Companies like Target Corp., Costco Wholesale Corp. and Best Buy Co. are carrying on with expansion plans at virtually the same pace as in years past. “We continue to look at a standard of 100 net new stores a year,â€? Target spokeswoman Anna Goeppinger said. In fact, Target’s rate of expansion has quickened, as it built 118 new stores last year and is on pace for 116 this year. In 2005 and 2006, the company added 86 and 88 new stores, respectively. For the most part, today’s retail giants don’t […]

Rental Market Largely Unchanged in Wake of Housing Crises, Confirms Study Novato Calif.–Rents are growing modestly, occupancy is unchanged and the rental apartment segment appears to be immune to the problems occurring in other housing sectors, according to a recent study released by RealFacts, a multifamily data specialist. The RealFacts database included more than 3.16 million rental units in 15 states (mostly in the Western part of the U.S., but also including others like Florida and Texas).

Sublease Vacancy Rates Holding Steady by Arthur Jones, Economist April 11, 2008 – “About Real Estate” published by Torto Wheaton Sublease vacancy rates are a small but important component of the overall or total vacancy. While sublease vacancy tends to be a fraction of total vacancy, it represents movement, so this rate that can tell us a great deal about the overall health of the office market. During the last recession, spurred on by the dot-com bust in 2001 and the events of September 11th, sublease vacancy rates rose as […]

SINGLE-FAMILY RENTALS SHADOW APARTMENTS The effect of single family rentals on apartment rents has varied widely across the country. The size of the pool of single family homes and condominiums in relation to the number of apartment units is a major factor in the relationship. In some markets, such as Miami and Phoenix the “shadow marketâ€? (i.e.the number of houses and condominiums being offered for rent is so large relative to the number of apartment units that it results in reductions in the apartment rents. Contrast that effect with cities […]