Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Remarks by MBA Officials During MBA's 24th Annual Commercial Real Estate Finance/Multifamily Housing (CREF) Convention & Expo in Orlando, FL


David H. Stevens
ORLANDO, FL – Abbreviated remarks by David H. Stevens, president, Mortgage Bankers Association:

Welcome to CREF, the largest gathering of commercial and multifamily real estate professionals in the United States!  At MBA, we’re celebrating 100 years of building communities and helping families realize their dreams.  We are glad that you are here to network, renew and make new business deals, and strategically prepare your businesses for the future.

Throughout our nation’s political and economic history, the enduring presence of mortgage bankers lives as a constant reminder of our purpose and our passion: We help create the building blocks of thriving communities from houses and apartments to office, retail, industrial, hotel and other commercial real estate.

Collectively, we – policy professionals and members together - represent the entire real estate finance system.  Here, in this room, in these halls, at this conference, we recognize your diversified business models and how sometimes business lines connect, and at other times, diverge with each other and your single-family colleagues.

E.J. Burke
Abbreviated Remarks by E.J. Burke, chairman, Mortgage Bankers Association:

ORLANDO, FL – Good morning!  Welcome to CREF!  Great to see so many of you here this week.

This is a special time for MBA and I’m honored to serve you as MBA’s 100th chairman. 

We join an elite group of national associations that have withstood the test of time to provide their members with 100 years of service. 

MBA’s longevity, in part, can be attributed to the legacy of strong leaders that precede me.  But it’s also about evolution.  It’s about adapting to the change that is upon us, but also looking forward to the change we know is coming. 

Every day since our inception, we’ve advanced real estate finance in America.  We’ve grown stronger, through recessions and depressions, through wars and natural disasters, and through a variety of other crises and events.

MBA Opens Doors Foundation Announces Rental Assistance Grant Program

Debra W. Still
ORLANDO, FL — The Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Opens Doors Foundation announced it was unveiling a rental assistance grant program to help families with critically ill or injured children maintain their living arrangements in the face of high health care costs. 

The announcement was made at MBA’s annual Commercial Real Estate Finance and Multifamily Housing (CREF) Convention in Orlando, FL

“MBA Opens Doors’ original program to provide mortgage payments to families with sick children continues to serve as a model for charitable giving within the real estate finance community,” said Debra Still, Chairman of MBA Opens Doors.

 “I am proud to lead this laudable effort.  However, missing from our first initiative were the millions of Americans who rent instead of own.  

"Now that we have established this important additional component of Opens Doors, we have the opportunity to keep significantly more families in their homes during their time of need.  We are committed to sustainable housing for both renters and owners.”


MBA Forecasts $300 Billion of 2014 Commercial/Multifamily Mortgage Originations

Jamie Woodwell
ORLANDO, FL  – The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) projects originations of commercial and multifamily mortgages will grow to $300 billion in 2014, a 7 percent increase from 2013 volumes, and continue to rise to $333 billion in 2016.  Originations of multifamily mortgages are forecast at $116 billion in 2014.

“Early indications are that commercial and multifamily lenders increased originations by 15 percent in 2013,” said Jamie Woodwell, MBA’s Vice President of Commercial Real Estate Research.

 “This year will once again see fewer loans coming up against their maturities.  But with still low interest rates, improving property fundamentals, a rebound in property prices, and higher loan maturity volumes on the horizon, we anticipate mortgage originations will continue to increase in 2014.”




MBA:  Significant Drop in Commercial and Multifamily Loan Maturities in 2014

ORLANDO, FL (February 3, 2014) – The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released its 2013 Commercial Real Estate/Multifamily Survey of Loan Maturity Volumes. 

The survey found six percent, or $91.7 billion of the $1.5 trillion of outstanding commercial and multifamily mortgages held by non-bank lenders and investors, will mature in 2014. 

 That represents a 23 percent decline from the $119.5 billion that matured in 2013.  Maturities will grow to $213 billion in 2016.

The loan maturities vary significantly by investor group.  Just 3 percent ($12.7 billion) of the outstanding balance of multifamily and health care mortgages held or guaranteed by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA and Ginnie Mae will mature in 2014. 

Life insurance companies will see 5 percent ($18.0 billion) of their outstanding mortgage balances mature in 2014.  Among loans held in CMBS, 7 percent ($41.8 billion) will come due in 2014.  Fifteen percent ($19.2 billion) of commercial mortgages held by credit companies and other investors will mature in 2014.

“2014 will be the fourth straight year of declining commercial/multifamily mortgage maturities,” said Jamie Woodwell, MBA’s Vice President of Commercial Real Estate Research.  

“Following 2014, we will see volumes spike – by 72 percent in 2015 and an additional 34 percent in 2016, as ten-year loans made in 2005, 2006 and 2007 begin to come due.”




Q4 Commercial and Multifamily Mortgage Originations Highest Since 2007

ORLANDO, FL — Commercial and multifamily mortgage originations increased 34 percent between the third and the fourth quarters of 2013, and were up 16 percent compared to the fourth quarter of 2012, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Quarterly Survey of Commercial/Multifamily Mortgage Bankers’ Originations. 

MBA’s commercial/multifamily mortgage bankers’ originations index shows originations for the full year 2013 were 15 percent higher than in 2012.


MBA Releases 2013 Year-End Commercial/Multifamily Servicer Rankings


ORLANDO, FL  – The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released its year-end ranking of commercial and multifamily mortgage servicers’ volumes as of December 31, 2013. 

At the top of the list of firms is Wells Fargo with $434.4 billion in U.S. master and primary servicing, followed by PNC Real Estate/Midland Loan Services with $369.6 billion, Berkadia Commercial Mortgage LLC with $235.4 billion, KeyBank National Association with $169.7 billion, and GEMSA Loan Services, L.P. with $95.6 billion.

For a complete copy of the company’s news releases, please contact:

Shawn Ryan
(202) 557-2727


Monday, February 3, 2014

Peachtree Hotel Group Posts Record Growth Goals with 16 Acquisitions in 2013 and 2014; Predicted to Surpass Previous High Water Marks



Greg Friedman
ATLANTA, GA,  Feb. 3, 2014—Officials of Peachtree Hotel Group, one of the nation’s fastest growing hotel acquisition, management, development and ownership groups, today announced that it significantly exceeded its projections for 2013, adding 16 hotel assets and three third-party management contracts. 

The company remains equally optimistic for 2014, projecting it will add 12-14 hotel assets, both acquisitions and new-builds, and up to six, third-party management contracts by year’s end.  Already this year, the company has three hotel assets under contract for a total of 483 rooms.

            “All metrics point towards 2014 being another strong year for the hospitality industry, and we plan to aggressively pursue projects where we believe we can provide the best service and add value as either an owner and/or operator,” said Greg Friedman, Peachtree CEO. 

“Additionally, we are selectively considering certain development opportunities and expect to execute on two to four new builds this year.” 

“We are pursuing sites that have high barriers to entry with multiple demand generators and long-term growth opportunities,” said Jatin Desai, Peachtree CIO.   “Given the cyclicality of the hotel industry, we are disciplined in our development process so that our projects can generate risk-adjusted returns in all phases of the real estate cycle.”

Jatin Desai
Peachtree acquired 16 assets in 2013 totaling 2,015 rooms.  Additionally, the company disposed of 10 assets in 2013. 

  The company also became an approved 3rd party operator for the Marriott CFRST brands and already has added two properties to its third-party management portfolio. 

  Peachtree will invest in excess of $20 million during 2014 to upgrade its owned hotel portfolio.

            With acquisition and investment capabilities and seasoned, third-party management expertise, Peachtree focuses on premium-branded, select-service and limited-service hotels.  

While the company has experience in all markets nationwide, its portfolio centers primarily on the Southern and Midwestern U.S.

            “Between operating performance and acquisition opportunities, we forecast another strong year for Peachtree and the hospitality industry overall,” said Mitul Patel, Peachtree COO. 

Mitul Patel
  “We expect that the majority of our portfolio will experience moderate RevPAR growth and that the cost of capital will remain historically inexpensive over the coming 12 months.  All of these factors will contribute to a fertile transaction market for 2014.”

            To facilitate its fast-paced growth, Peachtree has continuously expanded its operation, acquisition and investment management teams, adding eight people over the past six months. 

  “As we expand, we have trigger points to add additional bench strength to help manage our ever growing portfolio,” Patel added.
  
For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Chris Daly
Daly Gray Public Relations
Tel: 703 435 6293
                       

PKF Releases Latest Forecast Assessment: Accuracy Remains High



Atlanta, GA – PKF Hospitality Research, LLC (PKF-HR) released the results of their latest assessment of the accuracy of their Hotel Horizons® forecasts for the U.S. lodging industry. 

This is the third periodic review conducted by PKF-HR since 2005 and is an important and critical component of the firm’s forecasting efforts.

R. Mark Woodworth
“When we initially entered the econometric forecasting business 14 years ago, we committed ourselves to a process of continuous self-evaluation,” said R. Mark Woodworth, president of PKF-HR.

 “The findings from these analyses inform the nuts and bolts of our ongoing forecasting efforts.  Plus it enables our clients to overtly see that we strive to provide them with the most accurate forecasts upon which to make their important decisions.”

PKF-HR’s Hotel Horizons® is a series of hotel forecast reports that analyze the historical and expected performance of U.S. lodging markets. 

Driven by a series of econometric forecasting models, the Hotel Horizons® reports cover five years of supply, demand, occupancy, ADR, and RevPAR for 50 major U.S. markets, as well as six national chain-scale segments and six national location categories. 

Within each market forecast, separate estimates are prepared for upper-price and lower-price hotels.  The model relies on historical lodging data from Smith Travel Research, as well as historic and forecast economic data from Moody’s Analytics.

John B. (Jack) Corgel

            National Accuracy Highest
  
“Overall, we remain pleased with our demonstrated accuracy.  We have learned that the accuracy of our forecasts varies with changes in the business cycle, as well as size of the market to be forecast,” said Woodworth.

 “As we have seen in the past, the long-term accuracy of our national forecasts of the U.S. lodging market in its entirety, the chain-scales and the location categories, is very high,” said John B. (Jack) Corgel, PhD., the Robert C. Baker professor of real estate at the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration and senior advisor to PKF-HR.  

“One area where we have seen improvement since our last assessment is in the accuracy of our short-term forecasts.  We attribute the improvement in short-term forecast accuracy to the lessons learned during our 2010 accuracy assessment.”
  
For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

R. Mark Woodworth                                             Chris Daly
PKF Hospitality Research, LLC.                           Daly Gray Public Relations
Tel: 404 842 1150, ext 222                                   Tel: 703 435 6293

IPA Sells Development Site in New York City’s Hudson Yards for $26.25 Million



346 West 40th Street, Hudson Yards area, New York City, NY

Peter Von Der Ahe

NEW YORK, NY, Feb. 3, 2014 – Institutional Property Advisors (IPA), a multifamily brokerage division of Marcus & Millichap serving the needs of institutional and major private investors, has arranged the sale of 346 West 40th St., a 98,750-square-foot development site on the south side of 40th St. between 8th Ave. and 9th Ave. in New York City’s Hudson Yards area.

The $26,250,000 sales price equates to $266 per square foot.

Glen Kunofsky
            The site is one of a few lots within a special Hudson Yards development subdistrict that gives developers of commercial or residential projects in the area an opportunity to receive a zoning bonus that would allow their project to exceed the established maximum floor-to-area ratio.

            Marcus & Millichap’s Glen Kunofsky and IPA’s Peter Von Der Ahe, Joseph Koicim and Sean Lefkovits advised the seller, an East Coast-based family partnership that had owned the site for approximately 25 years. The buyer is hotel developer Sam Chang.

Joseph Koicim
            “Hudson Yards is the largest private development ever undertaken in New York City,” says Koicim. “The area was rezoned in 2005 and allows for approximately 26 million square feet of new office development, 20,000 new apartments, 2 million square feet of retail and 3 million square feet of hotel space.”


            “The development will bring millions more visitors to New York City and create over 30,000 jobs,” adds Von Der Ahe. “The acquisition of 346 West 40th St. gives the new owner a tremendous opportunity to redevelop as much as 177,750 square feet on the site.”

Sean Lefkovits
            “The sellers are a private family that decided to pursue a 1031 tax deferred exchange through Marcus & Millichap’s NNN Pro Group,” says Kunofsky. “The family was able to diversify and attain a much higher current yield by acquiring multiple net- lease properties.”

            A six-story, 250-space, 53,172-square-foot parking garage currently occupies the space. Chang purchased the long-term triple-net lease on the site from Peach Parking Corp. That lease would have expired in February 2030.

For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Gina Relva
Public Relations Manager
(925) 953-1716

Palm Beach County, FL Retail Center Hits the Market at $11.1 Million



Addison Court Shoppes, 17940 North Military Trail, Boca Raton, FL
BOCA RATON, FL, Feb. 3, 2014 – Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services, the nation’s largest real estate investment services firm, has the exclusive listing to market for sale Addison Court Shoppes, a 20,860-square-foot retail center with a 4,000-square-foot Bank of America outparcel in Boca Raton, Fla. The listing price is $11,165,000.

Douglas K. Mandel
            Douglas K. Mandel, a first vice president investments in Marcus & Millichap’s Fort Lauderdale office, is representing the seller.

            “Addison Court is an upscale shopping plaza anchored by Bank of America, Starbucks and Kee Grill,” says Mandel. “It is located in one of Palm Beach County’s highest annual household income areas.”

            “The property has retail frontage directly on Military Trail and is 100-percent occupied,” adds Mandel. ”The offering is an opportunity to purchase a high-quality asset with strong in-place cash flow in a prime Boca Raton location with high traffic counts and strong demographics.”

The property is located at 17940 North Military Trail just north of Clint Moore Road in Boca Raton, Fla.

Boca Raton is the largest city between West Palm Beach and Pompano Beach in Broward County and Military Trail is one of Palm Beach County’s major north/south thoroughfares. 

The traffic count at the intersection of North Military Trail Clint Moore Road is approximately 35,000 vehicles per day, and the annual household income within a one-mile radius of the property is approximately $130,899.

For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Gina Relva
Public Relations Manager
(925) 953-1716

HFF arranges $7.26 million financing for retail strip center in North Las Vegas, NV



Craig Promenade, 525--785 West Craig Road, North Las Vegas, NV

IRVINE, CA – HFF announced today that it has arranged $7.26 million in financing for Craig Promenade, an 86,395-square-foot retail strip center in North Las Vegas, Nevada.

John Chun
HFF worked on behalf of RREF II-KI, Promenade, LLC, a partnership between Kismat Investments and Rialto Capital, to secure the three-year, floating-rate loan through RRA Capital Management.  Loan proceeds were used to acquire the property.

The property is situated on 10.81 acres at 525-785 West Craig Road across from Craig Ranch Regional Park.  

Completed in 2005, Craig Promenade is leased to tenants such as Big Lots, MetroPCS and Sinclair gas station.

The HFF team representing the borrower was led by director John Chun and real estate analyst Sebastian Trujillo.

Sebastian Trujillo
Kismat Investments is a western U.S.-focused, value add, real estate investment management platform.  The company focuses on identifying opportunities to acquire existing properties in improving submarkets at prices below replacement cost, with the opportunity to create value through stabilization of the asset.

Rialto Capital Management (“Rialto”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Lennar Corporation (NYSE: LEN), is a vertically integrated real estate investment management company focused on distressed and value-add investments and asset management, workout and turn-around strategies. 

Rialto was formed in 2007 and, since its inception, has participated in the investment of billions of dollars in distressed real estate assets and commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”).  Rialto is headquartered in Miami, Florida with offices across the United States. 

Rialto is led by director Tony Del Grippo and can be reached at 303-520-2896 or tony.delgrippo@rialtocapital.com.

 For more information, please visit www.rialtocapital.com.  
For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Kristen M. Murphy
Associate Director
HFF | One Post Office Square, Suite 3500 | Boston, MA 02109
Main: 617-338-0990 | Direct: 617-848-1572 | Cell: 617-543-4873 | www.hfflp.com

HFF hires Michael Tabor as a director in its Tampa, FL office to focus on debt and equity transactions


 
Michael Tabor
TAMPA, FL – HFF announced today that Michael Tabor has joined the firm as a director in its Tampa office.  Mr. Tabor will specialize in arranging debt and equity placement transactions in the southeastern United States.

               Mr. Tabor has more than nine years of experience in the commercial real estate industry and has been involved with more than $1 billion of commercial real estate financing transactions throughout his career. 

Prior to joining HFF, Mr. Tabor was a loan officer - assistant vice president at Walker & Dunlop, where he assisted with managing the Florida capital markets group.

 Earlier in his career, he helped launch America Real Estate Capital, a Florida-based life insurance company lender
.
 Mr. Tabor began his career with GMAC Commercial Mortgage and was also a member of the U.S. Army.  He is active member of Urban Land Institute, International Council of Shopping Centers, the Industrial Association for Dade County and the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties.

  He received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Northeastern University. 

Daniel C. Peek
 “Michael is a highly driven professional with extensive commercial real estate finance experience and we are eager to have him on board as he will undoubtedly provide valuable services to our clients both locally and nationally.”

For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Kristen M. Murphy
Associate Director
HFF | One Post Office Square, Suite 3500 | Boston, MA 02109
Main: 617-338-0990 | Direct: 617-848-1572 | Cell: 617-543-4873 | www.hfflp.com

HFF arranges $41.41 million financing for five-building office and industrial portfolio in three states



Northmont Distribution Center, Duluth, GA




ATLANTA, GA – HFF announced today that it has arranged $41.41 million in financing for a five-building office and industrial portfolio totaling approximately 700,000 square feet located in Texas, Georgia and Florida.

Riverpark Distribution Center, Fort Worth, TX

HFF worked exclusively on behalf of the sponsor, FRAPAG America, Inc., to secure the10-year, fixed-rate loan through The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS).  Proceeds were used to refinance maturing debt on the properties.

Individual property details are listed below:

                                                                                                                                                                Size                           Year Built          % Leased  

Riverpark Distribution Center                                300,566 SF              2004                     100%
 15000 Grand River Road
Fort Worth, Texas

Northmont Distribution Center                             236,070 SF              2006/2007              100%
2205 Northmont Pkwy./2115 Evergreen Blvd.
Atlanta (Duluth), Georgia

Waterview Office Buildings                                    162,721 SF              2002/2007              92%
10748 & 10752 Deerwood Park Blvd.
Jacksonville, Florida                                               


Waterview Office Buildings, Jacksonville, FL
The HFF team representing the borrower was led by senior managing director Mark Sixour and associate director Bill Ireland.

For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Kristen M. Murphy
Associate Director
HFF | One Post Office Square, Suite 3500 | Boston, MA 02109
Main: 617-338-0990 | Direct: 617-848-1572 | Cell: 617-543-4873 | www.hfflp.com

Englewood Construction Food Service Group Announces Four Food-Related Projects in the Midwest

  
Trader Joe’s at 1600 Milwaukee Avenue, Libertyville, IL


William Di Santo
CHICAGO, IL (Feb. 3, 2014) – Englewood Construction, one of the country’s leading commercial construction firms, has announced its food service group has begun work on two new food service-related projects and completed two more, with three in the Chicago market and one in Wixom, Mich.

“Interior build outs and remodeling projects in the restaurant and grocery markets kept us busy last year and that trend is continuing in 2014,” said William Di Santo, president of Lemont, Ill.-based Englewood Construction. “Customer demand and the need for national food service providers to stay competitive are driving these projects.”

Rosemont, Ill.-based US Foods, Inc., a leading food company and distributor to restaurants, healthcare, hospitality, government and educational facilities, hired Englewood Construction to remodel its test kitchen and training facility in Wixom, Mich.

In early December, Englewood began the interior remodel of the 1,800-square-foot space to accommodate the latest kitchen and training equipment. The project is scheduled to be complete in late February. Wisconsin-based ESI Design Services is the project architect.

 “US Foods offers more than 350,000 products that are “Keeping Kitchens Cooking” nationwide,” Di Santo said.

McCormick Place, Chicago, IL
 “Development of these products originates in the company’s test kitchens and training facilities, so our goal was to create an environment that fosters creativity and cutting-edge culinary discoveries.”

US Foods operates over 60 test kitchens across the country where US Foods chefs help customers stay abreast of culinary trends, increase sales and manage costs.

 Another Englewood project, which began in mid-December, is the interior build-out of the 23rd Street Café at McCormick Place in Chicago. Savor, the food and beverage supplier to McCormick Place, hired Englewood for the 4,379-square-foot build-out, which includes adding a bridge walkway in the existing concourse. Designed by Wilmette, Ill.-based Sarfatty Architects, it is scheduled to be complete in early-March.


For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Mark Thomton, mthomton@taylorjohnson.com, 312-267-4523


Sunday, February 2, 2014

Chatham Lodging Announces Fourth Quarter Earnings Call for Feb. 19

  
Jeffrey H. Fisher
PALM BEACH, FL—Chatham Lodging Trust (NYSE: CLDT), a hotel real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on upscale extended-stay hotels and premium-branded select-service hotels, announced it will report fourth quarter 2013 financial results on Tuesday, February 18, 2014, following the close of the market. 

On Wednesday, February 19, 2014, at 11:00 a.m. ET, Jeffrey H. Fisher, Chatham’s chief executive officer, and Dennis M. Craven, its chief financial officer, will host a conference call to review fourth quarter 2013 financial results.

Dennis M. Craven
Shareholders and other interested parties may listen to a simultaneous webcast of the conference call on the Internet by logging onto Chatham’s Web site, www.chathamlodgingtrust.com, or www.streetevents.com, or may participate in the conference call by dialing 1-800-762-8779, reference number 4667024. 

A recording of the call will be available by telephone until midnight on Wednesday, February  26, 2014, by dialing 1-800-406-7325, reference number 4667024.  A replay of the conference call will be posted on Chatham’s website.

For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Chris Daly                                                            
Daly Gray Public Relations                                  
(Media)                                                                 
(703) 435-6293                                                     



 Dennis Craven
 Chief Financial Officer
 (Company)
 (561) 227-1386              


400 New Condos Unsold In Greater Downtown Miami From Crash Of 2007

  

 
MIAMI, FL --- Some seven years after the South Florida condo crash first began in 2007, less than 400 new units created in Greater Downtown Miami during the last real estate boom remain under the control of the original developers as of the end of 2013, according to a new report from CondoVultures.com.

Peter Zalewski
New condo sales in Greater Downtown Miami transacted at a pace of nearly 26 units per month between January and December of 2013 compared to about 80 units per month in the same 12-month period in 2012, according to the report based on the Condo Vultures® Official Condo Buyers Guide To Miami™. 

Even with the dramatically slower pace, buyers still purchased about 310 new units in Greater Downtown Miami for nearly $146.1 million - an average price of about $478 per square foot - between January and December of 2013 compared to an average price of about $407 per square foot in the same period in 2012, according to an analysis based on Miami-Dade County Clerk of the Court records.

"It has taken several years but developers finally seem to be on their way to selling out the overhang of condo inventory that was created during the previous real estate boom," said Peter Zalewski, a principal with the Greater Downtown Miami-based real estate consultancy Condo Vultures® LLC.

"At the 2013 sales pace, Greater Downtown Miami could very well be sold out of boom-era developer units in the first half of 2015.

“The unknown question going forward is whether buyers will choose existing unsold developer condos from the last boom when more than 13,600 new units are currently proposed for the Greater Downtown Miami market."

For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Condo Vultures®
425 NE 22nd St.,
Suite 409,
 Downtown Miami, FL 33137.
800-750-0517.


Friday, January 31, 2014

Home Flipping Increases 16 Percent in 2013 and Average Gross Profit on Flips Rises to More Than $62,000 in Q4





IRVINE, CA  — RealtyTrac® (www.realtytrac.com), the nation’s leading source for comprehensive housing data, today released its Year-End and Q4 2013 Home Flipping Report, which shows 156,862 single family home flips — where a home is purchased and subsequently sold again within six months — in 2013, up 16 percent from 2012 and up 114 percent from 2011.

Homes flipped in 2013 accounted for 4.6 percent of all U.S. single family home sales during the year, up from 4.2 percent in 2012 and up from 2.6 percent in 2011.

Daren Blomquist
Flips accounted for 3.8 percent of all sales in the fourth quarter, down slightly from 3.9 percent of all sales in the third quarter and down from 7.1 percent of all sales in the fourth quarter of 2012 — the highest percentage of sales represented by flips in a single quarter since RealtyTrac began tracking flipping data in the first quarter of 2011.

The average gross profit for a home flip — the difference between the flipped price and the price the flipper purchased the property for — was $58,081 for all U.S. homes flipped in 2013, up from an average gross profit of $45,759 in 2012. 

The average gross profit for homes flipped in the fourth quarter was $62,761, up from $52,746 in the fourth quarter of 2012.

The report also shows the biggest increases in flipping nationwide occurred on homes with a flipped price of $400,000 or more. Although flipping increased across all price ranges, flips on homes with a flipped sale price above $400,000 increased 36 percent from 2012, while flips on homes with a flipped sale price at or below $400,000 increased 17 percent from 2012.

The average time to complete a flip nationwide was 84 days in 2013, down from 86 days in 2012 and down from 100 days in 2011.

“Strong home price appreciation in many markets boosted profits for flippers in 2013 despite a shrinking inventory of lower-priced foreclosure homes to purchase,” said Daren Blomquist, vice president of RealtyTrac.

“For the year 21 percent of all properties flipped were purchased out of foreclosure, but that is down from 27 percent in 2012 and 32 percent in 2011.

“Meanwhile flipped homes were still purchased at an average discount of 13 percent below market value in 2013, the same average discount as 2012, indicating that investors are finding discounted buying opportunities outside of the public foreclosure process — particularly in those markets with the biggest increases in flipping for the year.”

For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Jennifer von Pohlmann
949.502.8300, ext. 139

Atlantic | Pacific Companies Acquires New Property in San Marcos, TX With Addition of The Palazzo


The Palazzo Apartments, Wonder World Drive, San Marcos, TX


Mark Briggs
MIAMI, FL, Jan. 31, 2014) – Atlantic | Pacific Companies (A | P Companies) is pleased to announce its continued expansion in Texas with the acquisition of The Palazzo.  

The Palazzo transaction marks A|P Companies’ fifteenth acquisition within the past 24 months and represents its fifth purchase in Texas.

 The Palazzo, located on Wonder World Drive in San Marcos, TX is a 300-unit, Class A garden style apartment community featuring one, two and three bedroom floor plans. 

The gated community includes two resort style swimming pools, fitness center and yoga studio, business center, game room, basketball/sport court, playscape, and an expansive clubhouse.

San Marcos is located 25 minutes south of Austin and is situated along the “IH-35 Growth Corridor” directly between Austin and San Antonio.  San Marcos, among other things, is home to Texas State University (TSU) and the Central Texas Medical Center.  TSU is the fifth largest university and fastest growing school in Texas with an enrollment of more than 34,000 students.

 A | P Companies plans to make select common area improvements and unit interior upgrades. Atlantic | Pacific Management, the property leasing & management platform under A | P Companies, will handle all property management responsibilities for both properties.

LBJ Student Center at Texas State University
San Marcos, TX
Mark Briggs, Senior Managing Director at A | P Companies, says “A | P Companies is excited to add another quality asset to its rapidly growing Texas portfolio.  The Palazzo complements yet diversifies our existing holdings in Austin and Dallas.”
  
For more information, please visit www.apmanagement.net. Follow Atlantic | Pacific Companies on Facebook and Twitter.

 For more information, visit www.apmanagement.net or contact Randy Weisburd at rweisburd@apmanagement.net.

For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Jessica Wade Pfeffer / Jessica Wade Inc.
305.804.8424

Megan Sedlacek / Jessica Wade Inc.
305.456.0483

Hendricks-Berkadia Alabama Office Capped 2013 with Sales of Three Apartment Communities Totaling 367 Units for $14,610,000




Birmingham, AL -- Hendricks-Berkadia Real Estate Advisors, which ranks as one of the leading multi-family investment banking and research companies in the nation, recently negotiated sales of Three Apartment Communities totaling 367 Units for $14,610,000. 

Hal Warren
 The 180-unit Chadwick Place in Huntsville sold for $7,450,000 as Partner David Oakley from the Alabama Office, Partners Hal Warren and Cole Whitaker from the Orlando Office and Vice President Jason T. Stanton in the firm’s Tampa office represented the seller, 

The Hallmark Companies of Atlanta. The property was sold to a Southeast Holdings of Dexter, Mo.

 Oakley represented the seller, Ruffner Mountain Management of Birmingham, Al., in the sale of Alpine Village.  Buyer Cofinance Inc. of Hackensack, N.J., purchased the 160-unit apartment community in Hoover, Ala., for $6,500,000, while also assuming the existing Fannie Mae loan. 

 Senior Investment Advisor David Etchison and Senior Associate Josh Jacobs in the Alabama Office of Hendricks-Berkadia, represented a California seller in the sale of the 27-unit Medford Manor.

 The December sales bring the annual sales total to 39 communities brokered by the Alabama Office of Hendricks-Berkadia. The more than 9,050 units sold for nearly $510 million in 2013.

Cole Whitaker
 Additionally, the Oakley and the Florida teams brokered the sale of seven properties of the 11-property Gulf Coast Portfolio. 

With a combined 1,929 units, the apartment communities located throughout Alabama and Florida sold for a total of $147,700,000, or $76,568 per unit, in November.

 Also in the fourth quarter, another portfolio sold for $105,900,000 involving five Birmingham properties. 

The Alabama Office brokered the Magic City Five Portfolio between the seller, Abbey Residential Services Inc. of Birmingham, and buyer, Goff Capital Partners of Centennial, Co. 

The communities, ranging from 168 units to 649 units, were more than 90 percent occupied at the time of the sale.

 Economic indicators are expected to strengthen in the Birmingham apartment market over the coming year.

Jason T. Stanton
Payrolls are expected to expand by 4,400 new jobs in 2014. At the same time, the demand for apartments will increase with 280 newly occupied units this year and more than 600 units absorbed in 2015.

 The rising leasing activity will support increased asking rents, which are projected to grow 2.7 percent to $860 per month by year-end, the fastest rate in seven years.

Moreover, construction activity will remain relatively light as just 540 units are projected to come online throughout 2014.

Hendricks-Berkadia is one of the nation’s largest multifamily investment sales firms.  Operating from more than 60 offices, the company offers clients access to experienced professionals nationwide whose singular focus is to assist them in maximizing the value and managing the risk of their multifamily properties.

 Hendricks-Berkadia’s success is built on a solid platform of proven, traditional real estate brokerage strategies and values backed by unparalleled access to capital and financial expertise, concentrated exclusively on the multifamily industry.

For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications 407-644-4142 lvershelco@aol.com