamily Portfolio in Florida, Arizona for $350M

by Katie Sloan September 26, 2017

ORLANDO, FLA., JACKSONVILLE, FLA., AND PHOENIX — The U.S. real estate investment arm of Investcorp has acquired six multifamily properties in Florida and Arizona for $350 million. Acquisitions include Highpoint Club and Montevista at Windermere, which together total 708 units in Orlando; Aqua Deerwood, a 616-unit, garden-style community located in the Southside neighborhood of Jacksonville; and Arcadia Cove, Tuscany Palms and Midtown on Main, which total 1,486 units in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The seller in the transaction was undisclosed. Highpoint Club and Montevista at Windermere in Orlando offer one- and two-bedroom units. Shared amenities at both properties include a resort-style pool with cabanas, state-of-the-art fitness center, internet café with coffee bar, dog park and clubhouse. Arcadia Cove, located in Phoenix, offers one-, two- and three-bedroom units. Tuscany Palms and Midtown on Main, located about 18 miles east of Phoenix in Mesa, offer a mix of one- and two-bedroom units. Shared amenities at each property include a resort-style pool and fitness center. “The U.S. multifamily market remains attractive for new investment opportunities,” says Herb Myers, managing director of real estate investment at Investcorp. “This recently acquired portfolio builds upon our strong track record of investing in multifamily properties in growth …

September 26, 2017

Features Multifamily Seniors Housing Top Stories

Seniors Housing Executives Predict Increased M&A Activity, According to Capital One Survey

by Jeff Shaw September 26, 2017

BETHESDA, MD. — Seniors housing executives have a generally optimistic view for mergers and acquisitions activity heading into the fourth quarter of 2017, according to a survey by Capital One. Approximately 89 percent of respondents believe M&A activity will maintain its current pace over the next year, with about half of those believing the pace will increase. Bethesda-based lender Capital One conducted the survey in early September 2017. It asked professionals to provide their 12-month outlook on a number of issues in the seniors housing and skilled nursing space. Respondents included 157 senior executives from healthcare companies, including pharmaceutical and medical technology companies, hospitals, healthcare service providers and health systems, as well as other industry participants. In another survey question, respondents were asked to name the greatest financial challenge facing the industry. Labor cost pressure was the top concern at 33 percent, with supply and demand imbalances following close behind at 32 percent. The regulatory and reimbursement environment was the next largest concern at 21 percent. Further fueling the sentiment that M&A activity will be a focal point for the industry, just four percent cited availability or cost of capital as their top financial challenge. “The uptick in acquisition interest …

September 26, 2017

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American Campus Communities Acquires 3,776-Bed Student Housing Portfolio for $590.6M

by Taylor Williams September 25, 2017

AUSTIN, TEXAS — American Campus Communities Inc. (NYSE: ACC) has acquired a portfolio of seven student housing properties totaling 3,776 beds across the Western and Midwestern United States for approximately $590.6 million. Affiliates of Milwaukee-based development firm and Core Spaces and Chicago-based DRW Real Estate Investments LLC sold the assets. All of the properties are associated with major universities, with enrollment averaging about 35,000 undergraduate and graduate students at each school. The company will invest about $8 million in up-front capital improvements to the portfolio. Two of the properties are stabilized: the 513-bed Hub Eugene and the 655-bed State, which service students at the University of Oregon and Colorado State University, respectively. The company acquired these assets in August for a combined $146.1 million. Another two of the properties, the 850-bed The James and the 248-bed Hub U District Seattle, are opening this fall. Those properties are located near the University of Wisconsin and the University of Washington, respectively. The final three properties, which total 1,500 beds, are all under construction and slated for fall 2018 delivery. They include Hub Ann Arbor, Hub West Lafayette and Hub Flagstaff, which offer housing to students attending the University of Michigan, Purdue University …

September 25, 2017

Hospitality Illinois Midwest Top Stories

NKF Arranges $74.8M Loan to Reposition Chicago’s Hard Rock Hotel

by Kristin Harlow September 22, 2017

CHICAGO — Newmark Knight Frank (NKF) has arranged a $74.8 million loan for the repositioning of the Hard Rock Hotel located at 230 N. Michigan Ave. in Chicago. Property owner Becker Ventures and manager Aparium Hotel Group plan to reposition the property as the St. Jane Chicago hotel following the closing of the Hard Rock Hotel on Dec.1. The newly branded property is scheduled to reopen in spring 2018. The new name is a nod to social worker Jane Addams, who co-founded Chicago’s Hull House in 1889. The settlement house opened to European immigrants and provided social and educational programs. Built in 1929 and designed by the Burnham Brothers, the historic Carbide & Carbon building features 37 stories. Renovations will consist of updated interiors with the addition of a rooftop bar and lounge, full-service restaurant, market café, cocktail bar and 11,000 square feet of meeting and event space. In addition to 363 guest rooms, St. Jane Chicago will feature luxury suites on floors 25 and above known as The Tower at St. Jane. A reason for the repositioning was not provided, but Crain’s Chicago Business reports that competition in the neighborhood was the catalyst for the makeover. Ben Greazel of …

September 22, 2017

Features Multifamily Texas Texas & Oklahoma Feature Archive Top Stories

InterFace Panel: Property Taxes, Public Transit Among Chief Concerns for DFW Multifamily Market

by Taylor Williams September 22, 2017

DALLAS — With roughly 10,000 new residents moving into the metro area every month and more than 100,000 jobs already created in 2017, the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex appears poised to handle any challenges thrown at its multifamily sector. These obstacles include absorbing the 35,000 or so multifamily units expected to come on line in 2018, maintaining positive rent growth of 3 to 4 percent and navigating a constricting labor market to ensure new projects stay on schedule. For the real estate professionals who spoke on these issues at the InterFace Multifamily Texas conference on Sept. 13 at the Westin Galleria hotel in Dallas, there wasn’t much dissension as to whether the market can handle these tasks. The bigger question among the panelists was what, if anything, could crash the party. Moderator Rob Key, senior vice president at HFF, invited the four panelists — all of whom work for DFW-based firms that offer investment platforms — to share their insights on what they believe is the single-biggest threat to the continued growth and prosperity of DFW’s multifamily market. Kim Radaker, managing principal of The Exponential Property Group of Cos., identified rising property taxes stemming from higher sales prices as her biggest …

September 22, 2017

Michigan Midwest Mixed-Use Top Stories

Bedrock Plans $2.1B in Developments in Downtown Detroit Totaling 3.2 MSF

by John Nelson September 21, 2017

DETROIT — Bedrock, Dan Gilbert’s Detroit-based commercial real estate development and investment firm, has unveiled a package of four developments totaling $2.1 billion in new investment that will add to Detroit’s skyline. Totaling 3.2 million square feet, Bedrock expects to create both construction and permanent jobs totaling up to 24,000. “Detroit is going vertical,” says Gilbert, who also founded Quicken Loans Inc. and owns the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association. “In fact, that is the only way to create any type of significant expansion in the city because we are virtually at full occupancy for residential and commercial space in both downtown and midtown.” Gilbert adds that “transformational” projects like these are necessary to both accommodate the expansion of current downtown businesses and make Detroit a legitimate competitor for new businesses and massive opportunities, including Amazon’s HQ2. Gilbert, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and other elected officials and community members gathered at the historic Book Tower to unveil the following projects: The Hudson’s Site — The approximately $900 million, 1 million square-foot redevelopment of the old Hudson’s site will include the tallest tower in Detroit. Crain’s Detroit Business reports that the building will rise 80 stories, which would top …

September 21, 2017

Features Top Stories

Autonomous Vehicles Drive New Era of Transformation in Real Estate Development

by Camren Skelton September 21, 2017

Although autonomous vehicles are not yet a common sight on today’s roadways, land-use planners, developers and other real estate professionals are already preparing for its potentially vast impact on the real estate environment, according to BBG, a Dallas-based commercial real estate valuation, advisory and assessment firm. Recent announcements have put autonomous vehicles on the radar. On Monday, Sept. 18, Intel announced it is working with Waymo, the Alphabet-owned self-driving car company, to help its vehicles reach levels four and five autonomy, or high automation and full automation, respectively. And the technology is progressing rapidly. “Given the pace at which autonomous driving is coming to life, I fully expect my children’s children will never have to drive a car,” wrote Intel Corp. CEO Brian Krzanich in a blog post announcing the news. “That’s an astounding thought. Something almost 90 percent of Americans do every day will end within a generation.” His insights come in the wake of other major events, including General Motors’ announcement that it can begin manufacturing autonomous vehicles for mass production pending regulatory approvals. Following the likes of companies like Tesla and Google, the company is working to turn self-driving vehicles from something out of a movie into …

September 21, 2017

North Carolina Office Southeast Top Stories

Starwood, Trinity Capital, Vanderbilt Partners Sell Raleigh-Durham Office Portfolio for $105.5M

by Nellie Day September 20, 2017

RALEIGH AND DURHAM, N.C. — A joint venture between Starwood Capital Group, Trinity Capital Advisors and Vanderbilt Partners has sold a seven-property office portfolio in Raleigh-Durham to an institutional investor for $105.5 million. The portfolio contains a total of 581,619 square feet within the Perimeter Park business park. The properties are located at 1500, 1600, 1700, 1800, 2000 and 2250 Perimeter Park and 3800 Paramount Parkway within the Research Triangle Park submarket of Raleigh-Durham. The portfolio is situated near Interstates 540 and 40, with access to Cary, West Raleigh and North Raleigh, as well as access to the Raleigh-Durham International Airport and Research Triangle Park. The portfolio was built in the 1990s and early 2000s. It is approximately 91 percent leased to tenants like QuintilesIMS, AECOM, TrialCard, UNC Physicians Network and Beacon Health Options. “This transaction demonstrates the strong appeal and growing appetite from institutional investors for well-positioned office investment opportunities in Raleigh-Durham and throughout the overall Carolinas market,” says HFF’s Ryan Clutter who, along with Scot Humphrey and Chris Lingerfelt, represented the sellers in this transaction. “Suburban office has proven to be a more challenging asset class to sell in many markets around the country, yet the Carolinas continue …

September 20, 2017

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