Multifamily

Commonly referred to as the River Region, Montgomery is the second largest city in Alabama and the state capital. The Montgomery metropolitan area consists of Autauga, Elmore, Lowndes and Montgomery counties. With a population approaching 374,000, the River Region’s diverse economy, skilled workforce, business-friendly climate and Southern charm continue to attract new residents and commercial development. Key industries in the Montgomery metro area include automotive, manufacturing, fabricated metals, plastics, warehousing/distribution and state/regional government. As of June 30, total unit count in the Montgomery market is 6,588 with an average year built of 1997. According to the Axiometrics second-quarter 2016 report for Montgomery, annual effective rent growth has averaged 1.2 percent since the fourth quarter of 1996 with annual effective rent growth forecast to be 0.1 percent for 2016, 1.7 percent in 2017 and an average of 2.6 percent from 2018 to 2020. The Axiometrics report also states the market’s occupancy rate has averaged 92.2 percent since the fourth quarter of 1995. Currently, occupancy in the Montgomery market is 89.6 percent as of second-quarter 2016, which is a slight decrease from 91.1 percent in the first quarter of 2016 and 90.7 percent in second-quarter 2015. Axiometrics projects the market’s occupancy rate …

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Louisville is no longer simply a city known for horse races, bourbon and tobacco. It has become a city with a diverse and growing economy with heavy concentrations of medical employment, an international logistics hub and a stable manufacturing base. It has grown to become the dynamic northern edge of the Southeast, and investors from all over the nation are flocking to it. Louisville is an established riverfront city in the Southeast with a growing population, diversification of employment and an attractive multifamily supply/demand balance. The area is home to 12 Fortune 500 companies, three of which are headquartered in the city. The metro is a nationally recognized regional distribution and warehousing hub serving major operations such as Ford Motor Co., General Electric and many others. The city has seen steady job growth since the recession. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that between July 2010 and July 2016, 80,000 new jobs were created. With a very successful series of major distribution facilities now open and future capital investments in distribution parks planned, Louisville continues to be a hotbed in the logistics industry. Leading this remarkable transformation to a logistics giant is the development and expansion of …

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GLEN COVE, N.Y. — RXR Realty has broken ground on Garvies Point, a $1 billion waterfront redevelopment in the Long Island city of Glen Cove. The project will restore 56 acres of Glen Cove’s waterfront, creating more than 1,100 LEED-certified residences and 75,000 square feet of shops and restaurants. The project will also feature approximately 28 acres of public open spaces with parks, playgrounds, esplanades, marinas, an amphitheater and dog park. The residential units will include 569 condominiums and 541 apartments for lease. Garvies Point will also feature thee separate marinas with a total of 120 boat slips. Garvies Point is a partnership between RXR Realty and the City of Glen Cove. The project represents the culmination of a 20-year, $120 million effort to transform Glen Cove into a sustainable community. The first phase of Garvies Point, which includes 28 acres of public open space and amenities, is scheduled for completion in 2018. The entire project will take between five and seven years to build, according to RXR. RXR Realty is a private real estate company that specializes in investment management, property management, development, design, construction, leasing and financing. RXR’s growth strategy is focused on New York City and the …

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San Francisco and San Mateo counties boast above average employment numbers and wages and have been strong all through the current business cycle. Over the past four quarters ending in June, organizations in these counties, along with Marin County, (henceforth referred to as “the metro,”) have created 30,750 new jobs. This expansion of the metro’s labor force by 2.9 percent far exceeds the national average over the same time period. Businesses are expected to create 40,000 new positions this year and employment growth will reach 3.7 percent. Hence, the metro’s economy has created substantial demand for housing and apartments are leading the way, as the high cost of single-family homes, rigorous regulation, and the infill nature within the metro has constrained deliveries during previous years in the cycle. There are multiple major projects that will boost the rate of completions significantly above previous years in the cycle. Builder activity will surge to a multi-decade high with 6,440 apartments slated for delivery, exceeding the 1,488 units brought to market in 2015. The majority of completions will target the South of Market (SoMA) and South San Mateo County submarkets. Vacancy rate in the metro will register a 110-basis-point increase in 2016, rising …

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Mixed-use tower, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Many of the national trends unfolding in the multifamily sector are playing out in Grand Rapids, the second largest city in Michigan, with a population estimated at 195,000 and slightly more than 1 million metrowide. A combination of demographic, economic and lifestyle trends are leading to the creation of more renter households. This includes Baby Boomers, Millennials and renters by choice across all income levels. In addition, Grand Rapids is experiencing an urban renaissance that is bringing new commerce, housing and amenities into the downtown area. During the 2016 National Multifamily Housing Council conference in Orlando, Grand Rapids was recognized as one of the top three small to mid-sized markets in the country for multifamily investment. Annualized apartment rent growth in Grand Rapids has been running at a robust 7 to 8 percent for the past two years, but some momentum has been lost in the wake of a large number of units that have come on line. The annual rent growth slipped to 4.6 percent during the four-quarter period that ended Sept. 30. The average occupancy rate remains above 97 percent, but is gradually coming off a peak of 98.6 percent in the third and fourth quarters of 2013. …

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AUSTIN, TEXAS — American Campus Communities Inc. (ACC) has sold 19 student housing assets totaling more than 12,000 beds to a partnership between Saban Real Estate and Campus Advantage for $508 million. The transaction included a $197.3 million prepayment of secured mortgage debt. “With the sale of these non-core assets, which were all previously acquired as part of larger portfolio acquisitions, we have transformed our portfolio into one consisting almost entirely of core assets,” says Bill Bayless, ACC’s CEO. “Our overall proximity to campus improves to a median distance to campus of only one-tenth of a mile, and our portfolio now contains only two remaining assets located more than one mile from campus.” The 12,083-bed portfolio includes:  Abbott Place, a 654-bed community located near Michigan State University in East Lansing.  Burbank Commons, a 532-bed community located near Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.  The Cottages of Baton Rouge, a 1,290-bed community located near Louisiana State University.  U Club Cottages, a 308-bed community located near Louisiana State University.  University Crescent, a 612-bed community located near Louisiana State University.  Campus Corner, a 796-bed community located near Indiana University in Bloomington.  Campus Way, a 680-bed community …

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Financial markets worldwide have seen dramatic volatility in this past 12 months. The Bay Area economy and new hiring have cooled, while the San Francisco housing and condo markets have started to normalize after four feverishly overheated years. We are hearing about a big jump in apartment vacancy rates, with more apartments for rent than we’ve seen in many years just as rental rates begin to decline from recent all-time peaks. As would be expected, preliminary indicators show a transition to a cooler market when it comes to apartment building sales activity. However, as illustrated in the charts below, we haven’t seen any significant changes in the statistics. The second half of 2016 will undoubtedly provide more insight regarding the speed and scale of any market condition changes. San Francisco multifamily assets that contained more than five units experienced a plateau in cap rates year over year between 2015 and 2016. However, this same product experienced an increase in dollars per square foot, price per unit and average sale prices. The politics of new home development in San Francisco are not for the weak of heart. There are vocal disagreements between neighborhood and homeowner associations, developers, affordable housing advocates, tenant’s …

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To those outside Orlando, the Central Florida metro of just over 2.3 million residents has long been a vacation destination with its major theme parks and top attractions including Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld and the I-Drive corridor, home to the new Orlando Eye. In fact, Orlando welcomed over 66 million visitors who spent more than $60 billion in 2015, a new all-time local and U.S. travel industry high. However, tourism is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to Orlando’s emergence as a top target for multifamily investment. The metro is experiencing exceptional growth across multiple sectors of the economy, and in 2015, the Orlando MSA led the nation in employment gains, coming in at 4.6 percent. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the metro added 52,200 new jobs. Of these new jobs, the highest percentage was in professional business services, medical, transportation and general services. Looking forward, data from CBRE-Econometric Advisors projects that Orlando will lead the U.S. in employment growth over the next five years by a wide margin (2.3 percent compared to 0.8 percent for the nation overall). The rapid employment growth driven by numerous corporate relocations and expansions including Verizon, Mitsubishi-Hitachi, …

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TOLEDO, OHIO — A joint venture between Cindat Capital Management Limited and Union Life Insurance has purchased a 75 percent interest in a Welltower-owned portfolio of seniors housing properties for $930 million. The acquisition represents Cindat’s first foray into U.S. health care real estate investment. The portfolio contains 11 seniors housing properties that are leased to Brookdale Senior Living, as well as 28 skilled nursing facilities leased to Genesis Healthcare. Welltower will retain 25 percent interest in the properties. The transaction is expected to close by year end and is subject to customary closing conditions. “With aging demographics and U.S. healthcare trends driving the need for innovative health care infrastructure, we believe the sector represents an attractive long-term investment opportunity,” says Greg Peng, CEO at Cindat Capital Management, representing Cindat and Union Life. “We have a significant appetite for investing in the sector and we look forward to a mutually beneficial relationship with Welltower to capitalize on this unique opportunity.” The agreement comes on the heels of Welltower’s third-quarter report, in which the company announced plans to significantly increase dispositions for 2016. The company initially planned to sell $1.3 billion of its assets, but announced it would like to sell …

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IRVINE, CALIF. — Quality Care Properties, the spinoff of HCP’s ManorCare skilled nursing portfolio, has begun trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol QCP WI. QCP is now a completely separate company from HCP (NYSE: HCP), one of the largest seniors housing REITs in the United States. QCP is also classified as a REIT following the spinoff. HCP common stockholders received one share of QCP common stock for every five shares of HCP common stock they held on October 24. Stockholders will receive cash in lieu of fractional shares of QCP. Barclays and Morgan Stanley were financial advisors to HCP, and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP served as legal counsel.

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