JULY 3, 2020

Top Stories

Diversity & Inclusion

Victor MacFarlane Talks About Creating “Sustainable Change” from a Moment in History

By John Egan, Contributing Writer

The chairman and CEO of MacFarlane Partners, Victor MacFarlane, goes in-depth on his current investment strategy, solving wealth inequality and increasing diversity in CRE. NREI talked with MacFarlane to get his take on the recession’s impact on the commercial real estate market, the future of the office sector, the effect of the racial justice protests on corporate citizenship and the status of diversity and inclusion in the commercial real estate sector.

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Finance & Investment

Lenders Provide “Mixed Bag” of Relief to CRE Borrowers

By Beth Mattson-Teig, Contributing Writer

Lenders and CMBS special servicers are still scrambling to work through the growing backlog of forbearance and relief requests. Borrowers looking for clues on just how far lenders are willing to bend—and what comes after initial relief expires—are finding that there is no cookie cutter approach.

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Multifamily

Virtual Apartment Showings Will Play Vital Role in Leasing Process Even After Pandemic Ends

By Sebastian Obando, Staff Writer

As in-person apartment viewings return, industry sources say the technologies used during the shelter-in-place period will stick around even after the coronavirus pandemic ends.

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Analysis

Alternative Properties

Competition Lines Up to Buy Self-Storage Properties

By Bendix Anderson, Contributing Writer

Across the U.S., self-storage properties are attracting interest from long lists of eager potential buyers. On average, self-storage properties have already performed well in the first few months of the economic crisis caused by the novel coronavirus—and most properties seem likely to continue to perform well once the U.S. economy starts to rebound. The strong performance of the self-storage sector has already broadened the interest of buyer types, including drawing interest from private equity funds along with more traditional investors like REITs and small, private investors.

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Office

Practical Steps Office Landlords and Tenants Should Take to Prepare for Returning Workers

By Patricia Kirk, Contributing Writer

As many employers invite or require their workers to return to the office, following safety guidelines is crucial to employees’ physical well-being and peace of mind.

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Real Estate Services

COVID-19 Measures are Driving Interest in Smart Building Upgrades

By Sebastian Obando, Staff Writer

Building access control, monitoring HVAC systems and multisensor technology are among highly-sought after smart building technologies today.

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Commentary

Finance & Investment

Search Engine Optimization: Learning to Speak Google

By Adam Gower, Ph.D., Contributing Columnist

Understanding how SEO works is important for commercial real estate pros looking to cultivate networks online.

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Real Estate Services

The Future of The Land Brokerage Industry

By Aaron Graham

Since the onset of COVID-19, it has become very clear that loss of American jobs to technology is going to take place at a much faster pace than originally predicted.

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Podcast

Real Estate Services

NREI's Common Area: Episode 38

By NREI Staff

David Bodamer is joined by IREM President Cheryl Gray to talk about the renewed efforts to build diversity and inclusion in commercial real estate. T hey examine how the commercial real estate industry has been having conversations about underrepresented groups for some time now, but in today’s atmosphere, people want to stop talking and start doing.

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NREI Wire

Andrew Cuomo’s Penn Station Plan Would Fund Fixes With Office Complex

Bloomberg

A New York state plan to redevelop the neighborhood surrounding Penn Station would clear the way for more than 14 million square feet of new offices, a massive addition of space that would accelerate the shift of Manhattan’s core toward the West side.

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10 Must Reads for the CRE Industry Today

By NREI Staff

The latest stress test results from the Federal Reserve Board show that America’s biggest banks are facing up to $47.6 billion in losses from loans tied to commercial real estate, reported CoStar. The Real Estate Roundtable’s second quarter sentiment index registered a score of 38—down 14 points from the first quarter. These are among today’s must reads from around the commercial real estate industry.

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