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☆ Analysis: WeWork's troubles darken outlook for embattled office market
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Sinead Cruise | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Backed by Japan's SoftBank, WeWork aimed to revolutionise the office market by taking long leases on large properties and renting the space to multiple smaller businesses on more flexible, shorter arrangements. Some leveraged property investors could struggle to earn enough rental income to service rising debt costs, they said. The number and volume of real estate loans due for refinancing in 2024 is unclear because many deals are struck privately between borrower and lender, Ed Daubeney, co-head, debt and structured finance, EMEA, at real estate services firm Jones Lang LaSalle, told Reuters. U.S. industrial and office real estate investment trusts (REITs) were seen 35.8% more likely to default, versus expectations a year ago. "We're at a massive turning point in the real estate investment market globally," Jose Pellicer, head of real estate strategy at M&G Real Estate, said.

Persons: Kate Munsch, Japan's SoftBank, WeWork, Jeffrey Havsy, Ed Daubeney, Jones Lang LaSalle, Savills, refinancings, What's, MSCI, Jefferies, Jose Pellicer, Sinead Cruise, Elisa Martinuzzi, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, Media, Real Estate, Reuters, Analysts, Europe, Flex, BNP, G, Thomson Locations: San Francisco , California, U.S, York, New York, London, United States, Europe, Britain, Germany, California

☆ WeWork's troubles darken outlook for embattled office market
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Sinead Cruise | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The Chicago-based NAR said Thursday that Bob Goldberg would be stepping down after a 30-year career at the trade association. Nykia Wright, former CEO of the Chicago Sun-Times, was tapped to take over on an interim basis, beginning Nov. 20. Real estate agents must be dues-paying members of the NAR in order to advertise themselves as Realtors. Its size and influence in the U.S. real estate industry has not only made the trade association a target in litigation, but also brought it under the scrutiny of the Justice Department. The department filed a complaint in 2020 against the NAR, alleging it established and enforced rules and policies that illegally restrained competition in residential real estate services.

Persons: Bob Goldberg, Nykia Wright, Goldberg, “, Wright, Kenny Parcell, Tracy Kasper Organizations: ANGELES, National Association of Realtors, Chicago Sun, NAR, The New York Times, Realtors, Justice Department, of, U.S ., Times Locations: Chicago, Kansas City , Missouri, Missouri, The, Utah, U.S, Western, of Missouri

☆ Getting to 2% inflation won't be easy. This is what will need to happen, and it might not be pretty
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Mike Blake | ReutersIn theory, getting inflation closer to the Federal Reserve's 2% target doesn't sound terribly difficult. The main culprits are related to services and shelter costs, with many of the other components showing noticeable signs of easing. watch nowInstead, getting better control of rents, medical care services and the like could take ... well, you might not want to know. Policymakers have been banking on the notion that when existing rental leases expire, they will be renegotiated at lower prices, bringing down shelter inflation. He added that the CPI report "is a reminder that we do not have good historic examples to lean on" for long-term patterns in rent inflation.

Persons: Mike Blake, Steven Blitz, Goldman Sachs, Lisa Sturtevant, Christopher Bruen, Marta Norton, Stephen Juneau, Juneau Organizations: Reuters, GlobalData, Street, Cleveland Fed, Bright MLS, Housing, Americas, Morningstar Wealth, Bank of America Locations: Rancho, San Diego , California, Maryland, Stephen Juneau , U.S

☆ Japan’s property sector sees ‘golden period’ as foreign investments surge 45%
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesForeign investments into Japan's real estate sector have been flourishing in the past year, buoyed by a weak Japanese yen as the country's central bank maintains its ultra-loose monetary policy. "It is a golden period of Japanese real estate," Henry Chin, head of Asia-Pacific research at CBRE, told CNBC. Foreign investors almost doubled their investment from a year ago to $2 billion in the first quarter of the year, the global real estate services company noted. According to latest data provided by CBRE, total foreign investments into Japan's real estate market has risen 45% in the first half of 2023, compared to the same period last year. The solid rebound in Japan's tourism sector following the ease in border restrictions has sparked a rise in hotel occupancies and hospitality investments, Knight Frank said in a recent September note.

Persons: Henry Chin, Chin, Koji Nato, JLL, Knight Frank, CBRE's Chin, Knight Frank's, Christine Li, David Madison Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty, CNBC, Nato LL's, Capital Markets, U.S, APAC Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Asia, Pacific, Osaka, Singapore, U.S, Canada, Magome

☆ Nobody has figured out return to office, but Asia is winning the battle
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Asian nations are beating out the US in terms of office occupancy and days worked in-person. While office occupancy in the Americas sits at 49%, Asia-Pacific office occupancy is 79%, slightly above Europe at 75%, according to data from real estate services firm Jones Lang LaSalle. TikTok has cracked down on its return-to-office policy through a tool called myRTO, which monitors in-person office attendance. Japan and South Korea have perhaps figured out return to office the best at 0.5 and 0.4 days respectively. Are you a worker in Europe or Asia who has recently returned to the office or never worked from home?

Persons: Jones Lang LaSalle Organizations: Service, San Francisco and New, McKinsey Global Institute, Nikkei, Nikkei Research, Bloomberg, New York Times Locations: South Korea, Wall, Silicon, Asia, Europe, Americas, France, Greece, Germany, United Kingdom, Belgium, Spain, San Francisco and, San Francisco and New York City, Shanghai, Tokyo, China, Japan

☆ How Wall Street's REIT giants are reshaping U.S. real estate
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Carlos Waters | In Carloswaters | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

U.S real estate investment trusts today manage $4.5 trillion in real estate worldwide. KKR's real estate business is one of the big players in the REIT game. The KKR Real Estate Select Trust, which currently manages $1.5 billion in assets, paid a dividend of 5.4% to its investors in July 2023. said Billy Butcher, CEO of KKR's global real estate business. Watch the video above to learn the fundamentals of real estate investment trusts.

Persons: Billy Butcher, Sher Hafeez, Jones Lang LaSalle, Michael Pestronk, REITs Organizations: KKR, Trust, CNBC, Jones, P Global Investments, Post, Invitation Locations: Philadelphia

☆ A real estate agent was fined $15,000 for drinking milk out of a carton from a seller's fridge
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A homeowner captured a real-estate agent drinking milk out of a carton from her fridge during a showing. According to the homeowner, the surveillance footage also showed Rose lounging on her couch and accidentally breaking its arm, the newspaper reported. "This was unprofessional in so many ways," Fullerton told The Post. The newspaper reported that Fullerton said Rose replied, "The milk?" Soon after, Fullerton reported the agent, explaining to The Post that it wasn't so much about the milk, but more that the agent had failed to disclose his actions to her.

Persons: Mike Rose, Lyska Fullerton, Rose, Fullerton, Rose lounging Organizations: The Washington, Service, Washington Post, Fullerton, British Columbia Financial Services Authority, British Columbia Real Estate Services, The, CFJC, realtors Locations: Wall, Silicon, Canada, Kamloops , British Columbia, British

☆ Singapore and Lisbon top ranking of the cities with the biggest surge in prime rents
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Private apartments are seen against the backdrop of the Marina Bay Sands hotel and the Singapore Flyer observatory wheel in Singapore on March 23, 2022. Rents in prime residential areas increased the most in Singapore, Lisbon and Berlin in the first half of the year, according to a new research report by real estate services company Savills. Data from the British company showed prime rents in Lisbon surged the most by 13.9% from Dec 2022 to June 2023, followed by Singapore at 13.6% and 9.2% for Berlin during the same period. The increase in Berlin's prime rents was, however, due to an influx of rich residents, the research said. The significant hike in Singapore's prime rents was due to construction delays during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Persons: Savills, Alan Cheong, Cheong Organizations: Singapore Flyer, Savills Research, Consultancy Locations: Marina, Sands, Singapore, Lisbon, Berlin, British

☆ Asia's private credit markets thrive as desperate borrowers find lenders
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Private lenders, meanwhile, had "significant liquidity" to deploy for such financings, proving to be a right fit. Besides property developers, borrowers thronging private markets include privately-held companies and start-ups whose private equity issuance has been stymied by broader stock market swings and the deepening discounts of their valuations, known as a 'down round' in the industry. Investment firm Muzinich & Co. recently announced it had closed a $500 million Asia Pacific private debt strategy. Australian superannuation fund UniSuper, which runs a $15 billion private markets portfolio investing in unlisted infrastructure and private equity, is looking to grow its portfolio. "Just given the pipeline of opportunities, we could see ourselves potentially ... (doing) another $3 to $5 billion," said Sandra Lee, UniSuper's head of private markets.

Persons: Bryan Clark, Andrew Tan, Tan, Sandra Lee, UniSuper's, Shane Forster, Benno Klingenberg, Timm, Rae Wee, Georgina Lee, Vidya Ranganathan, Kim Coghill Organizations: Star, JLL, Western, Muzinich, Asia Pacific, Muzinich's Asia Pacific, ICE, Bain Capital, India's, Mahindra Bank, Hong Kong's ADM, BlackRock, Data, Barclays, UBS, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Arizona, Asia, Hong Kong, Singapore

☆ Behind Prime Day's rosy headlines are mixed signals for back-to-school season. These retail stocks will fare the best
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The National Retail Federation is predicting record spending , whether students are heading back to elementary school, high school or college. Bracing for higher prices as wages fall Baked into that outlook was an expectation held by the vast majority of respondents, 82%, that prices will be higher this year than in 2022. As in the KPMG survey, the gain largely reflected the perception that prices will be higher this year. In the JLL poll, Walmart , Target and Amazon were among the top three retailers parents planned to shop, by a wide margin. Stifel reiterated its price target of $163 for Walmart, saying, "We continue to see more upside than downside from current levels."

Persons: Paul Ashworth, Staples, Mark Astrachan, Astrachan, Stifel, Corey Tarlowe, Tarlowe Organizations: Prime, National Retail Federation, KPMG, Big, Capital Economics, Consumers, Walmart, Target, Old Navy, Kohl's, Macy's, Costco, Adobe Analytics, Jefferies, Amazon, Walmart U.S, Bed Locations: American

☆ East Coast mayors call for more office-to-apartment conversions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Carlos Waters | In Carloswaters | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Mayors in cities across the U.S. want to loosen rules that can slow the pace of office-to-residential conversions. In some instances, cities have offered generous tax abatements to developers who build new housing. Prominent investors Societe Generale and KKR have worked with developers like Philadelphia-based Post Brothers to finance institutional-scale office conversions in expensive central business districts. Many experts believe local governments will alter zoning laws and building codes to make these conversions easier over the years. Watch the video above to learn how cities are getting developers to convert more offices into apartments.

Persons: Muriel Bowser, Erica Williams, Eric Adams, Michael Pestronk, Dan Garodnick Organizations: DC, Societe Generale, KKR, Brothers, Post, New York City's Department of, Planning Locations: U.S, Washington, DC, New York City, Philadelphia

☆ Madrid joins race for high-spending tourists with bet on five-star hotels
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Corina Pons | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/5] A swimming pool is seen at the top of Hyatt's Thompson Madrid Hotel, overlooking central Madrid, Spain, June 13, 2023. RISING ROOM RATESThe arrival of luxury hotels has marked a new peak in room rates. "We're seeking to capture the highest-spending international tourists," said Madrid's tourism director, Luis Martin. Employment in Madrid's tourism sector has grown by 15% since 2019, compared with 5.4% nationally. "The Spanish tourism sector has always tried to compete with other destinations on low prices," he said.

Persons: Hyatt's, Violeta Santos Moura, Santo Mauro, Richard Brekelmans, ”, Carlos Erburu, Thompson, Antonio Catalan, Alejandro Pitashny, Luis Martin, Jose Maria Martinez, Corina Pons, Belen Carreño, Charlie Devereux, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Madrid Hotel, REUTERS, Violeta Santos Moura MADRID, Hotels, Puerta del Sol, Dior, Marriott, Santo, Santo Mauro Palace, Westin, Ritz, Universal Music, Southern, Madrid, Colliers, Hyatt Hotels Corp, Reuters, Robuchon, Michelin, Airlines, Air, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Spain, Europe, Paris, London, Milan, Puerta del, Southern Europe, Barcelona, United States, Rome, Argentine, Iberia, America, Air China, China, Spanish

☆ Blackstone deal is a bright spot in gloomy sector
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, June 26 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The U.S. commercial real estate industry is mired in gloom, but some pockets are still sunny. The portfolio includes 14 million square feet of industrial properties in cities like Atlanta, Phoenix and Dallas, and the deal is premised in part on rising rents. According to the two companies, the net operating income generated by the warehouses is 4% of the acquisition price. Meanwhile, listed real estate investment trusts which own industrial warehouses trade at a narrowing discount to net asset value, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. In a gloomy sector, so-called big boxes are a bright spot.

Persons: Steve Schwarzman, Avison Young, Jennifer Saba, Aston Martin, Peter Thal Larsen, Oliver Taslic Organizations: YORK, Reuters, U.S, P Global Market Intelligence, Twitter, Siemens, Telecom Italia, Vivendi, Thomson Locations: Atlanta, Phoenix, Dallas, Canada

☆ How to survive hot desking
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Everyone is doing a version of [hot desking],” said Carlos Martinez, co-managing director and principal at Gensler, a global office design and planning firm. That’s the tradeoff.’”Transparency is keyStill, intellectually accepting that such a tradeoff is worth it doesn’t mean employees will embrace hot desking if it becomes harder to get their jobs done. While she wasn’t consulting with them about hot desking per se, she witnessed its failure in the course of her work there. That’s also why employers embarking on the switch to hot desking may want to customize the options to best suit different employees’ needs. Invite employee feedbackSwitching to hot desking should be viewed as a work in progress by everyone.

Persons: —, ”, Carlos Martinez, Sanjay Rishi, Rishi, I’m, ” Rishi, Jessica Kriegel, ” Kriegel, Martinez, That’s, Kriegel, “, JLL’s Rishi Organizations: New, New York CNN, Dynamics, Culture Partners Locations: New York, Gensler, Americas

☆ Offices are turning into amenity-filled campuses to entice employees back to work
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Businesses are stuck with trillions of dollars of commercial real estate they need to use. But supply and demand are starting to even out: National demand for office space in May was up 13% from April. But are corporations downsizing the amount of office space they rent as they permanently shift some roles to work from home? Have you seen a shift in the commercial real estate market since the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in March? The commercial real estate market is largely a regional business, landlords are local.

Persons: That’s, Bell, Nick Romito, It’s, We’ve, hasn’t, Chris Isidore, Ella Nilsen, Ian, ’ We’ve, Anna Cooban, Greene King, Shepherd Neame, ” Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, US Treasury Department, Federal Reserve, Securities and Exchange Commission, CBRE, Estate Services, Covid, Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, Farm, Allstate, State, Brewers, CNN, Heineken Locations: New York, United States, Silicon, Florida, California, California , Florida, Louisiana, United Kingdom

☆ Global stocks are soaring. Analysts love these names — giving one over 80% upside
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Analysts are still optimistic about some parts of the U.S. market, but some expect international markets to do better this year. The resulting stocks have buy ratings from over 65% of analysts covering them, and average price target upside of at least 30%. Two stocks stood out for their 100% buy rating from analysts and significant potential upside: Coal mining company Yancoal Australia and Hong Kong-listed ESR Group , a real estate services company. German meal kit company Hello Fresh got the highest potential upside from analysts at 82%. U.S. stocks include e-commerce giant MercadoLibre , health insurance firm Humana and pharmaceutical firm Jazz Pharmaceuticals .

Persons: Germany's Dax, Morgan Stanley, J.P, Tai Hui, Tai, Raymond Bridges, Fresh Organizations: Nikkei, Morgan Asset, Bridges Capital, CNBC Pro, CNBC, Vanguard FTSE, Index, Kansai Electric Power, JCR Pharmaceuticals, Humana, Jazz Pharmaceuticals Locations: Europe, U.S, Japan, Asia, Australia, Hong Kong

☆ Blackstone will help prevent an office market 'catastrophe', says JPMorgan's commercial real estate chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Al Yoon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Reports on the death of offices are "just wrong," JPMorgan's commercial real estate chief said. Office buildings are losing value as more people opt to work from home and companies need less space. No 'catastrophe' for the office market"You get the headline written that the office market is a catastrophe," Brooks said during a JPMorgan outlook webinar on June 1. In April, Blackstone announced the final close of its Blackstone Real Estate Partners X, the largest real estate fund ever raised, with $30.4 billion in capital commitments. Through its real estate investment trust, Blackstone has maintained some exposure to office buildings.

Persons: Blackstone, delinquencies, Alfred Brooks, Brooks, JLL, Manus Clancy, JPMorgan —, hasn't, They're Organizations: JPMorgan, Blackstone, Blackstone Real Estate Partners Locations: Brookfield, Blackstone, Los Angeles

☆ JPMorgan's commercial real estate chief lays out how Blackstone will help prevent an office market 'catastrophe'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Al Yoon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

☆ The collapse of the 'unremarkable middle' might be the best way to describe what's going wrong for retailers right now
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Stores like Bed Bath & Beyond are an "unremarkable middle," Dennis said on the Remarkable Retail podcast. Fewer middle-income consumers mean a shrinking shopper base for retailers that historically catered to the middle class, Retail Dive reported in 2019. "The apocalyptic part is really about the collapse of the unremarkable middle," Dennis said on the podcast. That's putting new pressure on the "unremarkable middle," Dennis said. "Economic pressure is going to reveal more fragility on the part of many retailers," Dennis added.

☆ Office landlords are in store for retail redux
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Jennifer Saba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK, May 19 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Office landlords are in store for pain, but there’s a light at the end of the hallway. Though vacancy rates in the United States recently hit a 30-year high, owners of retail space – shopping malls and grocery stores – have shown that a bounce back is possible. A reset is in store, but the best office landlords can make it, too. But retail real estate, which includes everything from malls to shopping centers, went through its own misery. It might be a slog, as retail shows, but office could be in store for a redux.

☆ New York Is Full of Empty Offices After Covid. Make Way for the Playground City. - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Edward L. Glaeser | Carlo Ratti | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +20 min

We are witnessing the dawn of a new kind of urban area: the Playground City. The transformation toward the Playground City will not happen on its own. To draw people into the Playground City, we need to show, not tell. 6.Engage citizensGovernments should empower citizens to participate directly in making the Playground City. The Playground City sees people as both a means and an end, and it should involve them in the process of its creation.

☆ A real estate investor shares how he grew his income from $28,000 to over $1 million in just 4 years through a combination of rental properties, house flipping, private money lending, and passive synd
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

He also successfully grew his real estate income from $28k in 2018 to well over $1 million in 2022. A "pivotal moment" for Rivers came after he began further immersing himself into Charleston's local real estate investing community by attending regular meetups and networking events. That's when he decided to become more actively involved through not only private money lending, but also home flipping and wholesaling. Scaling up with house flippingAround 2019, Rivers also began dabbling in house flipping, a strategy which makes up a huge chunk of his real estate investing income today. Focusing on passive investing through real estate syndicatesToday, Rivers also has an additional nearly $1 million invested across various syndicates.

☆ An explosion of hidden 'junk fees' is making every home more expensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( James Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

The fee goes by many names: an administrative fee, a transaction fee, or even a "regulatory compliance" fee. Despite the controversy, all signs indicate that brokerages large and small have increasingly embraced the admin fee in recent years. The vast majority of real-estate agents are independent contractors who rely on commissions to earn a living. Admin fees may be one of the most polarizing topics among real-estate agents today. "I'm in a place in my business right now where I can justify paying that," the Las Vegas agent told me.

☆ Real estate agents are tacking ludicrous 'junk fees' on to every home purchase
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( James Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

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