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The Southern California-based fund manager talks about its core investment segments, Austin, opportunity zones and single-family rental housing in this exclusive podcast   Southern California-based fund manager Pintar Investment Co. is not only surviving the pandemic; but making headway on its niche investment strategy. The dynamics of the pandemic have underscored the firm’s focus on single-family rental, emerging markets and opportunity zones.     Last month, Pintar Investment entered the Austin market with the purchase of a 276-unit apartment building for $58 million. The new construction property has three four-story buildings, and resident move-ins will being early this year. The deal is a quintessential example of the firm’s activity during the pandemic. It was not only Pintar’s foray into the Austin market, but it was also the firm’s third acquisition under its opportunity zone fund.   I recently sat down with Pintar CEO and founding partner Jeff Pintar to talk about the firm’s investment activity in 2020 and the new real estate trends that have emerged this year. During our interview, Pintar gives us insight into opportunity zone investment trends—and why they are still bullish despite the market change—single-family investment and how being a boutique firm is working to their advantage.

Salto’s Colin DePree says the pandemic has fueled the adoption of apartment technologies, like electronic access systems, in class-B and class-C buildings. Electronic access control manufacturer Salto has seen an increase in demand since the start of the pandemic. Apartment owners are flocking to new technologies to help boost health and wellness and to propel and expand sustainability efforts. Electronic access control systems are an easy fit because they offer keyless entry into units—especially useful for new move-ins and apartment tours during social distancing restrictions. As a result, these systems are becoming standardized across the apartment spectrum, including class-B and class-C properties. To find out more about this technology and why the pandemic has fueled adoption, we sat down with Colin DePree, the residential business leader at Salto, for our latest episode in the Multifamily Visions 2021 podcast series. In this interview, DePree gave us insight into the surging apartment interest in technology, how access control systems can play a crucial role in an apartment owner’s sustainability plan and how both new construction and existing buildings can incorporate this technology. DePree also explains that these aren’t trends born during the pandemic, but rather an acceleration of trends that were already gaining momentum before pandemic. For that reason, they are going to stick. Press play to listen to our interview with DePree to find out more.

Apartments in gateway cities are less popular with renters, while secondary markets see stable or improving rents, Chris Nebenzahl of Yardi tells GlobeSt.com The apartment sector has been challenged regionally during the pandemic, with many metros facing significant decreases in rental rates and demand. Secondary markets, however, have been a bright spot for apartment owners. These markets have outperformed major metros, boasting stable and even improving rents, according to data from Yardi Matrix. To get more insight, we talked to Chris Nebenzahl, editorial director at Yardi Matrix. Matrix data shows that secondary markets adjacent to major metros are benefitting most from this trend, and Midwestern markets are also performing well. Gateway markets like New York, Chicago, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles and Boston top the list for rapid declines in rental rates and demand as well as rising vacancy rates. Nebenzahl explains that outward migration is the primary factor driving the performance of secondary markets. In fact, many of the large metros have seen five years of outward migration over just six months. Renters are moving to more affordable cities with less density, as well as suburban markets. Listen to the latest episode in the Multifamily Visions 2021 podcast series to get more insight into these apartment trends and data, and what this will mean for long-term apartment investments.

In this exclusive podcast, Kevin Nice of EBI Consulting does a deep dive into the successful work-from-home environment. Spoiler Alert: There are three essential elements to making work from home work. The idea of working from home isn’t new. But, as you’ve probably noticed by now, the concept has gained new steam in this age of quarantines. Kevin Nice, senior program manager at EBI Consulting in Burlington, MA, brings his more than two decades of architecture and engineering experience to the question of work-at-home designs. He also brings that insight to this podcast, where he shares his thoughts on what it takes to make a home office work, and work well. Boiling it down, he points to three essential elements of a successful design: ● A clear vision of need on the part of the occupant; ● A protected workplace, translated as more than just a corner of the dining room table; and, as much as any physical trait, ● A digital infrastructure that functions. The formal office isn’t going away, he makes clear. People will always want to get out of the house and collaborate. But, as you’ll hear by clicking the podcast link, in this day of increased options, executing wisely on those options is critical to health, safety and productivity.

Highlights from the September 24 webcast “Preparing for the New Normal in Insurance Onboarding.” This event was a panel discussion moderated by GlobeSt.com’s Kelsi Maree Borland and featured Jay Olshonsky, President and CEO of NAI Global; Mike Myers, Southern California Regional President for McCarthy Building Companies; Greg Lyon, Owner, Principal, and Chairman of the Board of Directors at Nadel Architects; Tessie Nolan, Senior Director, Property Experience Team for Granite Properties; and Dan Fellars, Enterprise Sales Director at  Matterport. The full on-demand presentation can be found at  https://www.globest.com/2020/08/17/reopening-the-office-how-to-safely-return-296-222912/

COVID-19 changed the multifamily investment landscape. But as NorthMarq’s Trevor Koskovich explains, not in ways most people would expect. We’ve heard it pretty regularly throughout the pandemic: the two strongest real estate food groups have been industrial and multifamily. But drilling down into the latter space, we find some interestingly nuanced dynamics, as NorthMarq investment sales president Trevor Koskovich attests. Even as we watched the economy tank--in just a matter of days--for multifamily investors there was a second, more uplifting COVID surprise. Coming off a January investment high, prices were expected to get caught up in the wash of the downturn and plummet as they did for other food groups. More entrepreneurial players were gathering for discount opportunities. But as Koskovich states, that simply “didn’t materialize,” as pricing remained “overwhelmingly strong.”  In this episode of the “Multifamily Visions 2021” podcast series, Koskovich will go in-depth on investment activity through Q3 of this year, look at how institutions are coming back, and where the sector stands while we await a vaccine.

The global response to COVID-19 disrupted the retail sector, with many countries implementing brick-and-mortar lockdowns in an attempt to control the outbreak. The virus’s impact on the sector was not equal, however, and how some countries and businesses have emerged can offer lessons for the US and the rest of the world as they begin re-opening. This second conversation between Anjee Solanki, national director of retail services at Colliers International, and Neil Saunders, managing director at GlobalData Retail, will look at what the pandemic has done to retail globally, and why there’s room for optimism for some countries and sectors, but also deep concerns for others.  Press play to listen.

As many businesses prepare for reopening, it is crucial to understand how to adapt to the new retail landscape. It is important to follow the changes in consumer behavior as they could unlock opportunities for commercial real estate organizations. To better understand these changes, Anjee Solanki, national director of retail services at Colliers, talked with Neil Saunders, managing director at GlobalData Retailer. Saunders shared optimistic insights, highlighting consumers’ mood, new shopping habits, as well as what will stay and what will go. Press play to listen to Solanki and Saunders discuss what’s to come in the retail industry.

Highlights from Carbon Lighthouse’s March 3 webcast “How Energy-Efficient Strategies Can Protect Your CRE Investment in 2020 and Beyond.” The event featured Matt Ganser, Executive Vice President of Engineering at Carbon Lighthouse.    Sustainability and climate change are at the forefront of every business environment today. With CRE being a major contributor to carbon emissions, the industry is set to face hard questions about what’s being done to address its carbon footprint. What if there was a way to help you recoup costs while working to eliminate carbon emissions?   For the full on-demand presentation, go to: https://www.globest.com/2020/02/04/how-energy-efficient-strategies-can-protect-your-cre-investment-in-2020-and-beyond/   About Matt Ganser:  Matt Ganser is the EVP of Engineering at Carbon Lighthouse, where he oversees the teams responsible for developing, executing, and maintaining energy solutions that reduce energy consumption in buildings.   He joined Carbon Lighthouse as one of the first employees in 2012 after graduating from Stanford University, studying first in the Atmosphere/Energy and then the Energy Resource Engineering programs as a National Science Fellow. Prior to grad school, Matthew worked for Shell Oil Co, focused on drilling engineering and operations in natural gas tight sands in the Rocky Mountains. While at Shell, Matthew was also responsible for developing a novel diesel gen-set emissions technology, which later won a Federal BLM Best Management practices award. Matthew graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.  

Domuso co-founder and CEO Damian Langere talks about the future of multifamily technology in this podcast interview.   Technology is rapidly penetrating the multifamily sector. In fact, new companies and technology adoption is happening so quickly that if we could fast forward and peek into 2030, the apartment market would look and operate much different than it does today. Many of the technology companies emerging now considered disruptors in the industry, but in the near future, they will become an industry standard.   Domuso, an apartment rent payment technology, is one of today’s disruptors. The company’s co-founder and CEO Damian Langere sat down to talk about his vision for the future of the multifamily market in this podcast interview. According to Langere, who is also an owner and operator of an apartment portfolio, the change is coming quickly and owners are starting to understand the benefits and efficiencies created by new technologies. The effect is greater adoption of technology and the emergence of new companies.   Hit play to listen to Langere’s vision for the future of multifamily and what is driving the emergence of new technologies. In the interview, Langere talks about how multifamily owners can create a framework to examine and vet new technologies, the newest companies entering the market and how fast the change is coming.  

Demographic changes are shaking up established cities and breathing new life into secondary markets. Demographic patterns are changing—and not just in certain markets. Both established major metros and emerging secondary markets across the country are seeing new demographic patterns, including changes in inward and outward migration, population growth and the growth of new demographic groups. The changes in demographics trends are important for developers and investors to follow, and they could also mean big opportunities for those paying attention. To better understand these changes, we sat down with Dan Spinogatti, the SVP of national sales and marketing for real estate at EBI Consulting. Spinogatti listed the cultural inclination to dense, walkable cities; the rise of urbanization and housing affordability all as drivers of demographic changes. This includes new migration trends, like hipsturbia, a phenomenon where millennials are moving back to the suburbs or smaller markets, and the advent of new asset classes, like co-living spaces, a well-managed shared living space. While most markets are seeing the effects of changing demographic patterns, Spinogatti says the Sunbelt is seeing the biggest impact. Specifically, markets like Austin, Texas, Phoenix, Arizona, and Las Vegas, Nevada, are seeing significant population growth and inward migration, and as a result, these markets are also seeing strong economic growth. To hear more about these demographic changes and how they are impacting real estate, hit play.

  Property managers looking to adopt more technology should look at data quality first, says Knock co-founder Demetri Themelis.   Technology adoption is growing—but many property managers still lack a framework to evaluate potential technology platforms. Demetri Themelis, co-founder of Knock—a leading CRM platform  designed for the multifamily property market to improve the renter experience—says that data quality should be the prioritized when property managers begin using data.   At the GlobeSt Apartments conference in Los Angeles, Themelis joined GlobeSt.com for its Multifamily Insiders Podcast series to talk about technology and data adoption in the multifamily market.   Technology has become an essential element of apartment property management, but there are still questions: what metrics matter; how do you translate prospects to residents; and how technology translates into value for a property. Themelis answers all of these questions in this interview.   While there are some guidelines to technology adoption today, technology is rapidly changing and property managers will need to say ahead of the curve to drive real competitive advantages.   Artificial intelligence and machine learning are both the most anticipated new technologies. Themelis gives some insight into what these could mean for property managers and how Knock is already implementing these tools to create products that managers can start using today.   For more information on Knock, visit www.KnockCRM.com

Interest rates are falling, but the Fed’s propensity to cut rates won’t have much impact for non-bank lenders, according to Gary Bechtel of Money360.

Don’t count on the market breaking in 2020. The multifamily market has a long runway ahead, according to NorthMarq’s Trevor Koskovich. While fear of a downturn hitting next year has grown, Koskovich doesn’t see any signs of market failure, and his clients are planning to maintain a healthy appetite for multifamily next year.