NEWS

posted by Randy Sierra - Friday, January 29

Will Institutional Investors Return to Commercial Real Estate?

With huge losses, how can institutional investors return to investing in commercial real estate? Ben Johnson talked to several and you might be surprised at their answers!

Jumping back into the fray seems logical to some. “It’s the only way to take advantage of a bad situation,” says Hessam Nadji, managing director of research services at Marcus & Millichap. “Having written [the portfolio] down, now it’s really important to write it back up. The only way to do that is to take a position in the market and make new investments.”

read the full article here

posted by Randy Sierra - Tuesday, January 26

Can Anyone Profit in the Multifamily Segment?

Dr. Victor Calanog gives some compelling agruments that point to the Multifamily sector as the smart choice for investors.

As the economy recovers, investors must look beyond the deluge of bad news and consider the fact that financing constraints are preventing developers from building. Reis does not expect permit activity to rise until 2011, implying a dearth in new supply until at least 2012.

Read the full story here

posted by Paul Monaco - Wednesday, December 2

Dubai crisis jolts markets, but early fears ease

The possible spillover effects centered on fears that international banks could suffer big losses if Dubai's investment arm defaulted on its $60 billion debt. Stock and commodity markets tumbled in New York, London and Asia as investors flocked to the U.S. dollar as a safe haven.

Investors need to realize they need to be more discriminating about emerging markets

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posted by Randy Sierra - Tuesday, December 1

TALF Still Model for CMBS Despite New Deals

Is the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility the way to go for CMBS? Globe Street answers this question and reviews a recent non-TALF CMBS deal to get to the bottom of the issues.

Going forward, the market will be likely to see more TALF-supported CMBS, on par with the Developers Diversified Realty Corp. $400-million transaction earlier this month, David Furman, partner with global law firm Gibson Dunn & Crutcher's Real Estate practice, tells GlobeSt.com. Even that transaction, deemed successful by many in the industry because it was oversubscribed, was not easy to close, he says.

Read the full article here

posted by Randy Sierra - Wednesday, October 21

BofA agrees to sell First Republic Bank

Read to find out who is buying and how much they agreed to pay.

When word emerged earlier this year that First Republic was on the sales block, the Business Times heard from several wealthy individuals and private equity firms interested in considering investing in a newly independent First Republic.

Read the full article here

posted by Randy Sierra - Wednesday, October 21

Economists: Commercial Real Estate Debt Won't Be the Next Shoe to Drop

Read to find out why some economists think that commercial real estate will not follow the foreclosure footsteps of residential property.

The situation seems especially ominous given that commercial real estate values are off 40 percent from market peaks and credit markets are barely out of hibernation mode. That means indebted owners can't sell a property and repay their mortgage with deal proceeds. It also makes refinancing difficult.

Read the full article here

posted by Randy Sierra - Thursday, October 15

Store Closings Likely to Peak in First Half of 2010

Is the end near? Read to find out what the retail sector is looking at for near term and the coming year.

Some experts are seeing the fewer-than-expected closings as a sign that the worst is over for the industry, especially given the broader economic stabilization that has emerged in recent months.

Read the full article