Urbanexus Update - Issue #20
Please scroll down for the weekly compilation of information and opinion about real estate and community development.
The US economy and housing
Has the housing market peaked? — seekingalpha.com
Recent statistics show a definite slowdown in home buying activity. Investors shouldn't assume the top is in for real estate, however.
Brookfield acquisitions
$6.8 billion deal for Forest City
Just four months after declaring it wanted to remain an independent REIT, Cleveland-based Forest City has agreed to be acquired by Toronto-based Brookfield Asset Management,
Enercare for C$4.3 billion Brookfield Infrastructure is paying C$29.00 a share, representing a 53% premium to the share’s last closing price
Lleasehold in 666 Fifth in NYC
Brookfield Asset Management (BAM) acquires from Kushner Companies the 100% leasehold interest in 666 Fifth Avenue's office condo, a 1.5M square-foot building in midtown Manhattan
Real estate investment criteria
Impact investing begins to hit home
Real estate investors are starting to take the concept of expanding investment criteria beyond financial returns.
Rating places
The Best and worst places to rent in the USA
Like home prices, rental rates can vary significantly by U.S. region, state, and city. WalletHub has identified the best and worst places to rent in 2018.
Happiest cities in the USA There must be something in the water in these 20 cities. The Community Well-Being Index which measures U.S. cities on the opportunities they provide for social and financial success, as well as community integration for their residents.
Becoming an adult was different in the 1980s
Being 30 in Seattle in 2016 vs 1980 When comparing 25- to 34-year-olds of today with those in 1980, big differences emerge. Millennials in Seattle are more likely to have high-paying jobs than their contemporaries in the 1980s, but they're also likely saddled with more student loan debt and housing costs are much higher.
Developing and building
Master-planned community developer shares success
Doug Goff, COO of Houston-based Johnson Development says it comes down to selecting the most coveted markets and the best builders.
So you’re thinking about developing condos …
The insurance advocate for a condominium development project is an essential member of the development team and needs to be involved early on in the process.
A survey of modular construction initiatives in greater Seattle — www.sightline.org
Thete is potential for cost savings and quality control, but there are also impediments.
L.A. looks at former museum and factory sites for downtown homeless shelters
The council vote to evaluate the downtown sites could be the beginning of transforming skid row’s 50-year-old “containment” zone, the most concentrated homeless enclave in the USA.
Land use statistics
for most of the USA — www.bloomberg.com The 48 contiguous states alone are a 1.9 billion-acre jigsaw puzzle of cities, farms, forests and pastures.
