Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Tremont Structures $4.5M Financing for Wisconsin Manufactured Housing Community


CHICAGO, IL--The Chicago office of Tremont Realty Capital structured financing for the refinance of Oakwood MHC (top left photo), a 215-unit manufactured housing community located in Kenosha, WI.

Tom Lorenzini, (middle right photo)  a Managing Director with Tremont, arranged the $4,500,000 loan, which was funded through one of Tremont’s correspondent relationships.

The five year non-recourse loan provided for roughly 63% loan-to-value with a 5.25% interest rate.

According to Lorenzini, “Given Tremont’s successful track record with manufactured housing communities, we were able to ensure a smooth and timely closing for the borrower despite the challenging capital markets.”

Tremont Realty Capital, LLC is a national real estate investment and advisory firm, which makes direct debt and equity investments and provides institutional advisory services.

Direct programs include high leverage bridge loans, short and long term mezzanine loans and equity capital. The Chicago office of Tremont Realty Capital is located at 30 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 2050, Chicago, IL 60602. The phone number is 312.236.0960 and the fax number is 312.236.1534. You can visit Tremont on the Internet at www.tremontcapital.com.

For additional information on this transaction, please contact:

Tom Lorenzini at 312.236.0960 or tlorenzini@tremontcapital.com
Aimee Munsey, Senior Associate, Marketing & Communications, Tremont Realty Capital, 200 State Street, 13th Floor, Boston, MA 02109, p: 617.867.0700 x784, f: 617.867.0077, amunsey@tremontcapital.com, http://www.tremontcapital.com/
PLEASE NOTE NEW ADDRESS ABOVE.

Richfield Hospitality and Shelbourne Falcon Investors Complete Acquisition of Renaissance Syracuse Hotel


SYRACUSE, NY/DENVER, CO—Richfield Hospitality, a leading hotel management company, has completed the acquisition of the 279-room/suite Renaissance Syracuse Hotel (top left photo) in a 50-50 joint venture with Shelbourne Falcon Investors for an undisclosed amount.

The complex transaction involved acquiring the hotel’s loan and negotiating a deed in lieu of foreclosure exchange with the owner. Richfield will operate the hotel.

The hotel will convert to the Crowne Plaza brand in mid-August and begin a $5 million renovation in September that includes upgrading all guest rooms and public spaces, as well as enhancements to the exterior. The renovation will occur in phases to minimize potential guest disruptions.

Mark Zimmerman, a 30-year hotel veteran, has joined the hotel as general manager. Previously, he was general manager at another Richfield property in Albany.

 His career includes more than 17 years with Marriott International, including sales and marketing and operations, where he won awards for operating excellence. He is a member of the Advisory Boards for SUNY Delhi University and Schenectady Community College.

“Upon conversion to the Syracuse Crowne Plaza, this well located, newly renovated property will be well positioned to quickly gain market share,” said Greg Mount,  (middle right photo)Richfield Hospitality president.

“This is our first acquisition under our new growth strategy focused on adding hotels to our portfolio as owners/joint venture partners and through third-party management. We also have added third-party and asset management assignments.

"We have seen an increase in acquisition opportunities to our already robust pipeline since the first of July. We continue to focus on hotels and resorts in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean.”

Contact: Jerry Daly or Chris Daly, (703) 435-6293

1,500 New Condos Trade in Greater Downtown Miami


MIAMI, FL--An average of nearly 500 new condos traded per month in Greater Downtown Miami between April and June 2010, representing a 105 percent increase compared to the 241 units per month average in second quarter of 2009, according to a new Condo Vultures® White Paper™.

Transactions for nearly 1,500 units with 1.8 million square feet of saleable space generated gross sales of $584 million, or $333 per square foot, in the second quarter of 2010.

The flurry of sales activity has reduced the number of new condos under developers' control in Greater Downtown Miami to less than 5,100 units, according to the report based on the Condo Vultures® Official Condo Buyers Guide To Miami™.

The unsold new condos represent about 23 percent of the total new inventory constructed in a 60-block stretch of Greater Downtown Miami between 2003 and 2010. A year ago in July 2009 about 40 percent of the new condos in the same submarket were unsold, according to the licensed Florida brokerage Condo Vultures® Realty LLC.

"In the last year, the landscape of the Greater Downtown Miami's new condo market has begun to take shape," said Peter Zalewski, (bottom left photo)  a principal with the Bal Harbour, Fla.-based real estate consultancy Condo Vultures® LLC.

 "Nearly 3,800 new condo units have traded in the last 12 months as developers have cut pricing in some cases as much as 51 percent. Based on our early research, four-out-of-every-five-condo deals is being transacted in all cash."

Contact:  Peter Zalewski of Condo Vultures®,  800-750-0517 or by email at peter@condovultures.com

Mid-point of 2010 Highlights Disposition Activity and Continued Leasing Success for IDI

More than 3.6 Million SF Leased YTD in Seven Key Markets

ATLANTA, GA – In the midst of one of the most challenging real estate markets in decades, IDI is marking the mid-point of 2010 with considerable success in both leasing activity and disposition of key assets.

From January to June, IDI tallied leases in excess of 3.6 million square feet in seven of the company’s eight U.S. markets, and sold $264 million worth of existing assets.

Leasing activity was most prevalent in Atlanta with five new leases and two renewals totaling just over 1.9 million square feet.

 Cincinnati saw a total of three new leases for 607,648 square feet leased, including a 360,000-square-foot deal with a third-party logistics provider at the Southpoint One facility. (top left photo)

 Finally, in one of four major deals in the Chicago market (total square footage leased in Q1 and Q2 was 588,367) Ozburn-Hessey Logistics signed a 183,500-square-foot lease at Bolingbrook Corporate Center West. (middle right photo)

The Dallas market saw a renewal of 36,427 at Valwood West A with tenant YKK AP America.

 Renewals were also prevalent in the Ft. Lauderdale market with 106,778 SF in two facilities and a new 7,290-square foot lease at Miramar Centre.(middle left photo)

 Memphis and Philadelphia both saw the expansion of existing leases with Bound Tree Medical (27,243 SF) and International Cargo (42,000 SF), respectively.

And, a new 130,205-square-foot lease was signed with Exel, Inc. in Philadelphia on February 26.

IDI’s 2010 sales activity has also been strong. IDI has completed five sales transactions year-to-date totaling approximately four million square feet in five markets.

Of particular note, IDI’s investment team, in a joint venture with institutional investors advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management, boasted the largest sale of 2010 when 679,000 square feet at Weston Business Center (lower right photo) sold for $65 million in mid-April.

The Weston facility was sold to RREEF, the real estate investment management arm of Deutsche Bank’s asset management division. Chicago was also home to a significant sale of the 525,000-square-foot, build-to-suit for Freudenberg Household Products at Prairie Point West. The facility sold to Freudenberg Real Estate, L.P. on May 12 for $25 million.

“The level of activity we’ve seen in early 2010 suggests a return to confidence not only in the real estate market, but also in the logistics sector,” said Tim Gunter (top right photo) , president and CEO of IDI. “We anticipate the remainder of the year will see a heightened level of investment activity that will continue to buoy and stabilize the market.”

IDI also received LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council in 2010 on one facility completed in 2009. The 525,000-square-foot Prairie Point West facility now owned by Freudenberg Real Estate in Chicago was certified LEED Silver in April 2010.

“IDI weathered a very tumultuous time in our industry well, thanks to our team members across the country and our ability to adapt to the constantly-evolving market,” added Gunter. “We are looking forward to closing 2010 with strong numbers and are excited about what’s on the horizon.”

Contacts:

Kim Hardcastle, Jackson Spalding for IDI, 404-214-0693
khardcastle@jacksonspalding.com
Charlotte Marie Sturtz, Jackson Spalding for IDI, 404-214-3555
csturtz@jacksonspalding.com

CBRE Orlando SOLD: Nine Closings in Orlando in 2010 (January – July 15, 2010)


ORLANDO, FL--CB Richard Ellis is pleased to announce the sale of two more multi-housing communities in Orlando over the last two weeks – their ninth apartment closing in 2010.

The two most recent sales occurred in separate transactions to different buyers.

The properties are Silver Oaks and the Residences at Sabal Point.

Shelton Granade (top right photo)  and Luke Wickham (top left photo)  of CBRE’s Central Florida Multi-Housing Group exclusively represented the sellers on both assignments.

The properties sold range from a value-add deal built in 1990 (Silver Oaks, 320 units) to another bulk sale on a fractured condo community (Residences at Sabal Point in Longwood).

Buyer interest in multi-housing assets in Central Florida has increased significantly over the last few months.

CBRE currently has several other assets under contract, and is generating more than 40 offers on some widely marketed offerings.

For further information, please contact the Central Florida Multi-Housing Group of CB Richard Ellis.

Shelton Granade, Senior Vice President, T 407.839.3103,  shelton.granade@cbre.com
Luke Wickham, Director of Operations, T 407.839.3130,  luke.wickham@cbre.com