Category: Top National News

GlobeSt.com, July 31, 2018–Erika MorphyDespite the wave of public-to-private transactions the commercial real estate market has seen over the past quarter, the first half of 2018 has been marked by two consecutive quarters of decline in both the number of private equity deals announced and their aggregate value, according to new figures from Preqin.

Wall Street Journal, July 31, 2018–Laura Kusisto (subscription)The construction business is having trouble attracting young job seekers. The share of workers in the sector who are 24 years old or younger has declined in 48 states since the last housing boom in 2005. Disinterest in construction work is contributing to a labor shortage that has meant fewer homes built and rising prices–possibly for years to come.

MarketWatch, July 30, 2018–Andrea RiquierRather than trying to swing the purchase of an expensive home, platforms like Roofstock, HomeUnion and Investability make it possible to for people in high-cost areas to purchase, finance and manage single-family rental properties. For many investors, those investment properties are thousands of miles away, where prices are vastly cheaper, rental demand is constant, and in many cases courts and regulations tend to side with landlords, not tenants.

Wall Street Journal, July 26, 2018–Craig Karmin, Dana Mattioli, Emily Glazer (subscription)The San Francisco bank has been sounding out private-equity firms to drum up interest in the real-estate brokerage and investment bank, sources said. Wells Fargo bought Eastdil in 1999 for an undisclosed sum in an effort to bolster its commercial real-estate-lending business.

Fast Company Magazine, July 23, 2018–Megan RidgewayAs a future where there are vastly fewer cars becomes possible, we should consider future-proofing new parking lots to make sure they can easily transition into other uses once they’re no longer needed.

Commercial Observer, July 23, 2018–Allison StatemanCalifornia is a state prone to natural disasters from earthquakes and mudslides to wildfires. In addition to myriad other effects, this has become a real estate concern.

HousingWire, July 20, 2018–Alcynna LloydThe Rent Relief Act, introduced by Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and endorsed by Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., aims to create a new, refundable tax credit, that “puts more money in the pockets” of families, especially at a time when rent prices are outpacing wage growth.

American Banker, July 23, 2018–Andy Peters (subscription)Flush with capital and anxious about the impact of rising interest rates on monthly loan payments, more commercial real estate investors than ever are paying off their bank loans before they mature.

National Real Estate Investor, July 24, 2018–Patricia KirkWhile new office construction has been robust so far in 2018, next year developers might begin pulling back, according to David Bitner, head of Americas capital markets research with Cushman & Wakefield. He cited rising construction costs, concerns about the end of the real estate cycle and zoning issues as the reasons.

Wall Street Journal, July 24, 2018–Esther Fung (subscription)Chinese investors have become net sellers of U.S. commercial real estate for the first time in a decade, reversing a years-long trend when these buyers spent tens of billions of dollars and helped boost the market for hotels and other properties.