Tag: Portland

Widely Followed Apartment Market Cycle Research Misses Widely

The Strange Tale of the Seattle Apartment Building Investment Cycle and Maybe Yours Too.

Back in 2012 it appeared that Seattle’s movement through the real estate cycle was stalling out. Not the actual market by any stretch of the imagination but instead where it was placed on the apartment market cycle charts in the Cycle Monitor report from Dividend Capital Research. These quarterly reports on the real estate market cycles for the five main Commercial Real Estate (CRE) sectors in more than fifty markets around the US were widely followed but something was wrong.

Seattle apartment occupancy vs. Cycle Monitor Market Position 2005 - 2014
Click on images for full size.

Why this up to date market data is vitally important to your investment success:

You can fix a property but not a market cycle. Knowing where a market is in its cycle is critical for investors seeking to buy low and sell high. If signals are a year or more behind, prime opportunities will be missed to Continue reading Widely Followed Apartment Market Cycle Research Misses Widely

Apartment Building Investors beware: Important changes coming to Oregon landlord-tenant laws.

Cliff Hockley over at Bluestone & Hockley has the details on upcoming changes that apartment building investors should be aware of regarding their Oregon properties. A few bullet points, changes affect:

  • Screening of Section 8 and Section 42 tenants.
  • The establishment of a fund to offset damages caused by Section 8 tenancies.
  • Renter’s insurance can be required but…
  • Limits on tenant screening for evictions and arrest records.
  • Timing of notice periods.
  • Temporary occupancy.
  • Abandonment.
  • Plus: a good definition of ‘Person Crimes.’

Portland Oregon Apartments

See Cliff’s whole report here: A Review of the Legislative Changes to the Oregon Landlord Tenant Act and to Section 8 Tenancies

Continue reading Apartment Building Investors beware: Important changes coming to Oregon landlord-tenant laws.

What’s not to like about the Seattle and Portland Apartment Building Investment Markets?

“Even compared to a healthy and expanding nationwide market, multifamily in the Pacific Northwest is seeing exceptionally strong gains. A growing renter population and accelerating job growth have helped solidify cities like Portland and Seattle as cornerstones of the apartment industry, and the positive trends show no sign of letting up.” So begins a glowing report in the latest digital edition of MHN Magazine (On page 22). What’s not to like about an article like that, especially one with a cover shot as beautiful as the one in this article? Below is just a portion of it and Photoshopped or not it is something to behold.

The glowing words and photos are accompanied with a pretty good looking chart too, showing the declining vacancy and rising rents in those two markets as well: Continue reading What’s not to like about the Seattle and Portland Apartment Building Investment Markets?

Portland Apartment Market to add 31,000 jobs this year, vacancy to fall below 3%.

As the next building cycle for the Portland area is still another year out, vacancy rates are expected to fall to historic lows across the metro. The overall vacancy rate will match the lowest on record at 2.7 percent, while the area’s lower-tier vacancy will fall to as low as 2 percent.

Marcus & Millichap notes that a lack of multifamily construction and the expansion of jobs in the region will be the prime factors behind the extraordinarily high rates of occupancy. Job growth is expected to rise 3.1 percent—from 20,500 positions created in 2011 to 31,000 positions created in 2012. Of particular significance will be the development of a new Intel facility, which is expected to create thousands of construction jobs and spur large demand for Class B and C apartments.

Portland Apartment Building Investment, less than 3% vacancy

Cap rates for trophy buildings are likely to average in the high 4-percent range, with Class A and B assets in Continue reading Portland Apartment Market to add 31,000 jobs this year, vacancy to fall below 3%.

Portland unemployment drops to lowest in 3 yrs. Good for #Multifamily Via @hfo_apt_brokers

The Oregonian reports data from the state employment department about the Portland-area’s unemployment level falling to 8.6 percent, its lowest in three years.

Meanwhile, most people are still unaware of a report issued last month by the Oregon Employment Department forecasting an 18 percent increase in employment statewide in the coming decade. See the post here: http://bit.ly/yxMb1y

Thanks to Greg Frick at HFO in PDX