Property Buyers Expand

Minneapolis, Dallas and Denver are enticing U.S. commercial-property investors as a rebound in demand spreads from prime markets along the U.S. coasts.

The cities had three of the four biggest gains in sales by dollar volume among major metropolitan areas outside the coasts in the first quarter, according to CoStar Group Inc. (CSGP), a Washington-based property-research firm. Sales rose 127 percent from a year earlier in Minneapolis, 108 percent in Dallas and 89 percent in Denver. Nationally, the increase was 47 percent.

http://www.bloomberg.com

Investors Look to Expand Retail Portfolios

Big institutional investors stepping back into property markets since the financial crisis largely have sought the security of income-generating assets such as shopping centers. Office buildings still account for the largest share of commercial-property investment, but many investors have reduced their exposure to these properties, which have suffered from vacancies during the recession.

Allianz Real Estate, a unit of German insurer Allianz SE, is telling investors in roadshows that it plans to invest about €11 billion ($15 billion) in European property, aiming to take its portfolio to €30 billion. Allianz Real Estate, which is looking for yields of between 5% and 6%, wants to have about 45% of its portfolio in offices, 25% in retail and 15% in residential. Offices account for 63% of Allianz's portfolio, residential is 20%, and retail is about 17%, according to Allianz Real Estate.

http://online.wsj.com