NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
Selection of Recent News Highlights
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Wealth Management Real Estate
Research Shows REITs Outperformed Private Equity Real Estate Funds
Beth Mattson-Tieg
Which performs better, public REITs or private equity real estate (PERE) funds? That debate has been ongoing in the real estate investment industry for years, and a new comprehensive research analysis points to listed REITs as the clear winner.
Commercial Observer
Terrorism Risk Insurance Act Remains Long-Lasting Impact of 9/11 on Real Estate
Andrew Coen
The Terrorism Risk Insurance Act has provided the commercial real estate industry with a crucial backstop against losses suffered from external threats in the nearly two decades since its enactment following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
New York Times
Delta Variant Casts a Shadow Over Midtown Manhattan’s Shaky Recovery
Jane Margolies
Midtown Manhattan, which has been in the doldrums for much of the pandemic, has finally begun showing signs of life. But that progress may be threatened by the surge in coronavirus cases from the spread of the Delta variant.
Politico
How New York City Messed Up Its Mayoral Election
Ryan Heath
When Nightly contacted each of the top candidates, not one of them had a plan for telling their voters how to rank the rest of the candidates on their ballots. Sure, Andrew Yang has been saying for months that he would rank Kathryn Garcia second, and he urged his supporters to do so at a weekend rally — but he failed to even update his website with the instruction.
The Real Deal
New York is at an Affordable Housing Crossroad
Last month, the state’s new $212 billion budget set aside $100 million toward turning commercial properties into permanent affordable housing. That potentially paves the way for a measure introduced by Sen. Michael Gianaris allowing the state to acquire and convert distressed hotels and offices into housing for homeless New Yorkers and those earning up to 50 percent of the area median income .
Gothamist
Vacant Storefronts Proliferate, And It’s No Easier To Identify Owners
Beth Fertig
Taking a walk along Third Avenue in the 80s and 90s near his home, City Councilman Ben Kallos points to one empty storefront after another and recalls some of his favorite Upper East Side shops and restaurants.
Commercial Property Executive
REIT Leaders Speak Out at NYU Conference
Paul Rosta
During Schack's 25th REIT Symposium, Debra Cafaro, Hamid Moghadam, Barry Sternlicht and Sam Zell offered thought-provoking insights on today’s most pressing topics: prospects for the economy, the impact of the pandemic, and what’s ahead for major asset categories.
The Real Deal
Real Estate Sounds Off On State’s $4.3 Billion Tax Hike
Kathryn Brenzel, Akiko Matsuda, and Erin Hudson
Some real estate professionals and economists fear that $4.3 billion in tax increases, on top of the shift to remote work, might just push some over the edge.
Real Estate Weekly
Getting Woke in the City That Never Sleeps
Arthur Schurr
A company that does not implement a diversity program with real initiatives and real results will soon find itself unable to compete. The real estate and construction industries are notoriously resistant to change, but that is finally shifting on many fronts.
The Real Deal
New York City Real Estate Industry Escaped Huge Job Losses
Rich Bockmann
New York City real estate avoided some of the deepest cuts seen during a year of record job losses across most industries. Despite challenges like a temporary ban on in-person property showings and the spring shutdown’s outsized damage to retail and hospitality, the city’s real estate job cuts were mild compared to its broader workforce.
Commercial Observer
Real Estate Playing Catchup on Diversity
Andrew Coen
Commercial real estate firms are taking key steps to tackle diversity initiatives, but many more forward strides are needed in order to bring the industry up to the standards of other professional business fields.
The Real Deal
Developers Say Stringer’s Housing Plan Doesn’t Pencil Out
Kathryn Brenzel
Mayoral hopeful Scott Stringer wants to require all residential projects to include affordable housing — but some developers say his numbers don’t add up.
Wealth Management Magazine
NCREIF's Real Estate Indexes Seek to Provide Clarity Amid Complex Market Conditions
Beth Mattson-Teig
New NCREIF data for commercial real estate performance in 2020 underscores what industry participants had anticipated—it was a tough year for appreciation and income.
Financial Times
Black Former NFL Athlete Joins Elite Club of New York City Property Developers
Joshua Chaffin
“Black developers and minority developers are significantly under-represented in the real estate community,” said Sam Chandan, the dean of the Schack Institute at New York University, who has been a champion for greater diversity in the industry.
Wealth Management Magazine
Economist Sam Chandan Discusses Diversity in CRE, Current Investment Climate
John Egan
There was a tremendous amount of dry powder, a surfeit of underdeployed capital, prior to the pandemic and that puts a floor on any correction in prices.
BisNow
CRE Gets Its Ducks And Dollars In A Row For Crucial Mayoral Run
Miriam Hall
New York City real estate players are sharpening their focus on the crowded mayoral race, looking where to throw their support — and their money — in a year when the industry is facing unprecedented threats.
Money Magazine
These Silicon Valley Startups Want to Buy a Chunk of Your Home. Should You Sell?
Dima Williams
Americans have more value locked in their homes than ever. Now, a new breed of companies want to help them turn it into cash, but there are risks.
BisNow
About That Distressed-Asset Feeding Frenzy
Matthew Rothstein
The back half of this year promises chances for private equity to make opportunistic real estate plays, but it won’t be as straightforward as the recovery from the global financial crisis.
Gothamist
Long A New York Real Estate Mainstay, LLCs Lose Their Anonymity
Ilya Marritz
On January 1st, Congress passed a measure to end the secrecy around shell companies that has fueled a boom in high-priced New York condominiums. The new law could discourage the flow of international capital into Manhattan real estate, while giving investigators powerful new tools to detect money laundering and other financial crimes.
Financial Times
New York Exodus Created a ‘Suburban Dream on Steroids’— But Will It Last?
Hugo Cox
As growing demand for suburban living pushes up property prices and new arrivals confront its drawbacks — from isolation and higher property taxes to threatened commuter rail services — the boom in suburban home sales shows signs of slowing.
Newsday
Farmingdale Considers Letting Some Businesses in on the Ground Floor
Ted Phillips
As the pandemic threatens retail businesses on Farmingdale’s Main Street, the village board is considering changes to the downtown’s zoning district to allow medical and legal offices at ground level.
BisNow
The Pandemic Could Do Permanent Damage To Hotel, Retail CMBS Markets
Matthew Rothstein
The coronavirus pandemic has decimated retail and hospitality buildings’ cash flows and thus their owners’ ability to pay back their loans. Commercial mortgage-backed securities backed by retail and hotel properties have gone delinquent and been sent to special servicing this year at a higher rate than ever before.
The Real Deal
Mortgage Lenders Tighten Screws on NYC Home Buyers
Erin Hudson
The hurdles to accessing financing for the few homebuyers seeking to purchase in New York City is a gut punch to the city’s depressed housing market — that reveals institutional uncertainty and a lack of confidence in the city’s future, according to experts and industry insiders. The biggest concerns center on declining property values, potential new taxes and rising unemployment.
New York Times
In the Pandemic, the Low-Rise is the New High-Rise
Jane Margolies
The skyscraper, the iconic urban office tower, still captivates by offering jaw-dropping views and the thrill of hovering in the clouds. But in the pandemic, the groundscraper — a building as horizontal as a skyscraper is vertical — has been grabbing attention.
The Real Deal
Korean Wave Pours Into US Commercial Real Estate
Kevin Sun
With massive amounts of capital ready for prime time, South Korean institutions are joining the ranks of the biggest foreign buyers in major markets like New York, Dallas and Los Angeles.
Commercial Property Executive
Real Estate Market Crash Unlikely, Experts Say
Roxana Baiceanu
Economists are calling the pandemic-induced recession unique in several ways. Here’s how analysts expect the health crisis to change the real estate market.
The Real Deal
Are Office Landlords Turning a Corner or Rolling Over?
Akiko Matsuda
With Facebook and other large companies growing their footprints while #WFH remains a dominant trend, the terms of office leasing in big cities are changing fast
The Real Deal
Ending 1031 Exchanges: Would Biden’s Plan Hurt Smaller Owners?
Erin Hudson
How the industry is responding to the proposed tax change that could impact as much as 20 percent of commercial real estate deals in the United States.
Forbes
Protections Lapse For The Nation’s Most Vulnerable Renters, Imperiling Their Small Landlords As Well
Sam Chandan
Political deadlock has stymied attempts to renew measures shielding millions of low-income and unemployed renters from housing insecurity and potential eviction. It has also dashed hopes of near-term support for the smallest landlords struggling to make mortgage and property tax payments. Staving off a deeper rental crisis depends on targeted assistance for both of these vulnerable groups.
SiriusXM Your Money
What's Next for the Housing Market
Kent Smetters
Sam Chandan joins Kent Smetters to discuss the outlook for the housing market and shifting preferences for urban living.
The Real Deal
Prologis CEO: Capital Is Not An Issue, It’s Finding Properties
Keith Larsen
Hamid Moghadam says supply is tight, but predicts “double the demand” for logistics centers in coming years.
Forbes
America’s Next Housing Crisis: How The Pandemic Is Pushing Renters To The Brink
Sam Chandan
As government support fades, the country faces the prospect of a significant housing dislocation that will exact its heaviest toll on income-constrained renters and the small investor-operators who support the workforce and affordable housing markets.
SiriusXM Wharton Business Daily
Home Mortgage Rates Fall to Lowest Level on Record
Dan Loney
Sam Chandan joins Dan Loney to assess the impact of record-low mortgage rates on the housing market.
National Real Estate Investor
FHFA Continues to Lay Groundwork for GSEs' Exits from Conservatorship
Beth Matson-Teig
Against a volatile political and macroeconomic backdrop, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac remain on a path to exit government support.
GlobeSt
CREFC, NYU Launch Diversity Endowmen Collaboration
Les Shaver
The Commercial Real Estate Finance Council and NYU's Schack Institute of Real Estate have announced the creation of the CREFC Center for Real Estate Finance at the Schack Institute.
