The struggles in the capital markets that began to take hold during the second half of 2008 have put the brakes on much of the investment sales activity across all asset classes, but multifamily sales in Indianapolis have weathered the financial storm better than any other sector.
Investment sales of multifamily housing in Indianapolis fared reasonably well when compared to other major Midwest cities. Last year, 19 major properties were sold in the Indianapolis area for just less than $200 million and at an average cap rate of 7.98 percent, according to Real Capital Analytics and Colliers Turley Martin Tucker. While the average U.S. cap rate for multifamily sales stood at 6.2 percent during the first three quarters of 2008, Indianapolis posted an average cap rate of 7.4 percent.
The 12-month average price per unit for higher quality assets in Indianapolis is $61,022, compared to $100,792 for similar sales throughout the United States. Sales of properties categorized as Class B to non-performing assets have pushed the average unit price down and cap rates up into the 8.5-to-10 percent range. Multifamily properties that needed a total repositioning were trading in the 10-to-12 percent range based on pro-forma.
In 2007, two major multifamily portfolios traded in Indianapolis, which was a big factor in the approximately $367 million in multifamily investment sales in 2007. Last year, one such transaction took place: In September, a private investor acquired a five-property, 1,885-unit portfolio for $80.4 million from AIMCO.
The top two transactions last year were the sales of Reflections, a 582-unit rental community situated in the city’s northwest side, for $31 million, and the 616-unit Village of Bent Tree near Zionsville, Indiana, which was sold as part of AIMCO’s portfolio disposition for $23.4 million.
Unlike other property types, investor interest in multifamily properties did not wane during the second half of the year. The major difference in the nature of the transaction mix was in the availability of financing. Highly leveraged institutional deals are a thing of the past; the current search is for distressed properties, assumable loans and seller financing.
Additionally, cash is king for buyers looking for bargains among distressed properties that are facing cash-flow problems, the inability of the current owners to refinance and lingering deferred maintenance issues.
In the foreseeable future, lenders that foreclose on such properties will prefer to sell at a discount rather than finance such acquisitions with an uncertain future.
A large number of properties were on the market as the new year started, and four Central Indiana apartment complexes changed hands in January: two Hampton Court buildings (92 units each); Westlake (1,381 units) in Indianapolis; and Loper Commons (146 units) in Shelbyville.
The fundamentals of the Indianapolis multifamily market remain stable. Occupancy levels increased by one point last year to approximately 91 percent, as home foreclosures continued to mount, increasing the pool of high-end renters. Average rental rates are at a healthy $657 per month in the metropolitan area, and there is very little new construction coming online.
The big question remains: When will the capital and credit markets return to normalcy? Once financing options return to a more typical pattern, we expect the Indianapolis multifamily investment environment to take off and to regain pricing stabilization.
— Scott Pollom is a principal and senior vice president in Colliers Turley Martin Tucker’s regional office in Indianapolis. He specializes in investment sales of income-producing properties and is a member of the Colliers Multi-Family Advisory Group team.