Saturday, March 9, 2013

Cuhaci & Peterson Architects Completes Design of LA Fitness facility in Orlando, FL


  
ORLANDO, FL — Cuhaci & Peterson Architects Engineers Planners, based in Orlando’s Baldwin Park, recently completed design work on a new LA Fitness facility on Lee Vista Blvd. in southeast Orlando.

Lonnie Peterson, chairman at Cuhaci & Peterson Architects, said the 38,000 square foot facility is now under construction.

Contacts:

Lonnie Peterson, Chairman Cuhaci & Peterson Architects, LLC, 407-661-9100;  
Jed Downs, President Cuhaci & Peterson Architects, LLC, 407-661-9100;  
Larry Vershel, Larry Vershel Communications Inc. 407 644 4142 Lvershelco@aol.com

NAI Realvest completes sale of 7,000-SF office duplex in Winter Garden, FL for $539,000


ORLANDO, FL — NAI Realvest recently negotiated the sale of a 7,000 square foot office duplex at 526 and 530 S. Main Street in Winter Garden for $539,000.

 NAI Realvest Principal Michael Heidrich brokered the transaction representing the sellers, Russell and Jane Gay of Oakland, Fla. and the buyer, Elipsis Engineeing & Consulting LLC of Winter Garden. 

 Contacts:

Michael J. Heidrich Principal NAI Realvest 407-875-9989 mheidrich@realvest.com
Patrick Mahoney, President, NAI Realvest 407-875-9989 Pmahoney@realvest.com
Robin L. Webb, CCIM, CHA, CHB, CRB, CPM, MRICS, Managing Director, NAI Realvest, 407-875-9989 Rwebb@realvest.com  
Larry Vershel, Larry Vershel Communications Inc. 407 644 4142 Lvershelco@aol.com

Better Days Ahead, Predicts NAI Realvest’s George Livingston



George Livingston
 Maitland, FL --- Longtime Central Florida investment advisor George Livingston, chairman of NAI Realvest in Maitland, has a message for economic doomsayers: relax.

Things really are getting better.

“The economy is expanding and it’s likely to continue to expand during 2013 and for the next several years,” Livingston said.

Interest rates will remain low---and wise borrowers will lock in debt---but lenders will be stingier with their capital, requiring developers to put up more equity on capital improvement loans. The government will continue to stimulate the economy with monetary and fiscal policies.

The biggest roadblock to economic growth, Livingston said, will be the uncertainty generated by regulation and social engineering. Inflation is likely to increase.

Employment will improve, but unemployment will remain above comparable norms. Consumption and investments will increase, as will the number of mergers and acquisitions.

The housing market will continue to expand, government spending will remain high, and taxes are likely to increase, Livingston said.

Foreign trade will increase as well, and U.S. firms will return offshore operations to America. Moreover, foreign firms will increase their U.S. operations.

Warehouses offer investment opportunity
“America is moving toward energy self-sufficiency, and as a result exports will have a very positive net economic effect,” Livingston said.

For investors, warehousing and manufacturing are key sectors for economic growth.

On the world front, turmoil will persist in the Middle East and Europe will continue to have economic problems, but Mexico and Canada will see strong economic improvement.

“America will do its best not become entangled in foreign conflicts,” Livingston said. And U.S. military strength will decline as a proportion of global military spending.

The next big battlefront, Livingston said, is cyberware. 

“Cyberware is a clear emerging national security and economic threat,” Livingston said.

Overall, Livingston said, we should prepare for better days. Our improving economic picture will drive the stock market higher, which in turn will boost equity markets.

Contacts:

George Livingston, Chairman, NAI Realvest 407-875-9989 Glivingston@realvest.com
Larry Vershel, Larry Vershel Communications Inc. 407 644 4142 Lvershelco@aol.com

NAI Realvest Negotiates Two New Industrial Leases at Commerce Centers in Kissimmee, FL and Longwood, FL



Poinciana CommerCenter East, Kissimmee, FL
MAITLAND, Fla. – NAI Realvest recently negotiated two new industrial lease agreements – one in Longwood and one at Poinciana CommerCenter East in Kissimmee.  

 Michael Heidrich Sr., principal at NAI Realvest brokered both transactions on behalf of the landlords.

 At 1205 Sarah St. off SR 427 in Longwood, Heidrich negotiated a new lease of 17,120 square feet with Florida Marking Products, member of The Kennedy Group, Inc., manufacturers of advertising specialty items, label and packaging solutions and front-page advertising products for newspapers.   

Michael Heidrich Sr.
The Willoughby, Ohio-based tenant was represented by K.C. Tenukas of CLW Real Estate Services. The landlord is Industrial Property Partners Inc. of Coral Springs, Fla.

 At Poinciana CommerCenter East, 1743 Business Center Lane in Kissimmee, Heidrich negotiated a lease of 2,700 square feet on behalf of landlord, Small Bay Partners LLC of Maitland.   The new local tenant is Hollywood Md.-based Potomac Distributing, LLC. 

Contacts:

Michael Heidrich, Sr., Principal, NAI Realvest 407-875-9989 or mheidrich@realvest.com
Robin L. Webb, CCIM, CHA, CHB, CRB, CPM, MRICS, Managing Director, NAI Realvest, 407-875-9989 Rwebb@realvest.com  
Patrick Mahoney, President, NAI Realvest 407-875-9989 pmahoney@realvest.com
Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications 407-644-4142 lvershelco@aol.com

HFF closes $101 million sale of and arranges $75 million financing for The Communities of Ascot Glen in Willowbrook, IL



The Communities of Ascot Glen, Willowbrook, IL
CHICAGO, IL – HFF announced today that it has closed the sale of and arranged financing for The Communities of Ascot Glen, a two-property multi-housing community totaling 712 units in Willowbrook, Illinois.

HFF marketed the properties on behalf of the seller, an institutional owner.  TGM Associates purchased the offering for $101 million. 

  In addition, HFF also secured a $75 million 10-year, 3.745 percent fixed-rate loan through M&T Realty Capital Corporation (FNMA).  Proceeds were used to acquire the property.

Matthew Lawton
The HFF investment sales team representing the seller was led by executive managing director Matthew Lawton, managing directors Marty O’Connell and Sean Fogarty and associate director Wickliffe Kirby.

                TGM Willowbrook Apartments, formerly known as The Communities of Ascot Glen, is located at 6060 Laurel Lane on Highway 83, 20 miles southwest from downtown Chicago.

 This 95 percent occupied property consists of a total of 712 units spread across 76 two-story buildings.  Some of the apartments were partially renovated in 2010, and the community features one- and two-bedroom floor plans averaging 847 square feet each.

Marty O'Connell
Community amenities include two spacious fitness centers, two clubhouses , three outdoor swimming pools, three tennis courts, sand volleyball court, game room, business center and dog walking trails. For additional information please visit www.tgmwillowbrook.com.

 HFF’s debt placement team representing the buyer was led by managing director Matthew Schoenfeldt and senior real estate analyst Jason Bond.

Sean Fogarty
Founded in 1991, TGM is an investment advisory firm with a focus on multifamily properties.  The firm acquires, manages and sells apartment properties throughout the United States.  Since its inception, TGM has invested in more than $1.8 billion in 117 multifamily residential properties throughout 28 states. 

Contact:

Kristen M. Murphy
Associate Director
HFF | 9 Greenway Plaza, Suite 700 | Houston, TX 77046
tel 713.852.3500 | cel 617.543.4873 | fax 713.527.8725 | www.hfflp.com

MACK Companies Sells 93 More Single-Family Rentals to American Residential Properties, Inc. for $12 Million



Rental housing in Country Club Hills, IL
 CHICAGO, IL (March 8, 2013) – MACK Companies, the largest redeveloper of single-family investment properties in Chicago, has announced the sale of 93 more investment properties to American Residential Properties, a Phoenix area real estate investment trust, for more than $12 million.

This sale comes on the heels of a $28 million, 196 single-family rental property deal that took place between the two companies in December of last year, said James McClelland, president and CEO of Tinley Park, Ill.-based MACK Companies.

James McClelland
 “This deal reflects another step in the long-term partnership between MACK and ARP,” said McClelland. “As the single-family rental market continues to flourish, we know that there will be ample opportunities to provide ARP with the product that they seek—performing single-family homes, expertly managed in prime locations.

“These deals with MACK allow each company to focus on what it does best,” said Steve Schmitz, CEO of ARP. “We are essentially investing in MACK just as much as we are investing in these properties. As our Preferred Operating Partner, it is their job to ensure that these properties are performing at their highest level and consistently brining value to us, the owner.” 
  
Steve Schmitz
MACK and ARP have reached an agreement that would supply ARP with up to 30-50 fully rented properties each month during the next 24-36 months. The transactions could total up to 1,000 MACK properties purchased by ARP, said McClelland.

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

Mark Thomton,
312-267-4523

Hollywood’s Tallest Residential Tower Up for Sale



LOS ANGELES, CA,  March 8, 2013 – Institutional Property Advisors (IPA), a multifamily brokerage division of Marcus & Millichap serving the needs of institutional and major private investors, has the exclusive listing for Sunset Vine Tower, a 20-story 64-unit mixed-use high-rise with nine-story-high super-graphic billboard signage on all four sides of the building and 11,512 square feet of ground floor retail/restaurant space.

Sunset Vine Tower is located on one of Los Angeles’s most prestigious and highly trafficked intersections, the southeast corner of Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street. The property is available on an open-bid basis.
 
 IPA executive vice presidents investments Greg Harris and Ron Harris, along with IPA directors Kevin Green, Joseph Grabiec and Joseph Smolen are representing the seller, a Los Angeles-based fund advisor.

            “Sunset Vine Tower is one of the marquee apartment properties in Los Angeles, and also one of its most recognizable buildings,” says Greg Harris. “The striking all-glass exterior and high-end unit finishes create an unbeatable combination of modernist design and classic luxury.”

“As the preeminent luxury community in Hollywood, Sunset Vine Tower is positioned to experience sustained and consistent rent growth over the coming market cycle,” adds Ron Harris.  “Also, an existing tentative condominium tract map for the property sets the stage for a potential condominium exit strategy.”

Greg Harris
Sunset Vine Tower is located in the heart of Hollywood at 1408 Vine St.

 The Hollywood Palladium, Sunset Gower Studios and ArcLight Cinerama Dome are across the street, and the Pantages Theatre, Capitol Records, the Hollywood W hotel, and the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel are a few blocks away. The El Capitan Theatre, Dolby Theatre, the TCL Chinese Theatre and the Hollywood & Highland Center are also within walking distance.

Ronald Harris
The property’s apartment mix features 38 one-bedroom/one-bath apartments, 18 one-bedroom/two-bath units, four two-bedroom/two-bath units and four two-bedroom/2.5-bath apartments.

The interiors feature 13.5-foot floor-to-ceiling windows with ocean, city, mountain, and Hollywood sign views, gourmet kitchens with stainless steel appliances, maple hardwood flooring, in-home washer/dryer, central air conditioning and heating, and secure parking.

Kevin Green
Sunset Vine Tower’s community amenities include a resort-style swimming pool, a 24-hour state-of-the-art-fitness center, key-access elevators, a 24-hour courtesy patrol and on-site concierge service.

To complement its 297-foot tall stature, the tower has a billboard on each side of the building. Each one measures 36 feet wide by 140 feet high. To minimize the obstruction of views from the residential units and to create privacy, the billboards have been placed primarily between stairwells, bathrooms and bedrooms.

Sunset Vine Tower’s retail spaces are currently 100 percent leased to Go Burger, The Melt, Tender Greens and Chipotle Mexican Grill.
  
Contact:

Ben Johnson,
Marketing Director
(925) 953-1736

Marcus & Millichap Capital Corp. Arranges $5.2 Million Charter School Refinance

                 
Colton Smith
 SALT LAKE CITY, UT– Marcus & Millichap Capital Corporation (MMCC) has arranged a $5.2 million loan to refinance a charter school located in Salt Lake City.

            Colton Smith, an associate director in MMCC’s Salt Lake City office, arranged the loan.

            “Lenders tend to be stymied with regard to charter schools, as this is an unusual and often challenging investment category,” says Smith. “Operations and enrollment are government-funded, financial standing is complex and ongoing demand is difficult to predict, though the market is currently seeing an uptick in charter school financing.”

“Through the power of MMCC’s platform,” adds Smith, “we located a lender who understood the intricacies of the charter school business. We completed the transaction and the borrower fulfilled the dual goals of increasing net cash flow with a lower permanent rate and extending the previous loan’s maturity date.”

            The five-year loan amortizes over 25 years at 4.25 percent. The LTV is 66 percent.
  
Press Contact:

Ben Johnson
Marketing Director
Marcus & Millichap Capital Corporation
(925) 953-1736

Friday, March 8, 2013

HSA Commercial Represents Blue Vista Capital Management in the Sale of a Retail / Warehouse Property in Carol Stream, IL



320 Army Trail Road, Carol Stream, IL
                        CHICAGO, IL—HSA Commercial represented Blue Vista Capital Management, LLC in the sale of a 97,595-square-foot, fully-leased retail and warehouse property in Carol Stream, Ill. to MSR Carol Stream LLC of Tinley Park, Ill. The building sold on February 28th, 2013 for an undisclosed amount.

 The retail portion of the property, located at 320 Army Trail Road, is anchored by American Sale, an eight-unit regional chain that specializes in the sale of patio furniture, hot tubs, above-ground swimming pools, grills, billiard tables, wooden play sets and holiday décor.

Wheaton, Ill.-based Crossway, a national publisher and distributor of evangelical Christian books, leases 46,635 square feet in the building for use as a regional distribution center. The balance of the retail space is leased to Back to Bed and Executive Tan.

 HSA Commercial’s Tim Thompson, Michael Havdala, Paul Broderick, and Brenton Schrader represented Blue Vista Capital Management in the listing and sale.

Timothy Thompson
Joe Herron, senior vice president with Lee & Associates, and Kevin McLoughlin, principal / vice president with Mid-America Real Estate, represented MSR Carol Stream LLC in the transaction.

 Founded in 1981, Chicago-based HSA Commercial Real Estate is a diversified, full-service real estate firm specializing in office, industrial, retail and health care real estate leasing, management, marketing, development and financing on a national basis.

Along with developing and acquiring more than 50 million square feet of commercial real estate across the United States, with a total consideration in excess of $2.5 billion, HSA Commercial Real Estate has represented owners and tenants in more than 10,000 transactions in 43 states; manages a property portfolio in excess of 16 million square feet in locations across the nation; and owns more than 16 million square feet of commercial property in 14 states.

Contact:

Mark Thomton,
312-267-4523

Kim Manning,
312-267-4527
  

Thursday, March 7, 2013

HFF closes sale of Northstar Lodge, a Hyatt Residence Club in Truckee, CA


Northstar Lodge, Truckee, CA
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – HFF announced today that it has closed the sale of the Northstar Lodge, a Hyatt Residence Club in Truckee, California.  The transaction includes the 23 remaining unsold whole-ownership and fractional residential units, in addition to two entitled development parcels for future phases of the project. 
Holden Lim

HFF marketed the asset on behalf of the seller, LTMR Properties, LLC.  Welk Resort Group purchased the offering for an undisclosed amount free and clear of existing debt.

                The Northstar Lodge, a Hyatt Residence Club, is a ski-in/ski-out private residence club situated at the base of Northstar Mountain in Truckee, California.  Completed in 2008, the first phase of this LEED Silver luxury property features 34 two- and three-bedroom units totaling 51,602 square feet. 

Scott Hall
The club amenities include a private ski & boot valet, swim & fitness center, owners’ lounge and plaza, and media room. 

The adjacent development parcels are entitled for an additional 67 units totaling 102,619 square feet.  

                The HFF investment sales team representing the seller was led by managing directors Holden Lim and Scott Hall.

                “We were pleased to represent the seller in this important assignment, our third transaction in Northstar this cycle.  The Northstar Lodge is one of the finest ski resort residence clubs in the country and presents the new owners with a myriad of value-add execution alternatives,” noted Hall.

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

Kristen M. Murphy
Associate Director
HFF | 9 Greenway Plaza, Suite 700 | Houston, TX 77046
tel 713.852.3500 | cel 617.543.4873 | fax 713.527.8725 | www.hfflp.com

HFF closes $100 million sale of Class A office tower in San Francisco



100 Spear St.,
San Francisco, CA
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – HFF announced today that it has closed the sale of 100 Spear Street, a Class A office tower totaling 203,071 square feet in San Francisco, California.

HFF marketed the property on behalf of the seller, Clarion Partners.  Prudential Real Estate Investors purchased the property for $100 million.

Originally developed by HKS in 1984, the 21-story tower is LEED Gold certified and is 91.5 percent leased to 41 tenants, including several high-profile professional service and technology companies. 

Since 2009, more than $4.5 million has been invested into the property including a substantial lobby renovation, fire-life-safety system upgrades and modernization of the elevator systems. 

Gerry Rohm
The building is located at the intersection of Market Street in San Francisco’s South Financial District, one block from the future Transbay Transit Center, which will be the largest transportation hub ever built on the West Coast.

The HFF investment sales team representing the seller was led by senior managing directors Gerry Rohm and Michael Leggett and director Dave Karol.

Michael Leggett
Clarion Partners has been a leading U.S. real estate investment manager for more than 30 years. Headquartered in New York, the firm has offices in major markets throughout the U.S., in S͠ão Paulo, Brazil and London, England as well as a presence in Mexico. 

With more than $27 billion in total assets under management, Clarion Partners offers a broad range of real estate strategies across the risk/return spectrum to its more than 200 domestic and international institutional investors.  More information about the firm is available at www.clarionpartners.com.

Dave Karol
                September 30, 2012, PREI managed approximately $51.2 billion in gross real estate assets ($34.6 billion net) on behalf of more than 490 clients worldwide.  For more information, visit http://www.prei.com.

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

Kristen M. Murphy
Associate Director
HFF | 9 Greenway Plaza, Suite 700 | Houston, TX 77046
tel 713.852.3500 | cel 617.543.4873 | fax 713.527.8725 | www.hfflp.com

. HFF closes sale of Whole Foods at Bay Place in Oakland, CA



Whole Foods at Bay Place, Oakland, CA
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – HFF announced today that it has closed the sale of Whole Foods at Bay Place, a newly-constructed, 57,218-square-foot, Class A retail property in Oakland, California.

                HFF marketed the property on behalf of Bond Companies.  The buyer purchased the property free and clear of existing debt.

                Whole Foods at Bay Place is located at 230 Bay Place at the intersection of Harrison Street in Oakland near Lake Merritt.  Completed in 2007, the property is 100 percent leased to Whole Foods.

Nicholas Bicardo
Constructed of steel and concrete, the building incorporates a portion of the former Cox Cadillac Showroom and also includes a roof deck parking structure.

                The HFF team representing the seller was led by managing director Nicholas Bicardo along with executive managing director Matthew Lawton and associate director Mark Damiani.

                “On the West Coast, there continues to be a dearth of quality retail properties on the market like Whole Foods at Bay Place, and an insatiable amount of capital,” says Bicardo. “This acquisition for the buyer represents a fantastic purchase of a trophy building occupied by a credit top-tier grocer with some of the strongest sales productivity in the world.”

Matthew Lawton
                Bond Companies is a national real estate value-add and development company with offices in Los Angeles and Chicago that focuses on enhancing cities, while leaving a positive, sustainable and lasting legacy for future generations to enjoy.

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

Kristen M. Murphy
Associate Director
HFF | 9 Greenway Plaza, Suite 700 | Houston, TX 77046
tel 713.852.3500 | cel 617.543.4873 | fax 713.527.8725 | www.hfflp.com

Northeast Private Client Group Wins 2012 CoStar Power Broker Award


.
Edward Jordan
 WHITE PLAINS, NY and  BRIDGEPORT, CT, March 7, 2013 – Investment sales broker Northeast Private Client Group has been selected by CoStar Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSGP), commercial real estate's leading provider of information and analytics, as CoStar’s “Power Broker Award” winner for 2012.

 This annual award recognizes the “best of the best” in commercial real estate brokerage by honoring the firms and brokers who closed the highest transaction volumes in commercial property sales in their respective markets.

Northeast Private Client Group qualified as one of the top commercial brokerage firms of 2012 in the Westchester/Southern Connecticut region based on its volume of $65 million in total investment sales transactions closed in the region last year.  

Northeast Private Client Group completed the following major transactions in 2012: a $7.5m sale of a grocery-anchored shopping center in New Haven, CT;  a $5m sale of a 164-unit apartment complex in Bridgeport, CT;  and a $4.75m sale of a seven-building multifamily portfolio in Greenwich, CT.

 “I’m extremely proud of our entire Northeast PCG team,” says Edward Jordan, JD, CCIM, the firm’s managing director.  “Over the past three years, we’ve recruited and developed a number of talented young professionals in our White Plains and Bridgeport offices, who have helped contribute to our success.  We’re grateful for this acknowledgement within the industry.”

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

Rick Leonard
rleonard81@gmail.com
203.434.7734


Trepp February Payoff Report: Percentage of Loans Paying at Maturity Remains Above 60%



NEW YORK, NY -- According to the Trepp January Payoff Report, the percentage of loans paying off on their balloon date has exceeded 60% for the fifth time in the last six months.

 In February, 61.8% of loans reaching their balloon date paid off--a decrease of about five percentage points from the January reading.

The February rate of 61.8% is well above the 12-month moving average of 49.2%. (This number sums the averages of each month and divides by 12, there was no balance weighting across the months.)

Six months ago, we noted that the payoff rate could move to the upside for the remainder of 2012. We mentioned that loans reaching their maturity date would likely be more heavily populated with loans from earlier vintages, and that assets from that time frame were made with lower leverage and more reasonable valuations.

The result should be better payoff numbers. Data from the past six months has confirmed this trend.

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

Eric R. Gerard
Senior Vice President
Great Ink Communications
27 Union Square West, Suite 205
New York, NY 10001
(212) 741-2977

$10.5 Million Retail Center Trades Hands in Metro Atlanta


  
Lanier Crossing, Cumming, GA
 CUMMING, GA – Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services, the nation’s largest real estate investment services firm, has arranged the sale of Lanier Crossing, an 111,000-square foot Hobby Lobby-anchored shopping center in Cumming, Ga., part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. 

The sales price of $10,575,000 equates to $96 per square foot.

The property is located on 13.6 acres at the intersection of Highway 9 and Highway 20 at 655 Atlanta Road in Cumming.

Howard Bregman
 Howard Bregman, an associate, and Brandon Rex, a vice president investments, both in Marcus & Millichap’s Fort Lauderdale office, represented the seller, Infinity Property Fund. Rex and Bregman also represented the Northeast-based buyer. 

Brandon Rex
John Leonard, first vice president and regional manager of the firm’s Atlanta office, is Marcus & Millichap’s broker of record in Georgia.

            “Lanier Crossing received a significant amount of interest from a variety of investors,” says Rex. “The property is located on a high-profile corner in an area with excellent demographics.”

“The center has had an average occupancy of more than 90 percent over the past 10 years,” adds Bregman. “It is a stable investment property with diverse mix of national and local tenants that well serves its community’s needs.”

John Leonard
“Hobby Lobby occupies 49 percent of the gross leasable area and is in the midst of its first five-year option with one five-year option remaining,” Bregman continues.

 “The buyer needed assurances that Hobby Lobby would probably remain in the center and in the unlikely event it decided to leave, what were the options and what other interested big box tenants there might be.

“We also forecast future refinancing models for the buyer as there was a CMBS loan assumption tied to expiration of the Hobby Lobby’s lease option,” Bregman concludes.
  
For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Ben Johnson,
 Marketing Director
(925) 953-1736