What I'm Reading Turning the Corner: An analysis of the pace of CRE workouts by Real Capital Analytics showed that more US commercial real estate distress was worked out than arose in Q1. However, the authors were careful to note that there is still sizeable potential distress on the horizon...
April 19th – So It Begins (In Earnest)
What I'm Reading So It Begins: Despite the economic recovery, Q4 bank loan CRE data showed an uptick in distress, especially in hospitality assets. To be sure, this is still much lower than many anticipated but supports the thesis that reopening is a moment of truth for struggling properties. Those...
April 16th – Backlog
What I'm Reading Backlog: During COVID, many US courts stopped functioning for months before adopting new technologies to move cases through, albeit more slowly than before. At the same time, cases including landlord-tenant disputes, foreclosures, contract disputes, tax appeals, partnership settlements have been piling up. Experts fear that once courts...
April 15th – Out of Balance
What I'm Reading Out of Balance: Garden style apartments make up 49% of existing inventory in the US and typically consist of more affordable B and C properties that appeal to working class tenants. However, thanks to the high cost of materials and land, only 3.6% of all apartments in...
April 14th – Scapegoat
What I'm Reading Scapegoat: Luxury housing developments are often vilified by NIMBYs. However, they play an important role in the housing ecosystem. In a market that is functioning properly, today's new luxury unit is tomorrow's move-up and, if not enough new units are built, the fixed housing supply gets bid...
April 13th – Back to School
What I'm Reading Back to School: The first half of 2020 was all about a shortage of demand for goods and services. The experience of 2021 has been exactly the opposite - demand is booming, yet supply is limited. The current labor shortage that American businesses are facing is playing...
April 12th – The Great Invasion
What I'm Reading Invasion of the Nerds: Residents of Silicon Valley set their sights on Austin, Texas during the pandemic, making the city even more tech centric. The migration is also exporting Bay Area problems to Austin, resulting in a housing shortage that is threatening to price locals out, soaring...
April 9th – Gravedancer
What I'm Reading Gravedancer: Amazon is buying up distressed shopping malls and turning them into fulfillment centers, often ruffling the feathers of neighbors - who would prefer to see mixed use redevelopment - in the process. NBC News Culling the Herd: Mall vacancies are increasing at their fastest pace on...
April 8th – Deflating
What I'm Reading Deflating: A new study by data firm VTS, which tracks tens of thousands of negotiations across the U.S. between landlords and tenants found that big companies are sticking with their city-center office buildings. However, they are also cutting back on space, likely driving down rent for years...
April 7th – Light the Fuse
What I'm Reading Light the Fuse: After a decade-long drought, worker productivity might be about to accelerate thanks to pandemic-induced technological adoption, which could lift economic growth and wages in coming years while staving off inflation pressure. Companies made massive investments in technology, automation and videoconferencing software over the past...