NREI News - National Real Estate Investor

Commercial Property Prices Rebound Unevenly, Index Shows

Jun 24, 2010, By NREI Staff

The Moody’s/REAL commercial property price index (CPPI) shows that prices have dropped 16.4% from a year ago. ...

Apartments Stage a Comeback as Renters Return in Surprising Numbers

Jun 23, 2010, By Ben Johnson, NREI Contributing Writer

After two years of rising vacancies and slumping rents, apartment owners have reason to be cheerier these days....

LoopNet Launches New Property Database

Jun 21, 2010, By Daniel Beaird

LoopNet has recently launched a property database comprising 5 million commercial properties across all major property types including retail, office, industrial and multifamily. ...

Aptech Launches New Hospitality Accounting Software

Jun 21, 2010, By Daniel Beaird, NREI Senior Associate Editor

Aptech Computer Systems, a provider of hospitality software and enterprise financial accounting, has developed an advanced hospitality financial accounting system called the Aptech Next Generation Accounting Solution. ...

REITs Keep Going Back for Seconds

Jun 21, 2010, By Ben Johnson, NREI Contributing Writer

There seems no end to the number of real estate investment trusts (REITs) making secondary stock offerings these days. ...

Mortgage Bankers Report Rising Delinquency Rates for Commercial Loans

Jun 18, 2010, By NREI Staff

Delinquency rates for commercial mortgages held by banks, thrifts, and life companies rose in the first quarter, the Mortgage Bankers Association reports. ...

In Uncertain Times, Stable D.C. Office Market Attracts Buyers

Jun 17, 2010, By Beth Mattson-Teig, Contributing Writer

Political dramas may dominate the headlines in Washington D.C., but the allure of this market for office investors is far more mundane — stable cash flow....

Deals Are On the Rise, as Capital Returns to the Market

Jun 17, 2010, By Daniel Beaird, Senior Associate Editor, NREI

With approximately $700 billion worth of loans coming due on distressed properties over the next four years, transaction activity in commercial real estate is picking up this year, albeit slowly, and is expected to intensify in 2011 and 2012. ...

Report: Commercial Real Estate Prices Could Require a Decade to Rebound

Jun 16, 2010, By Denise Kalette, NREI Managing Editor

Even though commercial real estate sales are picking up for trophy properties in cities like Washington, D.C. and New York, a sobering new report by global investment management firm PIMCO cautions that investors should be wary as they enter the recovering market. ...

Marcus & Millichap Names John Kerin President and CEO

Jun 15, 2010, By NREI Staff

Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services, the Encino, Calif.-based real estate investment services firm, has named John Kerin president and chief executive officer effective July 1, according to founder and chairman George Marcus....

Private Sector Closely Watches Federal Decision to Unload Properties

Jun 14, 2010, By Denise Kalette, NREI Managing Editor

Many commercial real estate analysts were caught by surprise when President Obama issued a memorandum last week directing federal agencies to dispose of excess government properties as a way to reduce the government’s energy use and emission of harmful greenhouse gases. ...

Hotel Sales Up 124% in 2010

Jun 14, 2010, By Ben Johnson, special from OKCRE View

While temperatures across many parts of the country have signaled an early start to the summer season, so too is the action in the hotel sales marketing heating up, as buyers and sellers appear to be moving closer to agreement on pricing....

Fuel Cell In Large-Scale Multifamily Development Energizes New Haven

Jun 14, 2010, By NREI Staff

The installation of a 400-kilowatt fuel cell at 360 State Street, a 700,000 sq. ft. mixed-use development under construction in downtown New Haven, Conn., has created quite a buzz in environmental circles....

NYU Wrap: The Paradox of Stronger Hotel Business

Jun 11, 2010, By Ed Watkins, Lodging Hospitality

New York University International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference: Why hasn’t the long-predicted torrent of hotel transactions begun yet?...

Lawmakers Consider Carried Interest Legislation

Jun 11, 2010, By Elaine Misonzhnik, Retail Traffic

As lawmakers in Washington mull legislation that will affect the tax treatment of carried interest, a standard form of compensation for general partners in limited partnerships and limited liability corporations, commercial real estate pros are debating whether the legislation makes sense and how much of an impact it will have, should it come to pass. ...

Commentary: Transportation Needs Will Affect Location of New Development

Jun 10, 2010, By Anthony Downs, NREI Contributing Columnist

The location of new commercial real estate will be determined by how fast the economy recovers, how additional commercial development fits future residential strategies, and how decisions about growth are made. The U.S. economy will recover slowly....

Hotel Appraisals Still Have Clout With Lenders, Survey Shows

Jun 9, 2010, By Daniel Beaird, NREI Senior Associate Editor

Although hotel lenders always take appraisals with a grain of salt, a newly released survey of capital providers indicates that appraisals are still the biggest factor when determining market pricing for hotel properties...

Conflicting Themes at NYU Conference

Jun 9, 2010, By Ed Watkins, Lodging Hospitality Editor-In-Chief

Schizophrenia reigns at the New York University International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference held this week at the Marriott Marquis in New York City....

Savvy Retailers Capitalize on Troubled Centers

Jun 8, 2010, By Elaine Misonzhnik, Retail Traffic Associate Editor

As the retail real estate industry tries to work through a growing volume of troubled properties, one pressing issue owners and managers face is the attraction of new tenants. ...

Pension Investments Threatened by California’s Troubles

Jun 7, 2010, By Ben Johnson, NREI Contributor

As goes California, so goes the future of institutional investing in the commercial real estate sector....

Memorable Sound Bites On the Road, From NAREE to ICSC

Jun 4, 2010, By Matt Valley, NREI Editor-In-Chief

As the weather heats up, so too does the number of real estate conferences. It’s been an action-packed, two-week stretch for real estate professionals and the journalists who cover them. ...

Hotels Hit Hard as CMBS Delinquencies Reach Historic HIgh

Jun 4, 2010, By Denise Kalette, NREI Managing Editor

The delinquency rate for commercial real estate loans in commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) jumped in May, rising 40 basis points to 8.42%, the highest rate in the history of the CMBS industry, according to research analytics firm Trepp....

Lessons From a Monopoly Economy

Jun 3, 2010, By Chris Macke, NREI Contributing Columnist

When I was a boy I used to play quite a bit of Monopoly. After quickly getting bored with the liquidity constraints of the game, i.e. the paper money that came with the game, I devised a system to increase liquidity, much like the financial engineering that occurs on Wall Street today. ...