Originally published by GlobeSt Cap rates in Q1 2023 represented the highest levels since Q3 2020 for both the single-tenant retail and office sectors, according to a new report from The Boulder Group. Decreasing transaction volume for the greater real estate market continues to limit 1031 exchange buyers transitioning into net lease properties, it said, as cap rates in the single tenant net lease sector increased for the fourth consecutive quarter within all three sectors in Q1 2023. New construction properties with recession-proof tenants including 7-Eleven and McDonald’s represent some of the lowest cap rates in the sector. “However, these tenants are not immune to upward cap rate pressure,” according to the report. “In Q1 2023, cap rates for new construction 7-Eleven and McDonald’s properties increased by 35 and 15 basis points, respectively. Furthermore, the spread between asking and closed cap rate increased for all three asset classes.” The spread rose to 30 basis points for retail, 40 for office, and 27 for industrial, according to the report. “Investors will continue to follow the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy,” The Boulder Group writes. “Investors largely believe there will be an end to the larger rate increases, of 50 basis points or more, in the near term.” Transactions will be driven by low leverage or all cash 1031 buyers for the highest quality product, The Boulder Group said. “However, given the overall uncertainty in the broader real estate market, the depth of the 1031 buyer pool will be limited when compared to historical standards.” Lower-Credit Assets ‘Back Where They Should Be’ Mike Philbin, Northmarq senior vice president, tells GlobeSt.com that “we are closely approaching the one-year mark of when we started to see the peak of the net lease investment market fizzle away. “Due to the repeated interest rates hikes, this was inevitable. However, not all net assets had as drastic of CAP rate shifts. The higher-credit, investment-grade tenants have had a maximum of 50 bps upward movement in this time. “The lower credit, smaller franchisee, in tertiary market tenants have seen closer to 150-200 bps. We did have a very frothy net lease investment market moving into Spring 2022. But relatively speaking, the lower credit assets are back where they should be and the investment grade net lease assets are back to the 2018-2019 range, which was a strong market.” Price Maximization Especially Difficult for Larger Transactions Alex Sharrin, senior managing director, JLL, tells GlobeSt.com that investment momentum persists for performing retail that can be acquired with positive leverage. “The net lease market sits at the crux of real estate and credit, but intrinsic fundamentals are trumping credit amidst volatility,” he said. “Private capital continues to lead the bidder pool for NNN assets across the country and is often winning deals due to the unleveraged nature of the capital/underwriting. “Capitulation has been faster than expected for liquidity and re-investment.” Sharrin said price maximization has been especially difficult for larger transactions (i.e. $75MM+). “Instead of making comparisons to early 2022, a more realistic pricing benchmark is 2018/2019 levels or, pre-pandemic and pre-stimulus,” he said. Transaction Volume Will Soon ‘Level Off’ Ryan Butler, managing director and senior vice president, Northmarq, tells GlobeSt.com that investors across all commercial real estate asset classes have been paying close attention to the responsive actions of the Federal Reserve and US Treasury as they work to address the ongoing regional banking crisis and continue the fight to tame record-high inflation. “As a result of the swift actions taken by both bodies, we are starting to experience a broad expansion in capitalization rates across the Net Lease sector,” Butler said. “However, it is important to note that this cap rate expansion cannot be painted with a broad-brush stroke. Investors in our space are still seeking well-positioned industrial and retail assets leased to ‘recession-proof’ tenants and, as a result, still transacting. “We anticipate a leveling off in the downward trend in transaction volume through the end of the year as investors make sense of this changing market. Realizing that the net lease asset class will continue to be a safe and stable investment vehicle within the real estate sector.” Bid-Ask Gap Widening Eli Randel, COO, CREXi, tells GlobeSt.com that cap rates on closed net lease assets have risen almost 5% YoY with transaction velocity slowing as buyer demand has cooled because of macro-market conditions. “The segment a year ago was at parity between asking and closed prices whereas now sales are transacting below asking prices illustrating a widening of the bid-ask gap,” Randel said. With increases in interest rates, both costs of capital have increased, and similar alternative vehicles are now generating attractive yields (for instance a liquid “risk-free” savings account at Marcus has a 3.75% interest rate), Randel pointed out. “Yet, net-lease real estate still has many benefits to passive investors and remains historically active and strong. Net lease continues to attract 1031 buyers and real estate investors looking for good yields with future upside and often buying in cash. “While slightly less active, higher-yielding, and with more discriminatory underwriting of terms (largely term-length and credit), net lease remains an important category and a great investment product for many in today’s environment.” Stale Assets on the Market, Decreasing Inventories Geoffrey West, senior vice president, MDL Group/CORFAC International, tells GlobeSt.com that amid the historic pace of interest rate increases experienced over the past year, single tenant net lease sellers have been reticent to quickly meet the increased cap rate market expectations resulting in decreased transaction volumes, stale assets on market, and decreasing inventories of available product. West said specifically in the California, Arizona, and Nevada markets, multiple surveys of available fast-food STNL assets (excluding ground leases) conducted over the past year in conjunction with maintaining market positioning of existing listings indicate an overall increase in average asking cap rates from April 2022 to April 2023 from 4.1% to 4.7% and a significant decrease in the quantity and quality composition of the available assets. And within that survey, secondary and tertiary market locations in those states appear to be adjusting to a higher cap rate environment more quickly while primary and core market locations lag as they seek to maintain historical premium cap rate levels. “The recent restabilization of the US 10-year treasury rates around the 350bps level appear to have put reduced upward pressure on asking cap rates as surveys conducted in February 2023 and April 2023 only reflected a 10bps increase in asking cap rate,” West said. “While prospective buyers with 1031 Exchange motivations cannot acquire treasury note assets and those don’t enjoy the benefits and burdens of real estate ownership, the yields being offered in those financial instruments, especially short-term yields, are often superior to core location yields being sought by sellers.” West added that, as such, investors without 1031 Exchange motivations and flexibility may look to temporarily park monies in these alternative investments and benefit from the premium yields being offered by the inverted yield curve until Seller expectations and the current bid-ask spread tighten and transaction activity levels rebound. © 2022 ALM Global Properties, LLC. All rights reserved.

Originally published by GlobeSt Experts wonder if the “next great buying cycle” for office could be now. Research by Revolution notes that when lenders tighten, the four-year forward price change vastly outperforms. “Think back to the early 1990s savings and loan crisis, the dot-com bust, and the Global Financial Crisis,” Colliers’ Aaron Jodka wrote. “Those who acquired assets during those periods saw strong outperformance in the years that followed.” Not everyone would agree. Indeed, office investment sales have plunged amid the sector’s uncertainty. Thomas G. Koelzer, partner, Tenant Advisors/CORFAC International, tells GlobeSt.com that office building values are declining, and that sellers and buyers are far apart in agreeing on values. “Many sellers have resorted to auctions to sell their properties since there’s not enough market data to support the normal sales channels.” Furthermore, “more bad news is coming for landlords because the full pain of the post-pandemic office market hasn’t been felt, since many tenants still have time left on their leases. As these leases expire, many tenants will either reduce their size or simply not renew their leases. This phenomenon means a long-term (if not permanent) reduction in the demand for office space.” Then again, Jodka may have a point. An informal survey of CRE experts suggests that there are some niche opportunities presenting themselves in certain markets and property types. Small-Office Buyers Have Opportunities Craig Tomlinson, Northmarq senior vice president, tells GlobeSt.com that office is out of favor with the investor herd, but that spells an opportunity for buyers willing to do their homework. “The ‘bad news’ is derived from increasing vacancy and sublet space surrendered by large corporations in urban office towers and in leased corporate campuses,” he said. “Large corporations, in general, have not mandated return-to-work, or have shifted to hybrid models that need significantly less space. Not so with the smaller suburban offices. Those buildings tend to be occupied by small or private businesses where the decision makers are onsite and want their staff presents too.” Tomlinson said that suburban office 100,000 SF and less also tends to have a rent roll without a dominant tenant, diversifying an investor’s rollover risk. “Smaller office buildings are more likely to be owned by private investors who may be more motivated to transact in a rising rate environment,” he said. “‘Big capital’ doesn’t like ‘small office’ because aggregation is a chore and so is management. That fact has created a real opportunity for buyers of smaller office buildings that will persist through 2023.” ‘Everything is Still Scrambled’ Manuel Fishman, shareholder, Buchalter who represents real estate developers and owners in the acquisition, sale, and financing of commercial properties, tells GlobeSt.com that when it comes to buying office assets today, the short answer is “no” for multi-tenant office and “yes” for single-tenant occupancy, triple net buildings, with a credit tenant. “There is too much uncertainty for multi-tenant office, office occupancy, office demand, interest rate climate, and return on capital,” Fishman said. “Everything is still scrambled, and assets are still not being written down to true value. Now is the time to fundraise for money and come up with a thesis for which segment of the market to invest in. The time to invest will be later.” The Next Buying Cycle ‘Has Started’ Ed Del Beccaro, EVP/San Francisco Bay Area regional manager of TRI Commercial Real Estate/CORFAC International, tells GlobeSt.com that the next buying cycle for office has started. “Higher interest rates, high vacancies are having various office ownerships receding their office portfolios both on the mom-and-pop and institutional levels,” Beccaro said. “In some cases, owners are just going to sell to cut their losses as loans become due or major tenant leases expire who are not renewing over next year. In other cases, opportunistic buyers will look at buying older class and B buildings to convert to life science or housing or just tear down.” Price Discounts Not Seen in 14 Years Chris Okada, CEO, Okada & Company, tells GlobeSt.com that today, select asset classes in New York City’s commercial real estate market, including office space, are experiencing a decline in prices, reaching levels last observed in 2009. “High vacancy rates due to remote and hybrid work models, high-interest rates, limitations imposed by rent stabilization and rent control laws, and economic uncertainty have led to this decline,” Okada said. As a result, the number of office-related foreclosures, mortgage defaults, and deeds in lieu of foreclosure negotiations have skyrocketed in 2023,” he said. “However, due to the problems this sector faces, we have begun to see some incredible price discounts not seen in 14 years. “With discounts ranging from 30% to 60% off-peak pricing, there are remarkable investment opportunities present in New York City commercial real estate, particularly in office space. Okada & Co. believes the next 12 to 24 months present opportunities for significant returns on real estate investments, possibly the most significant in a 25-year period.” Erik Edeen, director of operations, Tri-State Investment Sales, based in Avison Young’s New York City office, tells GlobeSt.com that the office sales market in New York follows the “tale of two cities” narrative prevalent in the leasing market. “Trophy/Class-A buildings with strong rent rolls can still be underwritten and financed while the lower quality buildings have a less certain future,” Edeen said. “While cap rates have expanded across the board, the more speculative and lower-end assets are finding difficulty in a market that’s sparse with price discovery.” South Florida Is Thriving Daniel Chaberman, Grupo Eco Developer, tells GlobeSt.com that South Florida is an attractive market for many forms of CRE. “While most of the country and cities in the world are struggling, facing a recession or dealing with the consequences of COVID-19, we are on the opposite side of the spectrum in South Florida,” he said. “The response to COVID-19 generated a large amount of migration of wealthy families from New York, Chicago, and the West Coast. We have been receiving a lot of businesses and many like Grupo Eco have relocated their headquarters to South Florida. “And we are still seeing important businesses and firms relocating into the state. We are very positive about the transformation of the market here that started with COVID-19.” Don’t Acquire Just Because Asset Looks ‘Cheap’ All that said, Mukang Cho, CEO and managing principal of Morning Calm Management, reminds readers of the volatility in the capital markets, which could make any purchase difficult. He said the financing environment for real estate is difficult with lenders of all types continuing to deleverage and stay on the sidelines as they deal with certain issues, such as problems with their legacy portfolios or an inability to effectively finance their positions. “Financing for office buildings as a whole remains dislocated if not broken,” Cho said. “This environment is different from the Great Financial Crisis and will reward the best ‘stock pickers.’ One cannot acquire office buildings indiscriminately just because they seem “cheap”; and just about everything will appear “cheap” compared to recent historic prices. “Market fundamentals, the relative competitiveness of the underlying asset versus the market, nature of the existing rent roll, a sponsor’s expertise in operating office buildings – these things will matter more than ever as the capital markets will no longer bail out underperformance.” © 2022 ALM Global Properties, LLC. All rights reserved.

Daniel Herrold, senior vice president of Northmarq’s Tulsa office, recently spoke with Wealth Management Magazine in a story focusing on how opportunities for investors looking for off-market acquisitions have opened up as sellers become more concerned about marketing a property that fails to sell. “Off-market deals have always been highly sought after because investors believe that opportunities that haven’t been widely distributed and/or marketed offer more attractive pricing,” he said. Herrold went on to note that that owners willing to sell their assets at a time when values are declining usually have a motivation to sell, such as personal financial need or an upcoming loan maturity, so they are looking for a qualified buyer who can offer speed of execution and transaction certainty. Other topics covered include: Federal Reserve’s impact on off-market deliveries Flexibility of 1031 exchange Remaining Challenges

Originally published by GlobeSt It seems that inflation and a slowdown in the capital markets may have finally caught up with the single-tenant net lease sector, which has posted its fourth consecutive quarter of declining activity, according to an analysis from Northmarq.  In Q4, the single-tenant net lease market saw approximately $14.9 billion in sales, down nearly 16% quarter over quarter and down 66% year-over-year. The overall average cap rate also increased for the first time in three years. However, annually, the industrial market had its second strongest year ever with more than $40 billion in sales, while office and retail posted numbers in line with average volume years.  “The fourth quarter comparison is perhaps overly dramatic due to last year’s record-setting final quarter, but looking forward, it’s likely that we’ll continue to see lower levels of sales volume in the coming quarters rather than a return to near-record highs,” says Lanie Beck, Northmarq Senior Director, Content & Marketing Research. “There is currently enough uncertainty in the market that some investors may choose to observe from the sidelines, taking a more cautious approach. Alternatively, as pricing trends shake out, investors seeking higher yields may find new opportunities.”  Noting that it’s unlikely that investment activity in the sector will stop entirely, Beck also says “the market should be prepared to see conservative activity levels in at least the first half of 2023.”  “Past the mid-year point, demand will be influenced by economic conditions – especially if we enter a recession – interest rate levels, supply/demand dynamics, and the willingness of sellers to correctly price new-to-market assets,” she says. “An imbalance with any one of these influences could impact overall demand levels for 2023 and beyond.”  Multi-tenant retail has also seen a pullback, despite having previously been on pace in 2022 to hit a historic high. Fourth quarter activity slowed so much that the year ended as the fourth strongest ever as multi-tenant retail cap rates jumped by 10 basis points in Q4 and now sit at 6.78 percent.  “This is the highest average cap rate reported in a year, and while it’s likely the start of additional upward movement, cap rate increases are not expected to be dramatic in the next few quarters,” Beck says.  © 2022 ALM Global Properties, LLC. All rights reserved. 

Market data, charts & graphs: current and historical trends for single-tenant office, industrial and retail properties, as well as multi-tenant retail Overall market trends Market summary & analysis Economic data points The overall single-tenant net lease market posted its third strongest year in history, with approximately $77.6 billion in sales volume. A strong start to the year, as 2021’s momentum carried over to first quarter 2022, allowed the market to perform as well as it did annually, but recent quarterly activity tells a different story. Influencing factors, like inflation and rising interest rates, have seemingly caught up with investors and sales volume has slowed considerably. In fact, the single-tenant net lease market has now reported four consecutive quarters of declining activity and quarterly totals are down 66 percent year-over-year. The fourth quarter comparison is perhaps overly dramatic due to last year’s record-setting final quarter, but looking forward, it’s likely that we’ll continue to see lower levels of sales volume in the coming quarters rather than a return to near-record highs. There is currently enough uncertainty in the market that some investors may choose to observe from the sidelines, taking a more cautious approach. Alternatively, as pricing trends shake out, investors seeking higher yields may find new opportunities. There is no expectation that investment activity across the single-tenant net lease market will grind to a halt, but the market should be prepared to see conservative activity levels in at least the first half of 2023. Past the mid-year point, demand will be influenced by economic conditions – especially if we enter a recession – interest rate levels, supply/demand dynamics, and the willingness of sellers to correctly price new-to-market assets. An imbalance with any one of these influences could impact overall demand levels for 2023 and beyond.   The multi-tenant retail sector has also witnessed a reduction in activity levels, particularly during the second half of 2022. After a strong fourth quarter 2021, and a second quarter 2022 that was recorded as the third strongest period in history, the sector began seeing a pullback in transaction volume that mirrored the rest of the market. In fact, despite being on pace to have a record-setting year, fourth quarter activity slowed so significantly that we ended 2022 as only the fourth strongest year in history, instead of potentially the first. Multi-tenant retail cap rates jumped by 10 basis points in the final quarter of the year, sitting now at 6.78 percent. This is the highest average cap rate reported in a year, and while it’s likely the start of additional upward movement, cap rate increases are not expected to be dramatic in the next few quarters.    

Originally published by GlobeSt Holidays and extreme weather conditions prompted a typical seasonal office demand slowdown in December, according to the VTS Office Demand Index (VODI). However, the year-over-year decline for the month was slightly larger than in previous years.  New demand for office space ended the year 31.3 percent below its May 2022 peak and fell 20.7 percent year-over-year to a VODI of 46 in December.  The report said that a tight labor market, layoffs, threats of another COVID-19 variant, and interest rate hikes have “given pause” to prospective office tenants.  Nick Romito, CEO of VTS, said in prepared remarks, “The reality is that the outlook for the U.S. economy is still unknown, and expectations of a recession continue to loom large in 2023. Where the economy heads will be the through-thread for office demand decisions as we head into the new year.”  Romito said a silver lining is a significant momentum in return-to-office trends. “Continued momentum in return-to-office will undoubtedly provide a tailwind for office demand in 2023 and beyond,” he said while acknowledging that “realistically, it seems unlikely to ever revert in full.”  A weekly report from Kastle that measures office worker occupancy showed the national average of 49.5% of workers were in the office compared to pre-pandemic. The Kastle measurement has not exceeded 50% since COVID-19 set in.  Tech Layoffs and Potential Recession Won’t Help  Doug Ressler, business manager, Yardi’s Commercial Edge, tells GlobeSt.com that office-using sectors of the labor market lost 6,000 jobs in December, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only the second monthly decrease since the onset of the pandemic in early 2020.  Financial activities gained 5,000 jobs in the month, but information lost 5,000, and professional and business services lost 6,000. Year-over-year growth for office-using sectors has rapidly decelerated in recent months.  Office-using employment growth will further decelerate as tech layoffs bleed into 2023 and a potential recession loom. Between January 2021 and July 2022, office sectors added an average of 117,000 jobs a month. In the last five months, they have averaged only 25,000 jobs per month.  “Even as some firms become more forceful in bringing workers back into the office, many have fully committed to hybrid and remote work policies,” Ressler said. “This will be another year of uncertainty and change in the office sector as it moves toward a post-pandemic status quo. Significant change will depend on the duration of the recession, rising interest rate stabilization, and the acceptance of a hybrid or pre-pandemic work model.”  Remote Work Makes Office Leasing Picture is ‘Hazy’  Lanie Beck, Northmarq Senior Director, Content & Marketing Research, tells GlobeSt.com that the outlook for office leasing is a bit hazy right now, with many factors influencing tenant demand.  “Merger and acquisition activity, and the resulting consolidation of physical space that often occurs, can impact office demand,” she said. “Layoffs too can alter a tenant’s need for space.  “But the remote work trend has been one of the primary drivers in recent years, and for employers who haven’t mandated a return-to-office, they’re undoubtedly evaluating both their short and long-term needs for traditional office space.”  Desired Space Shrinks by One-Fourth  Creighton Armstrong, National Director, Government Services, JLL, tells GlobeSt.com tenants committed to leases in 2022 leased space that was, on average, 27% smaller than their prior lease.  However, despite the smaller average, the overall volume of space leased held steady between 2021 and 2022 due to a slightly higher number of deals closed.  Seattle Office Demand in Hibernation  Bret Jordan, president of the Northwest region at Ryan Companies US, tells GlobeSt.com that office demand in Seattle went to sleep in July of 2021 and hasn’t yet awoken from its slumber.  “We’re seeing the large layoff announcements oxygenating the smaller scale and start-up companies’ labor choices, so we are expecting office demand to awaken mid-year,” Jordan said.  “The caveat is that demand will be smaller in nature given the past cycle was full of giant demand deals. This is a reversion to our norm and not a fundamental shift in the underpinnings of our region.  One data point supporting this is the net new demand for residential, he said.  “While again lower in total than the heady pandemic years it remains resilient and in excess of the foreseeable supply,” Jordan said.  Minneapolis to Seek New, Amenity-Rich Assets  Peter Fitzgerald, vice president of real estate development at Ryan Companies US, tells GlobeSt.com that despite the downward trend of office demand, he expects an unprecedented flight to the newest and amenity-rich assets in the Minneapolis-St. Paul market.  He said that new construction is leading the market with several buildings 90%+ leased. One example is 10 West End. Ryan Companies sold the Class A office building in St. Louis Park, Minn. to Bridge Investment Group.  “The building opened in January 2021, in the thick of the pandemic, and experienced nearly 300,000 square feet of leasing activity until it was sold in November 2022,” Fitzgerald said.  Office Tours Increasing Significantly  Chicago-based developer Bob Wislow, Parkside Realty, tells GlobeSt.com that while winter months can sometimes put a damper on real estate tours, especially in colder climates like Chicago, he hasn’t seen a decrease in activity this year.  “Tour requests at all five of our office buildings have significantly increased this month, with one seeing the highest level of activity in years,” Wislow said.  “Companies that need new space because they are expanding operations or have a lease expiring are looking at all options available to them because they know their office space represents more than just a place to do work.  “With hybrid schedules becoming the norm, it’s more important than ever to offer a dynamic environment that promotes collaboration and engagement and provides the amenities and conveniences workers want in exchange for their commute. It also helps to be in an area that is buzzing with activity, as that energy and vitality can’t be recreated in a remote setting.”  South Florida Worker Office Occupancy 60% to 70%  Tere Blanca, founder, chairman, and CEO of Blanca Commercial Real Estate, tells GlobeSt.com that across South Florida, there is a “tremendous” return to the office, especially across the finance sector and it seems that three to four days a week has become prevalent in many industries.  “Because Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Palm Beach (South Florida in general) is experiencing such constant, amazing migration, with the demographics very strong, many companies are moving here and whatever contraction we might see is mitigated by new buildings being created,” Blanca said. “There is quite a bit of new product in the pipeline to deliver over the next three to seven years; whatever is available right now is getting leased.”  She said buildings are seeing employee occupancy at 60% to 70% in most cases.  “The reality is, even before COVID, when a building was leased out, you still never had full occupancy, Blanca said. “This was from people traveling, being out for meetings, having a family situation, etc. This is why parking garages can oversell by 15% to 20%.”  Offices Need Tech Modernization  Katie Klein, North America Country director at WiredScore, tells GlobeSt.com that what people look for in an office has changed.  “To bring employees out of their homes and back into the office, office landlords must provide appealing properties and spaces. One way to do this is to provide the technology platform that modern office tenants require,” she said.  According to WiredScore North American Office report, only 38% of offices are considered advanced ‘smart offices,’ yet 80% of employees state they would be more inclined to go to the office if their building had smart technology.  © 2022 ALM Global Properties, LLC. All rights reserved. 

Originally published by Wealth Management Investor interest in medical office properties registered a slowdown during the second half of 2022, but brokers and analysts say they expect a rebound this year as inflationary pressures ease and the Fed is expected to pull back on interest rate increases.  While investment sales figures for the fourth quarter of 2022 aren’t available yet, transactions in the sector have been trending down, according to the latest data from research firm Revista and real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield.  In the third quarter, the market saw only $2.6 billion in investment sales involving medical office properties, excluding the merger of Healthcare Realty Trust and Healthcare Trust of America that was completed in July. That was the lowest volume since the first quarter of 2021, when only in $2.1 billion in properties traded hands. Investment sales in the medical office sector peaked at $7.3 billion in the fourth of 2021. Since then, they have been on a downward path each subsequent quarter.  Cap rates in the sector have also expanded over the past 12 months. They averaged 5.5 percent in the first quarter of 2022, but rose to 6.0 percent by the third quarter, according to Jacob Albers, research manager with Cushman & Wakefield.  “The impact of rising interest rates and inflationary pressures on medical office buildings and their expenses are having a cooling effect on what transaction volumes were at the end of 2022 and going into 2023 as well,” Albers says.  However, Albers calls this trend “temporary and recoverable” as inflation appears to cool down. In December, inflation in the U.S. declined for the six straight month, with an increase of 6.5 percent year-over-year and a 0.1 percent month-over-month decline.  In addition, the investment community remains broadly interested in investments in medical office because of the sector’s stability, according to Alan Pontius, senior vice president/national director of the office and industrial divisions with real estate services firm Marcus & Millichap.  “I expect the year to start off slow on a transactional level, but I expect it to pick up relatively soon as the year progresses because the market is adapting to the new underwriting standards with an interest rate environment that is different,” Pontius says.  The buy/sell gap  At the moment, the market isn’t as active as it has been because lot of sellers are slow to come to market if they don’t think they will get their desired price and buyers aren’t going to pay the same cap rates as they would have in a 3 percent interest rate environment, Pontius says. For example, class-A medical offices could have been selling at sub-5 percent cap rates at the peak, but today, it’s difficult to close transactions below cap rates of 6.0 to 6.5 percent because borrowing cost are unlikely to be below that, he notes.  “The only way you would have a cap rate below the cost of debt is if, for some reason, there was an immediate upside in the rental stream or possibly you have a long-term high-credit lease and an escalation schedule that will take you into positive leverage within the first year or two of that lease term.”  Still, there is broad interest in medical office assets across the investment spectrum, Pontius says. For deals valued above $20 million, the medical office REITs are the most prolific buyers. Private investors are more engaged in dealmaking if they find the right fit. Institutional investors, on the other hand, have been less active and are taking a more wait-and-see approach.  Albers says he’s seen more transactions involving private equity shops that are able to be nimbler in this economic environment. In addition, “We’ve seen more activity when it comes to smaller investors and HNWs that have less hoops to jump through and less committee review,” Albers said.  At the same time, he notes that because of the scarcity of available debt, the average value of stand-alone transactions has declined.  For his part, Lee Asher, vice chairman of healthcare and life sciences capital markets at real estate services firm CBRE, says his team is seeing a buyer pool comprised of groups who still have dry powder—portfolio managers looking to rebalance their portfolios away from traditional office properties and seasoned investors in healthcare real estate who are confident in the long-term stability of the sector. REITs, while still active, are struggling to rationalize paying prices that might view as too aggressive as they have seen their stocks dip and a corresponding increase in their cost of capital, Asher adds.  Who’s selling?  Sellers can be split into two different pools—maturity investors and business plan investors, Asher says. The first group is comprised of investors who face either a fund life maturity or debt maturity with unfavorable refinancing options. For the most part, investors with a maturing fund life are only selling if they have a low basis and have already created significant value for the property. Otherwise, they are choosing to hold, he notes.  The second group of sellers likely bought their properties before 2020, didn’t underwrite the cap rate compression that occurred after 2020 and so can achieve their business plan even under current interest rates, Asher says.  The bid-ask spread on medical office has widened significantly in the past nine months and it hasn’t yet closed enough to move the market, Asher says. There are a number of investor groups on the sideline waiting for more price discovery before they start to make deals.  The widespread belief among industry insiders is that the first half of 2023 will continue to be slow for medical office deals, but there will likely be a rebound in the second half of the year, says Shawn Janus, national director, healthcare services, with real estate services firm Colliers. Much of that optimism revolves around the Fed pausing on interest rate increases.  “Investors and developers in the sector make their living by investing in medical properties, so they continue to do so or want to do so,” Janus says. “Investments are also being looked at from a relationship perspective, with the hope that as the markets improve, those relationships will bear fruit in future deals.”  Investors that are able to be the most aggressive on deals today have access to a line of credit with spreads lower than those than what the banks are offering, or they are able to close on deals all-cash, says Asher. He points to vertically-integrated funds as the most active of these types of investors—they are viewing this as a buying opportunity while the institutions slow down.  There’s a backlog of investment managers looking to add to their portfolios, as well as new groups attempting to break into the healthcare real estate sector due to proven fundamentals and the recession-resistant attributes of the asset type, according to Asher.  “The majority of the established healthcare investors still have a pile of dry powder from the influx of capital over that last 18 months,” he says. “Portfolio managers and traditional office investors are looking for an alternative investment for their struggling office allocations.”  Expected returns  Returns on investments in medical office properties have tightened as expenses on NOI have risen across the board, particularly in higher cost markets. Leveraged IRRs on core medical office properties today are averaging from 7 to 9 percent, according to Brannan Knott, managing director, capital markets, with real estate services firm JLL. Leveraged IRRs on core plus assets are ranging from 9 to 13 percent and on value-add assets from 13 to 20 percent.  “Debt cost certainly are affecting near-term and overall returns in the sector,” Knott says. But “The price adjustments in transactions have helped bridge this return impact,” he adds.  But despite the current environment, Albers says the healthcare sector is in a good position because of rising demand for healthcare that should provide opportunities for investors. In 2022, healthcare spending has begun to rise again as patients continued to seek care that might have been deferred during the pandemic, he says.  “I feel volume will be down and pace will be slow for the first half of the year,” says Jeff Matulis, senior vice president with capital services provider Northmarq. “Eyes will continue to be on the Fed with what they are doing with rates. Employment is still strong and there is plenty of capital to be spent, both debt and equity. Anytime we see a glimpse of inflation calming, the stock market lights up and treasuries drop.  I think this gives us an idea of what is waiting on the backside of all this when the Fed stops their rate hikes.” 

Originally published by Wealth Management The past few months brought a lot of news stories about upcoming office distress. Just last week, for example, office building owners in Washington, D.C. warned city government it wasn’t prepared for the falling property values in the sector, according to Bisnow. Meanwhile, Financial Times declared that “New York ‘Zombie’ Office Towers Teeter as Interest Rates Rise.”  But while there is a lot of talk about the potential for office distress, the figures from the firms that track commercial loan delinquencies, including Trepp, Fitch and Moody’s, don’t bear this contention out. In October, the office CMBS delinquency reported by Fitch stood at 1.23 percent, up from 1.19 percent in September, but still behind delinquencies for hotel, retail and mixed-use properties. Trepp reported the office delinquency rate for the month at 1.75 percent, up from 1.58 percent in September. The firm’s researchers tied the increase to lease expirations in the sector. Meanwhile, Moody’s reported the conduit delinquency rate for office properties at 2.69 percent, up 13 basis points from September and 30 basis points from a year ago.  Similarly, data from MSCI Real Assets shows only about $1.1 billion in distressed office sales this year, or about 1 percent of the total of $93 billion in office sales overall. In fact, there were more distresses property sales happening prior to the pandemic than in recent years, according to MSCI, though, of course, the total office sales figures were higher too. So, for example in 2019, when $140 billion in office sales closed, about $3.2 billion, or 2 percent, were distressed sales.  The industry is expecting distressed office sales to emerge in some market pockets nationally, but the impact will likely not be widespread and will not affect all investors equally, according to Aaron Jodka, director of research, U.S. capital markets, at real estate services firm Colliers. That said, with limited distressed property sales to date, he suggests that given the low starting base, any increase could look big on a percentage basis. Properties with occupancy concerns, inferior locations and deferred maintenance are most at risk for distress.  A signal of potential instability in the office sector is weakening demand for office space and a marketplace increasingly favorable to tenants. Tenants are waiting until the end of their leases to consider renewal or negotiation, notes Asher D. Wenig, senior vice president at real estate services firm Northmarq. “Landlords are increasing tenant improvements (TIs) allowances, and with a flux in office rents, it’s become a bit difficult to know the backfill options in many markets,” he adds.  The office sector will likely undergo a lot of changes in coming years, with different tenant footprints and worker demands, Wenig says. While people are returning to the office, large gateway markets including New York, San Francisco and Chicago are seeing rent corrections and companies downsizing their office space.  The good news is there is enough liquidity in today’s market for financing distress transactions, according to Mike Walker, executive vice president, debt & structured finance, with real estate services firm CBRE. Over the past two months, a number of the firm’s clients have expressed interest in providing mezzanine, preferred equity and rescue capital to fill the gaps between the loan payoff amounts and what the new senior debt market will provide, Walker says. He notes that this funding can also help to cover carry costs or provide capital costs for TIs and leasing commissions.  At the same time, “We are nowhere near the conditions of the Great Financial Crisis,” says Jodka. “The big difference between the GFC and today are interest rates. Coming out of the GFC, lenders were able to ‘kick the can,’ and low interest rates and quantitative easing (QE) allowed many loans to essentially work themselves out.”  Interest rates are higher today, so loans needing to refinance face a different market environment, Jodka notes. “Market consensus is for the Fed to increase its borrowing rate into 2023, but eventually pivot. It is difficult to predict interest rates and economic conditions, but it is less likely for a QE situation to help support near-term loan maturities.”  Walker suggests that continued upward movement in the Fed rate has made CMBS loans a more attractive option for office owners in need of refinancing. Previously, CMBS financing wasn’t particularly appealing because it didn’t price efficiently, but compared to the coupons on most floating rate, SOFR-based (Secured Overnight Financing Rate) loans today, a five-year CMBS execution is now attractive because it can be accretive and limit further interest rate increases, he notes. Another benefit is that unlike with five-year floating-rate debt, with a CMBS loan there is no requirement to buy a SOFR cap or hedge, which is quite expensive in this environment.  Banks should also be back in play next year, according to Walker, with some funding for investments in distressed office properties. A number of CBRE bank clients have expressed an intent to return to the market in 2023 after sitting on the sidelines in the second half of 2022.  While much of their focus will remain on industrial, life sciences and multifamily deals, he expects some bank allocations to trickle back into the office sector. “This will start by focusing on the stronger, well-located and cash-flowing assets with top-tier borrowers, but it will also make its way to debt funds via the A-note market and warehouse lending, which will help some of the less stabilized assets secure financing—albeit at higher yields,” Walker says.  There will be no tidal wave of funding for stabilizing distressed office assets, but any increase will be a welcome change from the second half of this year. Then, if inflation levels off and there are no expectations for further drastic rate hikes, that “trickle” of funding will probably evolve in the second half of 2023, Walker adds.  Meanwhile, while investors are waiting on the sideline for opportunities to snap up distressed office properties at bargain prices, many of these assets will be repositioned for other uses or razed and replaced, notes Jodka. He cites numerous future scenarios that could play out for distressed office assets: conversion to life sciences space in select markets, housing, government facilities, schools or medical use are all likely outcomes.  At the same time, he notes that the narrative about large-scale office-to-residential conversions in practice revolves around a challenging strategy because building floor plates have to be compatible with residential use. “Cost is also a factor, as is zoning,” Jodka adds. 

Originally published by GlobeSt Small market and suburban office sales lately are holding up better than their urban counterparts for three reasons: they are smaller assets, they are better basis plays, and they are typically occupied by users who are more likely to have returned to work, according to Craig Tomlinson, Senior Vice President of Northmarq.  He tells GlobeSt.com this and that for Q3 22 in the net lease office sector, there were 71 arm’s length sales in small markets and 90 large (primary) markets.  For small markets, the average deal size was 34,000 SF and avg sale price was about $8.5 million and modest $245.00 SF.  In large markets, Tomlinson said the buildings averaged 54,000 square feet, selling for $25.5 million, a “whopping” $480 per square foot,” Tomlinson said.  “Smaller loan amounts and lower basis muted the effects of negative leverage for these buyers,” he said. “Small market office buildings are typically occupied by tenant’s who decision makers are local and more likely to mandate return to work measures.”  Tomlinson said all these factors gave small market office a leg up and he expects the trend to continue.  Flight to Quality ‘Will Drive Tenancy for Foreseeable Future’  The Newmark Office Report finds that “overall transaction cap rates have been stable, but there have been some relatively notable shifts within the office market. The spread between central business district (CBD) and suburban cap rates had closed in 2022.  “Higher-quality, Class A assets in suburban markets have performed better than CBD office markets thus far in 2022,” according to Newmark. “Similarly, secondary office market yields have closed relative to major metros, highlighting the strength of non-gateway markets, including Dallas, Austin, Atlanta, etc.”  Furthermore, Newmark’s report said that flight to quality “will drive tenancy for the foreseeable future, though high-quality assets in dynamic suburban markets may hold an advantage over traditionally stable downtown assets.”  Relatively high availability, downward pressure on rents and greater demand for a vibrant worker experience will benefit the upper tier of the office market.  For those with more risk appetite, capitalizing on low pricing for Class B+/Class A- buildings with plans to modernize “could be attractive, along with build-to-core in markets structurally lacking in top-tier office space.”  © 2022 ALM Global Properties, LLC. All rights reserved. 

Originally published by ConnectCRE For the net lease sector as well as in commercial real estate at large, the economic picture remains murky, with inflation and rising interest rates at the forefront of consumers’ and investors’ minds, Northmarq (formerly Stan Johnson Company) says in a new report. Fears of a recession still loom, and there has been a noticeable decrease in consumer confidence this year.    Additionally, the industry continues to question the future of 1031 exchanges, and the upcoming mid-term elections could impact economic conditions and investor sentiment as well. Balancing out these trends are strong job growth, low unemployment, robust consumer spending and insatiable investor demand for quality assets, according to Northmarq’s Lanie Beck.   “In the single-tenant net lease market, we’ve seen investment sales volume decline over the past three quarters and compared to the record-setting end to last year, current activity levels may feel somewhat lackluster,” Beck reported. “Put in perspective, though, the market is on pace to have a very solid year, perhaps topping the $70-billion-mark and solidifying 2022 as a top three year in history.”   However, Beck said the fourth-quarter sales total will be telling. “The final three months of the year will not only dictate how 2022 gets logged in the history books, but it will also set the tone for 2023.” 

Northmarq investment sales broker Asher Wenig completed the sale of a Class A office building located at 1741 Corporate Landing Parkway in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The 45,061-square-foot office is fully leased to Groundworks, the nation’s leading and fastest-growing foundation and water management solutions company. Asher Wenig represented the buyer, a family office based in New Jersey, who purchased the Groundworks headquarters for approximately $8.7 million without financing. The seller was a private equity firm located in Charlotte, North Carolina.  “In this market, cash is king,” said Wenig. “We were successful in negotiating a healthy yield for our client who also has the upside of bifurcating the parcel to develop a mirrored building in a strong and growing market.”  The three-story office building was built in 2008 and is situated on 14.03 acres. Groundworks operates over 64 offices and has been named multiple times to the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies, Qualified Remodeler Top 500, BBB integrity award and Best Places to Work. The site is conveniently located on Corporate Landing Parkway, just off Dam Neck Road, and neighbors various service retailers and corporate offices. 

Originally published by GlobeSt The single-tenant net lease market is likely to end the year strong, with sales activity on track to make 2022 the third strongest year in history.  That’s according to a recent analysis from Northmarq, which notes that if current activity levels carry over to Q4, the year will claim $74 billion in annual sales volume. In particular, the industrial market is set to report its second strongest year on record, while the office and retail sectors are more likely to have closer to average years.  Overall average STNL cap rates leveled out during the third quarter as sales activity declined for the third straight quarter. Private buyers have the largest share of the market, according to the report, and while the market is “significantly” off-pace to reach 2021 numbers, strong annual performance is still within reach.  “In the single-tenant net lease market, we’ve seen investment sales volume decline over the past three quarters and compared to the record-setting end to last year, current activity levels may feel somewhat lackluster,” said Lanie Beck at Northmarq. “Put in perspective though, the market is on pace to have a very solid year, perhaps topping the $70-billion-mark and solidifying 2022 as a top three year in history. However, fourth quarter will be telling. The final three months of the year will not only dictate how 2022 gets logged in the history books, but it will also set the tone for 2023.”  Investors are still flocking to the sector, with sales activity for net-leased retail rising between 24% to 27% across the 12-month span ending in June, according to Marcus & Millichap.  “Moving forward, investors seeking long-term cash flow may capitalize on high pricing in other sectors and move equity via 1031 exchanges into less management intensive single-tenant properties,” firm analysts note. “Yield-focused buyers may target Midwest markets with increased frequency, as Detroit, Chicago, Kansas City, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Milwaukee and Minneapolis are home to average returns 30 basis points to 80 basis points above the national mean.”  © 2022 ALM Global Properties, LLC. All rights reserved.