By Taylor Williams Sometimes, you just know when it’s time. For all the number crunching, quantitative analysis and formulaic modeling that their job demands, commercial real estate lenders are harnessing the qualitative and intangible factors as they prepare to boost deal volume in 2025. Vibe, sentiment, intuition — call it what you want, but there’s an emerging sense within the commercial lending community that the new year holds strong opportunity to deploy capital and deliver financing solutions. And that’s great news for an industry that has spent the last two years wallowing in a sort of interest-rate purgatory. Recent reports from the CRE Finance Council (CREFC) and Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) substantiate this notion. Earlier this year, CREFC released its Fourth-Quarter 2024 Board of Governors Sentiment Index survey results, which found that “while higher-for-longer interest rates remain the primary concern, the industry appears to be adapting to this new environment.” In addition, the report stated that “an overwhelming 95 percent of respondents expect CRE transaction volume to increase by at least 10 percent in 2025, suggesting growing confidence in market activity despite rate challenges.” The MBA released a statement on Feb. 10 that forecasts total commercial and multifamily mortgage lending …
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Easterly Government ‘Remains Committed’ to Public-Private Partnership With Federal Government Amid DOGE Activity
by John Nelson
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Easterly Government Properties (NYSE: DEA), an office REIT that owns assets leased to the U.S. government and affiliates, has released its fourth-quarter 2024 results. The company exceeded its initial full-year guidance and achieved results at the upper end of raised guidance, with a net income of $20.6 million. In 2024 alone, Easterly purchased 10 properties either solely or in joint venture arrangements totaling $230 million. The company also expanded its investment strategy to include office properties leased to private sector government contractors and reduced its total portfolio energy consumption by 4 percent year-over-year. “We are pleased with the position of our portfolio,” said Darrell Crate, president and CEO of Easterly. Easterly has been directly affected by the recent activities of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a newly created federal department championed by Elon Musk, owner of Tesla, X (formerly Twitter) and SpaceX. According to multiple media outlets, DOGE has announced that it has terminated 2.3 million square feet of federal office leases and saved $145 million. DOGE is now targeting the termination or consolidation of nearly 100 more leases at government offices in several markets, most notably in the nation’s capital, according to The Wall Street Journal. …
NEW YORK CITY AND ATLANTA — Global Net Lease Inc. (NYSE: GNL) has entered into a binding agreement to sell its multi-tenant retail portfolio of 100 non-core properties to a subsidiary of RCG Ventures Holdings LLC for approximately $1.8 billion. The transaction represents an 8.4 percent cash cap rate. GNL says the transaction would accelerate its deleveraging initiative and position the company as a pure-play, single-tenant net lease (STNL) company. GNL launched its disposition initiative in 2024, with the objectives of significantly reducing debt, enhancing financial flexibility and lowering its cost of capital. Following the completion of the multi-tenant portfolio sale, which would represent the most significant step in this initiative to date, GNL expects to have completed nearly $3 billion in dispositions between the start of 2024 and the end of 2025, inclusive of properties in its disposition pipeline. The company expects to use the net proceeds from the multi-tenant portfolio sale to significantly reduce the outstanding balance on its revolving credit facility. The board of directors has concurrently approved a share repurchase program authorizing the company to opportunistically repurchase up to $300 million of its outstanding common stock in accordance with typical practice for such programs. “We believe …
PHOENIX — JLL has arranged a $271.9 million recapitalization of an eight-property build-to-rent (BTR) residential portfolio in Arizona, Colorado and Texas. Kevin MacKenzie, Michael Joseph, Brad Miner, Matthew Putterman, Chris Shea, Caroline Novak and Weston Nearon of JLL arranged the debt and equity financing placements on behalf of the borrower, NexMetro, a Phoenix-based BTR developer behind the Avilla Homes brand. The new financing infusions include the assumption of $206 million in agency financing and $65.9 million of preferred equity from Stockbridge. The properties were developed between 2018 and 2019 and include Avilla Camelback Ranch, Avilla Centerra Crossing, Avilla Deer Valley, Avilla Lehi Crossing and Avilla Meadows in Arizona; Avilla Buffalo Run in Commerce City, Colo.; and Avilla Northside and Avilla Heritage in the Dallas-Forth metroplex markets of McKinney and Grand Prairie, respectively. The eight properties total 1,061 units. The most recent recapitalization allows NexMetro to return capital to investors while continuing to tackle its development pipeline, which comprises 60 projects across the Sun Belt in various stages of completion. JLL also closed a previously announced round of financing that included a $78.7 million equity investment from Artemis and $160 million of debt from Blackstone for four NexMetro BTR properties in Arizona …
NEW YORK CITY AND SALT LAKE CITY — Global alternative asset manager and private equity firm Apollo (NYSE: APO) has entered into an agreement to acquire Bridge Investment Group Holdings Inc. (NYSE: BRDG) in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $1.5 billion. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter. Based in Salt Lake City, Bridge operates nearly a dozen offices nationwide and has approximately $49 billion in assets under management. In addition to some 13.5 million square feet of industrial holdings, the company’s portfolio includes nearly 65,000 residential units across the market-rate, workforce/affordable housing, seniors housing and single-family rental verticals. Bridge was ranked No. 21 on the American Seniors Housing Association’s (ASHA) 2024 list of largest seniors housing owners. Under the terms of the agreement, Bridge stockholders will receive 0.07081 shares of Apollo common stock for each share of Bridge common stock at closing. Both parties value the per-share price at $11.50, which represents a premium of about 45 percent over the company’s closing stock price of $7.92 per share on Friday, Feb. 21. Upon closing, Bridge will operate as a standalone platform within Apollo’s asset management business. Bob Morse, the current executive chairman of Bridge, will …
They may not be ready to do cartwheels and pop champagne, but when it comes to business expectations for 2025, commercial real estate professionals in the Northeast have a decidedly brighter outlook than in recent years. The last two years have been defined by barriers to economic growth on numerous levels. Pick your post-COVID geopolitical or macroeconomic poison — stubborn inflation, crushing interest rate hikes, multiple wars, restarting of global supply chains — all culminating with an incredibly heated U.S. presidential election. Is it any wonder that “survive till ’25” became the rallying cry of the commercial real estate industry? And while 2025 has arrived, the election has been decided and the Federal Reserve has strung together a series of small, yet meaningful cuts to short-term interest rates, the hangover from the aforementioned disruptors has not fully evaporated. Donald Trump’s return to the Oval Office brings a fresh slate of questions about how certain policies — namely tariffs and mass deportations, will impact business at both the national and local levels. And the expectation-smashing December jobs report proved sufficient to immediately pause the Fed’s would-be pattern of rate cuts. And it’s only been one month. As such, cautious optimism is …
VICI Properties Provides $300M Financing for $5B One Beverly Hills Project in Metro Los Angeles
by Katie Sloan
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF. — Cain International and Eldridge Industries have secured a $300 million investment from VICI Properties Inc. (NYSE: VICI) for the development of One Beverly Hills, a luxury mixed-use development located in the Los Angeles County community of Beverly Hills. Construction on One Beverly Hills, which was originally announced in 2021, is currently underway with recent local coverage valuing the development at $5 billion. Foster + Partners master-planned the 17.5-acre project, which will include hospitality, residential, retail and restaurant space. One Beverly Hills will be anchored by a luxury Aman-branded hotel and two Aman-branded residential towers designed by Kerry Hill Architects. The hotel will offer 78 all-suite guest rooms overlooking the Los Angeles Country Club. The three towers will offer access to private gardens and a 100,000-square-foot Aman Club, the brand’s private membership club offering wellness, dining and social spaces. The project will also include a full-scale refurbishment of The Beverly Hilton, an iconic hotel that hosts the Golden Globes awards show and Milken Institute conference annually. Renovations are being led by David Collins Studio and will integrate designs that play homage to the property’s legacy. One Beverly Hills will also include curated luxury retail and dining space to …
Tempur Sealy to Rebrand as Somnigroup International Following $5B Acquisition of Mattress Firm
by John Nelson
LEXINGTON, KY. AND HOUSTON — Tempur Sealy International Inc. has completed its previously announced $5 billion acquisition of Mattress Firm Group Inc., the largest mattress specialty retailer in the United States. The Lexington-based mattress manufacturer purchased the Houston-based retailer using approximately $2.7 billion in cash considerations and about $1.3 billion in stock. Tempur Sealy will change its name to Somnigroup International Inc., effective Feb. 18, and trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “SGI.” Mattress Firm, Dreams and Tempur Sealy will operate as decentralized business units under Somnigroup International, with Mattress Firm and Dreams continuing to operate as multi-branded retailers and Tempur Sealy, primarily a manufacturer, continuing to serve third-party retailers as well as Mattress Firm, Dreams and its own direct-to-consumer channel. Additionally, Tempur Sealy expects to complete the previously announced sale 73 Mattress Firm retail locations and the company’s Sleep Outfitters subsidiary, which includes 103 specialty mattress retail locations and seven distribution centers, to MW SO Holdings Co. LLC (Mattress Warehouse) in the second quarter.
SAN FRANCISCO — CBRE has arranged $500 million for the refinancing of 1655 and 1725 Third Street in San Francisco’s Mission Bay area. Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE: UBER) occupies the office property, which serves as the ridesharing company’s global headquarters. The asset comprises two 11-story, Class A office buildings totaling 586,208 square feet. The borrower is a joint venture between affiliates of Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc., Uber and the Golden State Warriors, an NBA team that plays at the adjacent Chase Center. The joint venture refinanced the office development with a five-year, fixed-rate CMBS single-asset, single-borrower (SASB) loan. Brad Zampa and Mike Walker of CBRE secured the nonrecourse loan through Goldman Sachs and Barclays, both headquartered in New York. Both buildings are LEED Gold-certified and include a full-service, two-story café, barista-managed coffee bar, smoothie bar, event lounge and landscaped rooftop decks. Additionally, the properties are adjacent a to large fitness center, ground-floor restaurants and ample parking, and are part of Thrive City, a community gathering space. In the fourth quarter of 2024, the overall vacancy rate for San Francisco’s office market decreased by 40 basis points to 36.5 percent, according to CBRE. Net absorption turned positive for the first …
Simon Unveils Plans for Multimillion-Dollar Transformation of Smith Haven Mall on Long Island
by John Nelson
LAKE GROVE, N.Y. — Mall giant Simon Property Group (NYSE: SPG) has unveiled plans for a multimillion-dollar transformation of Smith Haven Mall in the Long Island village of Lake Grove. The redevelopment project will feature improvements to both the interior and exterior of the mall, with the addition of new retailers, restaurants, a new outdoor plaza and amenities throughout the property. The redevelopment process will begin this summer and is scheduled for completion in 2026. “At Simon, we are committed to making significant investments across our portfolio to ensure that our centers continue to deliver exceptional customer experiences for today’s shoppers,” says Mark Silvestri, president of development at Simon. Smith Haven Mall’s exterior will be repainted and will include new signage, updated entryways, landscaping and seating accommodations. The mall’s interior will receive new flooring and fixtures, as well as enhancements to Center Court and a transformation of the food court with newly installed seating. New tenants at the mall include fashion retailer Zara, which will open its first location in Eastern Long Island near Smith Haven’s Center Court next year. The square footage of the new Zara was not disclosed, but the space will be “massive,” according to Simon. Additionally, Golf …