Posted on January 15, 2018

By: Jay Todisco

A prototype design demonstrates the viability of multistory distribution centers in land-constrained North American submarkets.

By now, all commercial real estate professionals are familiar with the growth of e-commerce and its impacts on every aspect of retail sales and logistics, from a product’s point of origin to the consumer’s doorstep. CRE professionals – and the buildings they design and develop – must respond to these quickly evolving market demands.

Posted on January 10, 2018

Join NAIOP NC as we celebrate the "Best of the Best" in North Carolina's Commercial Real Estate Industry on Thursday, March 22, 2018 during the NAIOP NC Conference at Pinehurst Resort.

Now Accepting Nominations

Awards are given to acknowledge achievements in NAIOP participation, development, and other special categories to include:

• Developer of the Year
• Project of the Year
• Developing Leader of the Year

 Award Submissions are accepted online or by email to [email protected].

Posted on January 3, 2018

For the article, “9 Big Trends That Will Shape 2018,” Fast Company interviewed systems thinkers, industrial designers and artificial intelligence (AI) specialists and asked them to name the technology trends and forces they see ahead in the next year. Three of the ideas the designers predicted are:

• User-Friendly Government: A rise in tools dedicated to informing people of local elections, decision-making processes and regulations.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Design: AI Designers “will lead multidisciplinary teams in the creation and design of the era of artificial intelligence.” Much the way design humanized technology, design will play a critical role in the advancement of AI.
• Disaggregation of Core Technology: Digital and physical design will become indistinguishable as the core technology found in smartphones (e.g., cameras, microphones and screens) is disaggregated and embedded into different environments (e.g., clothing, homes). No longer will people be staring at their smartphone screens but instead generating and gathering data fluidly in their wider environment.

Posted on December 29, 2017

The NAIOP Office Space Demand forecast has shifted upward to above 10 million square feet of absorption in 2018, said Dr. Josh Harris on the recent exclusive NAIOP member webinar on what's shaping office space demand. What's the outlook for the U.S. economy and what does it mean to you? Find out in the full archived webinar. 

Click here to view the webinar.

Posted on December 28, 2017

Written by Paul Briggs

With retailers pivoting to better serve customers both online and in stores, an important shift is underway in the industrial real estate sector. Warehouses, historically viewed as cost centers where goods sat waiting to be shipped to a store, are evolving into profit centers that help retailers maximize revenue and differentiate from their competition. With strategically-located fulfillment centers, retailers can get goods into the hands of impatient consumers faster. Warehouses located closer to customers also make it easier to attract workers to fill the abundant fulfillment job openings.

This shift has fueled tremendous growth in warehouse demand and rents. The resultant value creation has generated the potential for superior investment performance in comparison to other major commercial property types over the past five years. Anticipating continued strength, investors have bid cap rates down to new lows.

Click here to read the full article.

Posted on December 27, 2017

On November 30, 2017, the U.S. House of Representative passed H.R. 3017, the Brownfields Enhancement, Economic Redevelopment and Reauthorization Act of 2017, which would allow up to $250 million annually to clean up brownfield sites during 2018-2022. The legislation, sponsored by Congressman David McKinley (R-WV), seeks to assist communities in restoring the contaminated land to productive use.

Click here to read the full article.

Posted on January 2, 2018

Written by Camille Galdes

Transportation demand management strategies, which increasingly include ride-hailing services, have evolved from a negotiating tool to an amenity.

In just a few years, ride-hailing services have revolutionized how people move around in their daily lives. According to a January 2017 Business Insider article, in more than 500 cities around the world, anyone with a smartphone can now call an Uber car to their location. Similarly, Lyft reaches people in 300 cities across the U.S. These tech-savvy companies allow users to request and pay for rides straight from their phones, enabling users to pick up rides on the go that usually cost less than local cabs. Now that ride-hailing is nearly ubiquitous — and “uber” has become a verb — developers and property managers are increasingly using these services to boost the profile and profitability of their properties.

Click here to read the full article.

Posted on December 26, 2017

The volume of world trade has exploded – along with the need for expanded intermodal infrastructure. Examine best practices for building a smooth and efficient supply chain that operates between seaports, railroads and business parks in this session recap from CRE.Converge, and download the full presentation on the conference resources page.

Posted on December 21, 2017

Has densification of the office environment reached a tipping point? Yes, say research directors from national real estate brokerage, data and investment firms, whose consensus is that on the whole, office densification is either approaching or has already reached a tipping point, as most of the larger office space users have already downsized and the smaller ones that are left to downsize are not expected to move the market.

Click here to read the full article.

Posted on December 20, 2017

"Clear sailing ahead," says Dr. Mark Dotzour on an economic outlook for 2018, kicking off a recent NAIOP webinar on the economy and what's driving demand for office space. This longest economic expansion since World War II – nine years and counting – is showing no hint of a recession, thanks to job creation and rising wages and consumer confidence. Listen to the full archived webinar, a NAIOP member benefit.

Listen to the webinar here.

Posted on December 19, 2017

Last Friday, House and Senate negotiators came to an agreement on what is sure to be far-reaching reform of our existing tax code. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will be voted on this week and is expected to pass and be signed by President Trump.

This legislation, when passed, represents an important victory for NAIOP members and the commercial real estate industry. For many years, the debate surrounding tax reform gave rise to ideas that would have caused long-term damage to our industry, including the elimination of 1031 like-kind exchanges, ending capital gains tax treatment for real estate carried interests, and not allowing deductibility for interest payments on the financing for real estate projects.

The active involvement of NAIOP members and NAIOP's legislative team in this important public policy debate helped shape the final product to ensure that commercial real estate remains a vibrant contributor to our nation's economy. This tax reform legislation will:

Posted on December 18, 2017

In the wake of last week’s cybercrime attack, Mecklenburg County is continuing to make progress on restoring permitting systems to full functionality. LUESA is running tests on the POSSE system today, and pending those results, is hoping to have it back up and running by tomorrow or Thursday.

LUESA director Ebenezer Gujjarlapudi told REBIC today he is confident that no plans or review comments were lost during the hack, so the department should be able to pick up where they left off once everything is back online.

Code Enforcement has been averaging about 1,000 inspections a week since the system collapsed, so they don’t expect there will be much (if any) of a backup once the system returns to normal. In addition, the County says they’ve had a number of on-schedule reviews completed this week using the paper process, and once the system is back up, they’ll contact all customers in the queue to let them know how they’ll be proceeding with their scheduled reviews. Again, they seem to expect a minimal disruption.

Click here to read more.

Posted on December 12, 2017

The Forums provide a unique opportunity for members to openly discuss project challenges, business opportunities and lessons-learned in a confidential and non-competitive setting. Over time, fellow members become a trusted circle of advisors.

The National Forums are an excellent way to become involved, stay in touch and develop new connections with key industry leaders.

The application period for the National Forums is now open. Create an account and apply using our online tool — applications are due by February 2, 2018. Notification of appointment will be emailed and followed by letter.

Posted on December 11, 2017

Written by Susan M. Phillips

Want to predict the next real estate correction? When more than a quarter of all commercial real estate job openings are in property and asset management and acquisitions and development decline to less than 10 percent of all real estate jobs, it is a sign that the foot is coming off the gas pedal.

The third quarter saw overall commercial real estate jobs follow the U.S. job market and decline slightly, yet property and asset management jobs were up significantly, says the SelectLeaders Job Barometer. “Real estate asset prices have surpassed their prior 2007 highs, and employers are pulling back on growth-oriented hiring and instead building out their property and asset management capacity,” said Dr. David Funk, SelectLeaders chief economist, noting, “our Employment Cycle model is not yet predicting a correction, and cautious optimism could continue to rule the day but clearly there is a move to property management and corporate real estate hiring.”

Click here to read the full article.

Posted on December 8, 2017

NAIOP's legislative team is committed to keeping you informed throughout this historic tax reform legislative process with progress updates and what the legislation means for the commercial real estate development industry.

The Senate has taken a significant step toward achieving comprehensive tax reform by passing its version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. This week, the House and Senate will meet in conference to iron out the differences between the two versions.

Both the Senate and House versions of the bill include matters important to our industry, including:

• Maintaining Section 1031 like-kind exchanges for real estate.
• Maintaining the deductibility of interest on debt for those involved in real property trades or businesses, including CRE development.
• Preserving capital gains tax treatment of carried interest for real estate practitioners, but requiring that assets be held for three years or more. Senate amendments that would have eliminated capital gains treatment for carried interests completely were defeated.
• Reducing corporate tax rates to 20 percent from the current 35 percent, not taking effect until 2019 in the Senate proposal.
• Limiting state and local taxes deductions to property tax and capping it at $10,000; the original Senate proposal would have eliminated it completely.
• Doubling the estate and gift tax exemption levels (with inflation adjustments) from the current $5.49 million for individuals or $10.98 million for married couples.  The Senate version would not completely repeal the estate tax; the House version phases it out entirely by 2024.

While the Senate amended its original version to bring it more in line with provisions included in the House bill, several important differences remain, including:  

Posted on December 6, 2017

Join REBIC for an exclusive conversation with Mick Mulvaney (Director of the White House, Office of Management and Budget and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau), who will discuss the President’s vision for federal Tax and Regulatory Reform, and how it will impact the Real Estate Industry.

Tuesday, January 16, 2018
8:00-9:30am
Quail Hollow Club
3700 Gleneagles Rd, Charlotte

Cost is $25, breakfast will be served.

Click here to register.

Posted on December 1, 2017

Boxed Wholesale believes self-driving carts can be used to navigate through warehouses and pick products, according to an article in DigitalCommerce360.com. Boxed, a web-only merchant that sells primarily household goods, initially plans to use fully automated carts to shuttle goods between picking and packing human warehouse workers. “Long term, we’re aiming to expand the functionality of the vehicles to complete other warehouse tasks that can be made more efficient,” says Will Fong, the retailer’s chief technology officer. “For example, rather than sending a human to restock a picking zone with paper towels, the vehicle could soon be able to recognize the need to replenish the product and complete the task, all without humans needing to get involved.” A Boxed in-house team of two engineers developed the autonomous cart in 90 days. Boxed first added the carts to its warehouse in Union, New Jersey, and plans to add them to fulfillment centers in Dallas, Las Vegas and Atlanta.

Posted on November 30, 2017

A recent article in Bloomberg Technology, What Life is Like Inside WeWork’s Communal Housing Project, profiled WeLive apartment living to see if the shared common space apartments could reinvent rental housing the same way WeWork has changed office space. WeLive provides fully furnished apartments in the same building as WeWork’s shared office spaces. In the common areas, residents can “cook dinner in an expansive kitchen, shoot pool in the laundry room or get neighborly over free WeWork-provided cocktails on the seventh-floor roof terrace.”

WeLive debuted last year in Washington, D.C., and New York and was expected to have almost three dozen WeLive locations by the end of 2017, but still has only the two original locations. Tenants have been slow to lease, according to the article, because the apartments are as expensive as similar studio units on the market and the communal “dorm for adults” aspect is not appealing to everyone. Those interviewed for the story appreciated the networking and instant social life WeLive provides but several conceded that their units were temporary places to call home until they found something that felt more permanent.

Posted on November 29, 2017

According to Dodge Data & Analytics’ 2018 Construction Outlook, construction starts will climb 3 percent to $765 billion in 2018. The growth of the construction industry will continue into 2018, but some product types, such as multifamily housing and hotels, will see less activity. Single-family housing, office building, warehouse, transportation terminal, school and health care facility construction will continue to grow during 2018.

“Overall, the year 2018 is likely to show some construction project types register gains while other project types settle back, with the end result being a 3% increase for total construction starts. By major sector, gains are predicted for residential building, up 4%; and nonresidential building, up 2%; while nonbuilding construction stabilizes after two years of decline,” stated Robert Murray, chief economist for Dodge Data & Analytics. He predicts single-family housing construction starts will receive a modest boost from post-hurricane rebuilding efforts in Texas and Florida.

Posted on November 28, 2017

Release Date: Fall 2017

Download the Fall 2017 NAIOP Sentiment Index Report. 

About the NAIOP Sentiment Index

The NAIOP Sentiment Index is designed to predict general conditions in the commercial real estate industry over the next 12 months. The forecast is not based on an analysis of historical data, but rather it represents the outlook of commercial real estate developers, owners, and investors. These NAIOP members are asked to respond to questions based on their ongoing work, including projects in their pipelines. For more information, see Understanding the Index.

Click here to read more.