Commercial Real Estate Loan Prices Rise in May

The aggregate value of Commercial Real Estate (CRE) loans priced by DebtX that collateralize CMBS increased to 88.2% as of May 31, 2012 from 88.1% as of April 30, 2012. Loan values were 81.6% as of May 31, 2011. “Commercial real estate loan prices climbed for a fifth straight month in May as underlying market conditions continued to improve,” said DebtX CEO Kingsley Greenland. “CRE loan prices in May benefited from a decline in Treasury yields.”

REIT Returns Slow in Second Quarter

Real estate investment trusts, which have become the darlings of investors over the past three years for their strong returns, are beginning to lose some of their luster, the Wall Street Journal reported. Citing data from the Dow Jones All REIT Index, which tracks 133 trusts, the sector returned just 4 percent in the second quarter, down from 10.5 percent in the first quarter and 15 percent in the fourth quarter of last year.

Blackstone Makes Foray Into Houses

Net Lease Market News Blackstone Group LP (BX), the biggest buyer of U.S. commercial real estate since prices bottomed, is jumping into residential property as housing recovers. The private-equity firm has spent more than $250 million this year buying foreclosed single-family houses with the intention of renting them out, said two people with knowledge of the effort. The goal is to acquire enough assets to potentially take public as a real estate investment trust, or sell to another company or even to tenants, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans are private. The venture marks Blackstone’s first major foray into the U.S. residential market. The company was the top buyer of commercial real estate in 2010 and 2011, spending about $16.7 billion, according to Real Capital Analytics Inc. in New York. Deals included the $9 billion purchase of more than 500 shopping centers from Centro Properties Group and industrial properties valued at $1 billion from Prologis. U.S. commercial-property prices have gained about 26 percent from a post-crash low in January 2010, according to an index compiled by Moody’s Investors Service and Real Capital. In the housing market, price declines are easing. The S&P/Case-Shiller index of values in 20 U.S. cities fell 1.9 percent in April from a year earlier, the slowest pace since 2010. While mortgage rates are at record lows, rental demand has climbed because many Americans can’t buy homes because of insufficient income or bad credit, or because they prefer the flexibility of renting. Monthly apartment rents in the U.S. have jumped almost 6 percent since the end of 2009, to an average $1,018 in the first quarter, according to Reis Inc.

Net Lease Market Report

Net Lease Market News The most aggressive cap rates Jonathan Hipp, CEO of Calkain, says he has seen has been in the mid 4s for “McDonald’s-type credit.” Expect compression to continue, he tells GlobeSt.com. “Given where Treasuries are headed, people are looking for yield. Also, there is so much buyer interest in this product now we have gotten to the point where we almost don’t need new buyers. What we would like to have is more products.” Not that the demand-supply imbalance will give investors pause, Hipp adds. “With everything going on, from the uncertain employment picture to the European debt crisis, at end of day people are still cautious on the economy. With the right combination of credit, location and length of lease it is a great time to be a seller in the net lease market.” Or even a buyer, he says—but with a caveat. In this environment, current buyers should beware that an eventual exit strategy could happen in a period of higher interest rates and a diminishing flight to quality. www.calkain.com

Harbor Group Sells New York Office Building for $270m

Harbor Group bought the property in January 2010 from JP Morgan Chase for $107 million. Habor Group International LLC has sold an office building at 4 New York Plaza in Lower Manhattan for $270 million to a joint venture of HSBC Alternative Investments Limited and Edge Fund Advisors. Harbor Group bought the property in January 2010 from JP Morgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) for $107 million in a 15-year sale and lease-back deal for 75% of the property. The 1.1 million square foot building is located at the corner of Water Street and Broad Street http://www.globes.co.

Net Lease Market Continued to Gain Momentum

The U.S. retail investment sales market staged a strong performance last year as property sales rose 32 percent from 2010 to nearly $61 billion. Prices for power centers and neighborhood centers increased 9.1 and 7.2 percent, to $148 and $135 per square foot, respectively. While the highly coveted single-tenant net-lease investment sector continued to gain momentum, shopping centers and other multi-tenant properties captured nearly 68 percent of total sales, for which cap rates compressed by 40 basis points. Gateway investment markets New York, Northern New Jersey, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., South Florida and Boston dominated this investment activity. New York City.

Net-Lease Sale in Las Vegas Hits $1,736 PSF Mark

Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services Inc. has closed a record-breaking sale on the Las Vegas Strip for a 16,016-square foot Walgreens drugstore. While the sales price of $27.8 million may not be the largest transaction by dollar amount, it breaks down to $1,736 per square foot, making this the most valuable single-tenant drugstore ever to trade in the United States.