Each Wednesday, The Wrap presents a compilation of recent noteworthy commercial real estate stories from a variety of publications. Below are links to five stories that caught our eyes in recent days.
• RECon Special Report: Retailers Seek New Horizons Amid Redevelopment, Investment Buzz by Paul Rosta of Commercial Property Executive.
Key excerpt:
“Regarding the hot net lease retail sector, Stan Johnson Co. executive managing director & national sales manager Harold Briggs commented, “There is an insatiable appetite for product. There’s not a lot of product out there.” That hunt for product is prompting investors to seek out some relatively unconventional retail assets, such as auto dealerships, movie theaters and specialty grocers, Briggs noted. A surge in 1031 exchanges is sending capital into the market, and competition is particularly keen for properties valued between about $1 million to $3 million, the most affordable range for many individual investors.”
• Selling Condo Hotels by Paul Berkowitz and Gary Saul for Multi-Housing News.
Key excerpt:
“A series of complex legal issues have historically made it challenging to sell condominium hotel units. Now, the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act and Rule 506(c) adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission provide an effective solution.
Specifically, the problems previously stemmed from a need to balance the desires of developers and branded hotel companies to ensure hotel room inventory, while still meeting the demands of potential buyers to understand the economics of and restrictions imposed by the rental programs. At the same time, there was a need to avoid the sales being classified as securities. Lawyers struggled to satisfy all of these demands and complete the sales, but the reality never worked.”
• U.S. Hotels Perform Well in Early May by World Property Channel.
Key excerpt:
“In year-over-year measurements, the industry's occupancy increased 5.4 percent to 66.0 percent [during the week ending May 10]. Average daily rate increased 4.9 percent to finish the week at US$115.34. Revenue per available room for the week was up 10.6 percent to finish at US$76.16.
Among the Top 25 Markets, Atlanta, Georgia, achieved the largest occupancy increase, rising 17.3 percent to 71.5 percent. Orlando, Florida, followed with a 14.0-percent increase to 70.0 percent. Seattle, Washington, fell 3.6 percent in occupancy to 71.2 percent, reporting the largest decrease in that metric.”
• Commercial Property Pricing, Sales Gains Continue In First Quarter by Randyl Drummer of CoStar Group.
Key excerpt:
“First-quarter 2014's investment activity was 33 percent higher than the first quarter of 2013, suggesting that capital flows should continue to be strong this year. Moreover, the percentage of deals selling at distressed pricing has also fallen to just 10 percent of all composite pair trades, down by more than two-thirds from the peak levels of 2011.
Improving fundamentals [are] reflected in pricing gains in all the major property type indices, with the strongest growth over the last year found in the retail and industrial sectors.”
• Striking a Unit Balance for Both Baby Boomers and Gen Y by Lindsay Machak of Multifamily Executive.
Key excerpt:
“Finding the right blend of units to include in a new development has always been a tricky task for owners and developers. But in this rental environment, the decision takes on even more importance. Choosing the right mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units can determine whether your building will be home to Baby Boomers or full of Millennials.”