Western

San Diego continues to exhibit very strong fundamentals with a healthy and diversified economy, as well as a continued shortage of housing supply. The unemployment rate of 3.3 percent is below both the California and national unemployment rate. Tourism, biotech, healthcare, education, military/defense, drone manufacturing, business services, software and other high-tech industries have made San Diego a magnet for venture capital and other business investment, creating the jobs of the future. Amazon, Apple and several other high-profile technology companies have also announced expansions in San Diego. The region attracted $744 million in venture capital this past year alone. Local housing policies, which have been unfriendly to new development, have made it very expensive to build, thereby perpetuating the shortage of housing. This dynamic has continued to bode well for multifamily investment in the region. CBRE’s Apartment Market Report for the end of the second quarter illustrates the following year-on-year changes from 2018: • The vacancy rate moved 9 basis points to 3.6 percent • Rental rates increased by 2.9 percent • New construction deliveries dropped by 14 percent • Sales volume included 95 transactions with a total dollar volume of $476 million (compared to 32 sales transactions last year that …