Ripe for Relocation: Major Corporations Target Texas

Posted on by Sarah

Now home to 53 Fortune 500 corporate headquarters, Texas can boast more than any other state in the U.S. (New York has 51 and California has 50.) The list, which includes giants such as Exxon Mobil, AT&T, Valero Energy, American Airlines and USAA, just got longer. The Lone Star State will soon add a 54th: Caterpillar, which announced in June that it too plans to move its headquarters to Irving, Texas from Deerfield, Illinois.

“We believe it’s in the best strategic interest of the company to make this move, which supports Caterpillar’s strategy for profitable growth as we help our customers build a better, more sustainable world,” Chairman and CEO Jim Umpleby said in a statement announcing the move.

Caterpillar, the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, boasted sales and revenues of $51 billion in 2021.

“Caterpillar’s global headquarters relocation is a major win for the people of North Texas and the entire state,” Governor Greg Abbott said in a statement. “I am proud to welcome Caterpillar’s headquarters to Texas and am excited for the economic opportunities this will create for Texans.” Click to read more at www.rednews.com.

Closer to Normalcy? Hotel Rooms are Filling up Faster

Posted on by Sarah

Getting ever closer to normal. That’s happening today in the hospitality industry according to the Midyear State of the Industry Report from the American Hotel & Lodging Association.

According to the report, hotel room revenue and state and local tax revenues are expected to exceed 2019 — or pre-pandemic — levels by the end of 2022.

The lodging association predicts that hotel room revenue will exceed $188 billion by the end of 2022. That is higher than 2019 figures on a nominal basis. But the news isn’t all good: When adjusted for inflation, revneue per available room (RevPAR) is not expected to surpass 2019 levels until 2025.

The association also said that hotels are expected to generate nearly $43.9 billion in state and local tax revenues this year, up almost 7% when compared to 2019.

The association’s midyear report largely showcases an industry in recovery mode following the COVID-19 pandemic. The report says, for example, that hotel occupancy is expected to average 63.4% in 2022, which is close to pre-pandemic levels. And by the end of this year, hotels are expected to employ 1.97 million people, 84% of their pre-pandemic workforce.

“After a tremendously difficult two-and-a-half years, things are steadily improving for the hotel industry and our employees,” said American Hotel & Lodging Association president and chief executive officer Chip Rogers.

The news isn’t all good, though. Hotels are still struggling to hire enough workers. In 2019, U.S. hotels employed more than 2.3 million people, according to Oxford Economics. That’s far more than the 1.97 million employees the lodging association says that U.S. hotels will employ by the end of this year. The hotel industry is not expected to reach its 2019 level of employment until at least 2024.

According to a May survey from the lodging association, 97% of hotels said they are experiencing a staffing shortage, with 49% saying that their shortage was a severe one.

Wayfinder Real Estate Completes Sale of Troubadour in Austin

Posted on by Sarah

Austin-based Wayfinder Real Estate has completed the sale of Troubadour, a 321-unit apartment community in Central Austin, to an affiliate of Austin-based Christopher Investment Co.

The sales price was not disclosed.

Located one mile north of downtown Austin at 3403 Harmon Ave., Troubadour has experienced unusually strong demand since pre-leasing started in January. When first move-ins began in April, 80 apartments — 25% of the units — were pre-leased. Since then, an average of 14 new residents have signed leases per week.

The community is expected to reach 93% occupancy and fully stabilize by the end of August.

The six-story project is the first community that Wayfinder has completed and sold since industry veterans Mac McElwrath and Chris Sipes founded the company in 2019.

Wayfinder will soon complete the 295-unit Waterview community in Richmond, Texas just west of Houston and has a 362-unit project named Veranda underway in East Austin that will offer a mix of apartments and townhomes. The company also has five multifamily communities in the design and development phase in the Austin metro area and one in the Houston area.

The transaction between Wayfinder and Christopher Investment Co. was conducted off-market.

Christopher owns several other multifamily communities in the Austin metro including The Catherine just south of downtown Austin and The Pearl in north central Austin.

Troubadour offers one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments with 16 units reserved for residents making no more than 80 percent of Austin’s median family income.

Community amenities include an outdoor movie theater, a rooftop terrace overlooking the downtown Austin skyline and the University of Texas at Austin, a resort-style pool, and multiple courtyards. Locally renowned artist Chris Rogers produced custom murals located throughout the property.

Troubadour is the final multifamily community to be completed in University Park, the master planned redevelopment of the former 22-acre Concordia University campus between Interstate 35 and the Hancock neighborhood in Central Austin.

Class-A Self-storage Facility in Austin Sells to Extra Space Storage

Posted on by Sarah

JLL Capital Markets has closed the sale of Woodland Self Storage, a 92,288-square-foot, 952-unit, Class-A storage facility in Austin.

JLL marketed the property on behalf of the seller, Endeavor Real Estate Group. Extra Space Storage purchased the asset. The sale closed on July 19th.

Woodland Self Storage is a climate-controlled facility built in 2019 located along Interstate 35, near Downtown Austin at the intersection of I-35 and Woodland Avenue. With over 400 feet of prime highway frontage, the property benefits from excellent visibility to over 200,000 vehicles per day. The facility was 70% occupied at the time of sale and is fully equipped with best-in-class features and amenities, including electronic access control, secure fencing, elevator access, 24-hour video surveillance and a retail-oriented customer service office.

The property is further benefited by the explosive population in-migration and residential growth currently being experienced in Austin. More than 8,600 new apartment units and 730 new single family home sites are currently being added within a three-mile radius of the property. Woodland Self Storage is located within the Travis Heights neighborhood, which boasts an average household income of $112,000 and a median home price of over $1.3 million, ranking it among the most affluent neighborhoods in Austin.

The JLL Capital Markets team representing the seller was led by Managing Directors Steve Mellon and Brian Somoza and Directors Adam Roossien and Matthew Wheeler.

MetroNational Announces Quanex Building Products Corporation to Move Headquarters to 945 Bunker Hill

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MetroNational announced that Quanex Building Products Corporation will move its Houston headquarters to 945 Bunker Hill Rd in Memorial City.

Quanex Building Products Corporation, a local industry-leading manufacturer of building products, recently signed a lease occupying a 16,545 square-foot space in the Class-A officing building. Brad MacDougall and Warren Alexander represented the landlord, MetroNational, and Andy Iversen, John Luck and Kaitlyn Duffie of Newmark represented the tenant, who will move in September 2023.

945 Bunker Hill is a 14-story, LEED Silver Class-A office building owned and managed by MetroNational. Memorial City office tenants have access to a roster of exclusive amenities, including membership to its fitness center, Memorial City Club; complimentary shuttle service; interconnected skywalks to dining, retail and entertainment attractions; discount programs; and regular office tenant events.

Colliers Mortgage Closes $17.7 Million HUD 213 Loan for Village Cooperative of Century Hills in North Richland Hills

Posted on by Sarah

The Minneapolis office of Colliers Mortgage closed a $17.7 million HUD 213 loan for the new construction financing of Village Cooperative of Century Hills in North Richland Hills, Texas. The 55-unit age-restricted cooperative is the first cooperative to close under the Section 213 program in the State of Texas.

Village Cooperative of Century Hills will bring a new home ownership option to the area for active adults (62+) to enjoy living in this vibrant community without the worries of maintenance, repairs, or repair bills. The homes will range in size from approximately 889–1,770 square feet on one level within a three-story building built over secure parking. Property features will include a community area with full kitchen, club room, fitness room, reading areas, shop/craft room, guest suite, garden plots, and underground temperature-controlled parking—all within a fully secure building.

The loan carries a 40-year term/amortization and was arranged for Village Cooperative of Century Hills.