Top Stories

U.S. Office Market to Benefit from Surge of Foreign Capital, Says Office Roundtable

by John Nelson May 31, 2016

MIAMI — Volatility in world markets affected capital flows to the U.S., contributing to a slowdown in office deals in the first quarter of 2016, but foreign funds are expected to surge in the second half of the year, according to an office roundtable held at Accesso Partners’ second annual Capital Markets Conference in Miami. Commercial brokerages attending the conference included CBRE, Eastdil Secured, JLL, HFF, NAI Global and NGKF. The majority of brokers in attendance said the opportunities today are in Class A suburban office properties with walkable amenities. “In almost every market, there are trophy suburban assets that offer a stronger risk-adjusted return than comparable properties in the central business district,” said Jim Postweiler, managing director of JLL’s Chicago office. “In strong submarkets, a suburban property can command yields that are difficult to obtain in CBDs today.” Other brokers and office acquisition specialists said office towers and mid-rise buildings in CBDs are experiencing rising demand from institutional investors eager to invest in “repositioned” assets. “There is still good leasing activity in these markets and more importantly, a good rent growth story,” said Will Yowell, vice chairman of CBRE’s Atlanta office. “We think the markets have another 18 to …

May 31, 2016

Maryland Office Southeast Top Stories

Carr Properties Acquires Office Property in Metro D.C. For $105M

by Christina Cannon May 27, 2016

BETHESDA, MD. — Carr Properties has acquired a 163,000-square-foot office building in the Central Business District of Bethesda for $105 million. The seller was an entity controlled by American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Carr intends to redevelop and expand the four-story building into a mixed-use property that will include over 900,000 square feet of office, residential and retail space. The project will also include the addition of the Bethesda Purple Line Station, a new entrance to the Metro Red Line and a below-grade tunnel for the Capital Crescent Trail. The property is located at 7272 Wisconsin Ave. “We believe that the Apex site, as redeveloped, will be the new commercial hub of the Bethesda market with unparalleled access to public transportation, bike trails and the thriving restaurant and retail of Bethesda Row,” says Oliver Carr III, CEO of Carr Properties. “We could not be more excited about this opportunity for our company.” In a related transaction, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists will relocate its headquarters to Carr’s recently developed LEED Platinum-certified office building located at 4500 East West Highway in Bethesda. Carr Properties is a private REIT that owns, acquires and develops commercial real estate, predominately office properties, in …

May 27, 2016

Northeast Office Top Stories

New York REIT, JBG to Merge, Creating $8.4B REIT

by Nellie Day May 26, 2016

NEW YORK CITY — New York REIT (NYSE: NYRT) has agreed to acquire all properties of JBG Cos. and some of its private funds, creating an $8.4 billion real estate investment trust (REIT) named JBG Realty Trust. JBG Realty Trust’s portfolio will span more than 14.5 million square feet of office, residential and retail properties across the gateway markets of New York City and Washington, D.C. The properties are concentrated in transportation-served, urban-infill submarkets. The combined company will be headquartered in Chevy Chase, Md., with a regional office in New York City. JBG has received all required approvals for the transaction from its owners and JBG Fund Advisory Committee members. The board of directors of NYRT has approved the merger agreement and recommended that its stockholders approve the issuance of common stock and operating partnership units in the transaction. JBG Cos. will receive 319.9 million shares of common stock and operating partnership units of NYRT in exchange for the contributed JBG properties. NYRT stockholders will own about 34.8 percent of the combined company’s shares and units, while JBG equity holders will own about 65.2 percent once the deal is complete. The Eastdil Secured group of Wells Fargo Securities acted as …

May 26, 2016

Features Top Stories

Viability of Surface Level Parking Declines Amid Retail Shift to Pedestrian Mixed-Use Environments

by Katie Sloan May 26, 2016

The United States devotes a lot of land to parking, with nearly 500 million parking spaces nationwide. That equates to around 4 million acres or 6,000 square miles of surface parking — an amount of space roughly equal to the land area of Hawaii. With about 250 million cars on the roads today, that’s more than 700 square feet or two surface parking spaces for every single car. It probably doesn’t seem like it when you are circling the block for the tenth time looking for that perfect space, but trust me — we have plenty of parking in this country. Remember, that’s just surface parking — nothing above or below those spaces. It doesn’t account for parking structures, mixed-use projects or garages attached to suburban single-family homes across the U.S. If those are added, the total spaces skyrockets into the billions by some estimates. It is no mystery how we got here. The growth patterns of the United States are well documented. The sprawling development of most American cities has solidified the dependence on the automobile, with cars and roads claiming more and more real estate. This, in turn, continues to spread development out further, which fosters the need …

May 26, 2016

Florida Office Southeast Top Stories

Sumitomo Buys Iconic Miami Tower For $220M

by Haisten Willis May 25, 2016

MIAMI — Sumitomo Corp. of Americas, a New York City-based subsidiary of a Japanese trading company, has acquired Miami Tower, a 47-story, 631,672-square-foot office tower in Miami’s central business district, for $220 million. LaSalle Income & Growth Fund V sold the 93 percent-occupied property. HFF arranged the transaction. LaSalle purchased the property in December 2010 for $105.5 million, according to the Miami Herald. The property was built in 1987 and was previously known as the CenTrust Tower. “We are excited to add Miami Tower to our portfolio of commercial properties here in the U.S.,” says Robert Obringer, vice president of Sumitomo Corp. of Americas. “As part of our constant management of assets, we are always looking for opportunities that will maximize return on investment, and this property offers a strong upside potential for in-place cash flow and the opportunity to increase value.” Renowned architect I.M. Pei designed the building, which consists of 37 stories of office space situated above 10 stories of parking, a Metromover station and ground-level retail space. The building is well known for its unique exterior lighting system and boasts tenants including Carlton Fields, TotalBank, UBS Financial Services, Genovese Joblove & Battista, Ver Ploeg & Lumpkin and the …

May 25, 2016

Healthcare Multifamily Seniors Housing Southeast Tennessee Top Stories

NHI to Acquire Five Bickford Seniors Housing Communities in the Midwest for $87.5M

by Katie Sloan May 24, 2016

MURFREESBORO, TENN. — National Health Investors Inc. (NYSE: NHI), a Murfreesboro-based REIT, has exercised an $87.5 million purchase option on five assisted living and memory care communities currently owned and operated by Bickford Senior Living. The acquisitions include a 56-unit community in Crystal Lake, Iowa; a 76-unit community in St. Charles, Mo.; a 56-unit community in Oswego, Ill.; a 40-unit community in Omaha, Neb.; and a 49-unit community in West Des Moines, Iowa. The properties total 277 units with an average occupancy of 92 percent and an average age of 12 years. NHI has committed $2.4 million for capital improvements and expansions on the existing facilities. Bickford will continue to operate the communities under a 15-year lease with two five-year renewal options and a 3 percent annual lease escalator. The acquisition was funded with available cash and borrowings on the company’s revolving credit facility. “We are very pleased to exercise our purchase option on these high-quality, high-performing facilities and to expand our existing relationship with Bickford Senior Living,” says Eric Mendelsohn, president and CEO of NHI. National Health Investors specializes in sale-leaseback, joint venture, mortgage and mezzanine financing of need-driven and discretionary senior housing and medical investments. NHI’s stock price …

May 24, 2016

Features Top Stories

RECon Recap: Ben Bernanke Discusses Hits, Misses of U.S. Economic Recovery

by Jeff Shaw May 24, 2016

LAS VEGAS — This is a “Rodney Dangerfield recovery,” declares Dr. Ben Bernanke, former chairman of the Federal Reserve. Much like the late comedian, it gets no respect. Referred to by President Barack Obama as “the epitome of calm,” the 14th chairman of the Federal Reserve shared his insights during a one-on-one interview with Marcus & Millichap’s new CEO, Hessam Nadji, as part of the brokerage firm’s 18th annual Retail Trends program at the Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel early Monday evening. The program was held in conjunction with the International Council of Shopping Centers’ (ICSC) RECon event, the marquee convention in the shopping center industry. This year the convention attracted 36,000 registered attendees, up from 35,000 a year ago and a post-recession high. The annual convention is a wall-to-wall networking and dealmaking event with educational sessions mixed in. “In some dimensions it has been a strong recovery, in others it has been disappointing,” says Bernanke, who served as Fed chairman from February 2006 through January 2014. The Upside U.S. employers have added 15 million jobs over the past seven years, says Bernanke triumphantly before rattling off some other positive economic indicators. The unemployment rate is down to 5 percent, housing …

May 24, 2016

Northeast Pennsylvania Texas Top Stories

C-III Capital Partners Agrees to Acquire Resource America for $207M

by John Nelson May 23, 2016

IRVING, TEXAS AND PHILADELPHIA — C-III Capital Partners LLC, a commercial real estate investment manager and property services firm, has agreed to purchase Resource America Inc. (NASDAQ: REXI), an asset management company that specializes in commercial real estate and credit investments. Under the terms of the agreement, Resource America stockholders will receive $9.78 per share in cash, for a total of approximately $207 million. Resource America’s board of directors unanimously approved the agreement. The price per share represents a 51 percent premium over Resource America’s closing price on May 20. “Having undertaken a thorough strategic review, during which we evaluated a wide variety of options, the board has unanimously concluded that partnering with C-III is the best way to maximize value,” says Jonathan Cohen, president and CEO of Resource America. “C-III is a highly regarded real estate services and investment management organization with outstanding leadership.” Philadelphia-based Resource America is the external manager of one publicly traded REIT, four non-traded REITS and two other registered investment companies and focuses on capital-raising activities through the independent broker-dealer network. Irving-based C-III Capital Partners currently manages $3.8 billion on behalf of institutional investors in both debt and equity funds, a separate account and several …

May 23, 2016

Features Top Stories

RECon Recon: A Glimpse at What Retail Marketing Professionals Can Expect to See and Hear at RECon 2016

by Katie Sloan May 23, 2016

As someone that has been driving and supporting public relations and marketing programs for developers, property managers, retailers, brokers and consultants for more than 25 years, ICSC’s Spring RECon convention in Las Vegas has become an annual ritual. I haven’t missed a single May conference in nearly 20 years. Like all longtime attendees, I’ve seen the good, the great and the ugly and I’ve come to see RECon as an important window into an evolving industry. My perspective as a public relations and marketing professional has been shaped by experiences that include representing some of the most influential developers and iconic destinations in the industry. I’ve helped open centers all over the country, and my firm has become adept at working with our clients to secure approvals and public support; drive communication around public and private financing efforts; and elevate traffic, increase visibility and shape and share the public narrative for standout projects and industry visionaries and leaders. Along the way, I’ve seen retail marketing change in very exciting ways. In recent years, the most savvy developers, owners and managers have become more sophisticated — leveraging advanced tools, new technologies and a proven understanding about what makes spaces and places memorable …

May 23, 2016

Multifamily New York Northeast Top Stories

Meridian Capital Arranges $104M Acquisition Financing for The Hamilton in New York City

by Christina Cannon May 20, 2016

NEW YORK CITY — Meridian Capital Group has arranged a $104 million loan for the acquisition of The Hamilton, a 265-unit multifamily property on the Upper East Side of New York City. Bonjour Capital purchased the 38-story building, which is located at 1735 York Ave. A balance sheet lender provided the seven-year loan, which features a fixed rate of 3.6 percent and three years of interest-only payments. Shaya Ackerman and Shaya Sonnenschein of Meridian Capital Group arranged the financing. “Meridian was able to obtain uniquely favorable terms, including three years of interest-only payments, based on the high quality of the asset and its potential for value-add upside, the strength and reputation of the sponsor and Meridian’s active relationship with the lender,” says Shaya Ackerman, a managing director for Meridian Capital. Apartments at The Hamilton feature granite kitchen countertops, marble bathrooms and individually controlled air-conditioning in each room. Building amenities include a 24-hour uniformed doorman, fitness center with locker rooms and saunas, landscaped roof deck, a children’s playroom, furnished lounge with kitchen, billiards lounge, laundry facility, attached garage and a complimentary shuttle bus service. Residents are also in close proximity to the 4 and 6 subway lines and the Metropolitan Museum of …

May 20, 2016

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