Each Wednesday, The Wrap presents a compilation of recent noteworthy commercial real estate stories from a variety of publications. Below are links to six stories that caught our eyes in recent days:
Real estate investment from high net worth individuals on the rise in the U.S., By Michael Gerrity, World Property Journal
Key Excerpt:
“Multifamily had the highest investment volumes from HNWI–in 2016 ($3.5 billion), overtaking retail ($3.2 billion), which was the most favored sector in 2015. In 2017, 37 percent of HNWI investors show a continued preference for multifamily, according to CBRE Research. This was followed closely by industrial (33 percent), with both retail and office at 12 percent.”
Underground Atlanta trades for $35 million, By Evelina Croitoru, Commercial Property Executive
Key Excerpt:
“Mayor Kasim Reed has announced the sale of Underground Atlanta to South Carolina developer WRS Inc. The 12-acre site traded for $34.6 million. The buyer intends to redevelop the property into a live-work-shop community that will include retail, hospitality, entertainment and residential space in close proximity to the Five Points MARTA station.”
Flurry of department store closings forcing mall owners to adapt, reinvest or die, Mark Heschmeyer, CoStar
Key Excerpt:
“Over the last three years, the three chains combined have closed 1,195 locations in 860 cities. Among the hardest hit cities were: Jacksonville, FL, and Louisville, KY, each with seven closures; Philadelphia and Pittsburgh each have seen six; and Chicago, West Palm Beach and El Paso, TX, have each had five.”
Healthcare REITs appear to benefit from legislative inaction, By Karina Estrella, Urban Land Institute
Key Excerpt:
“Health care REITs gained 3.5 percent in the week after House Republicans pulled their health care reform bill. According to investment research platform Seeking Alpha, the “status quo in healthcare policy is generally seen as positive, particularly for skilled nursing REITs, which trade at steep discounts related to reimbursement policy uncertainty.” NAREIT reported that for 2017 so far, health care REITs have posted a high 7.14 percent total return. The top-performing health care REITs were Ventas Inc., Welltower, Omega Healthcare, Healthcare Realty Trust, and HCP, which were all up nearly 2 percent or more.”
Downtown Atlanta’s historic Grant Building to be bought for $7.25M, By David Allison, Atlanta Business Chronicle
Key Excerpt:
“The Grant Building sale comes as south downtown is on the cusp of a redevelopment boom. The city of Atlanta’s sale of Underground Atlanta to developer WRS Inc. for $34.6 million also closed March 31. The Grant Building is in the Fairlie-Poplar District, a short distance from Underground Atlanta.”
Multifamily owner-operator closes 3rd Atlanta purchase of Q1 ’17, By Jessica Saunders, Atlanta Business Chronicle
Key Excerpt:
“Robbins Electra’s acquisition of 240-unit Oakley Park in Fairburn on March 30 for $28.36 million was its third in the metro area since the start of the year. It earlier acquired Marbella Place in Stockbridge and Belle Vista in Lithonia.”