Archive for August, 2013

To satisfy both cost and quality-of-life concerns, most students have moved off campus into modernized student housing communities, and competition for their rent dollars hinges around several key factors: be close to school, build big apartments with lots of storage, and make sure residents have their own bathroom (even if they share a bedroom).  » Click here for full story  Read more

ApartmentRatings.com has long been considered the most controversial of the ratings websites out there. Many managers and owners consider it a hotbed for resident hostility. In a recent small scale survey distributed and compiled by Houston-based Multifamily Insiders and sponsored by Lutherville, Md.-based SatisFacts Research and Corralville, Iowa-based Apartment Grade, 58 percent of respondents said they felt they received a false rating. » Click here for full story  Read more

We all knew the ultra-low mortgage rates seen over the last couple years wouldn’t last forever. Still, the recent rise of a full percentage point over a two-month period left even the steeliest of apartment professionals reaching for their Pepto-Bismol. » Click here for full story  Read more

Reis VP of Economics & Research, Dr. Victor Calanog, provides an update on the apartment sector performance for the 2nd quarter of 2013. 13 quarter streak of declining vacancies came to an end in Q2 2013 27,000 units came online in the second quarter Asking rent grew by 0.6% while effective rent grew by 0.7% East coast and California vacancy rates are tight » Click here for full story Read more

The Carolinas are on the national stage now for multifamily investors looking for properties......   » Click here for full story Read more

We all witnessed the recent volatility in the stock market that was spurred by commentary from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, on the potential unwinding of quantitative easing. The commercial real estate industry also took a collective breath when 10-year Treasury yields increased over 100 basis points over a 45-day window in response to his commentary. None of this should come as a surprise as many experts have stated for years that interest rates have only one direction to move.  » Click here ... Read more

After showing impressive resilience during the Great Recession, the student-housing sector is set for a strong future and is attracting increased interest from investors. Those were some of the points made by a panel of student-housing experts on a recent episode of the “Commercial Real Estate Show.” My guests and I examined many topics related to the sector, including in-demand amenities, rent growth, financing and construction costs.  » Click here for full story Read more

The Federal Reserve Bank’s plan to ease its monthly bond acquisitions, otherwise known as quantitative easing, has sent reverberations through the markets. Most notably, yields on 10-year Treasuries have jumped to around 2.5 percent—up from a low of 1.66 percent in early May. Since Treasuries are the basis for many types of debt...... » Click here for full story Read more