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Industry Voices

Christopher Cordes, PPR Capital Management
Build-to-RentDevelopmentIndustry Voices

Navigating Housing Affordability: Three Trends to Watch

by Lynn Peisner

The past few years have brought significant shifts in affordability in the United States. Whether it’s evident in rising grocery bills or adjustments to what qualifies as a necessity, these changes have rippled through the housing sector. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, by 2024, the cost-of-living ratio to overall expenses surpassed 31 percent — the highest since 2014. Historically, a housing burden ratio below 30 percent indicates a stable market. However, the increasing costs of housing — including rent, mortgages, taxes, utilities and insurance — are straining …

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Hollywood, Florida, beach
Affordable HousingDevelopmentFloridaIndustry VoicesSoutheast

Low Cost of Living, New Affordable Housing Legislation Lure Renters and Developers to Hollywood, Florida

by Lynn Peisner

The city of Hollywood, Florida, is transforming. Once best known for its pristine beaches and as the winter home to many French Canadians, the area is becoming a magnet for new arrivals from the Northeast, Texas and California seeking a better place to live and do business. Hollywood’s mayor and city commissioners are showing their support for multifamily development, which will result in half a dozen projects being completed in 2025. Why are people choosing Hollywood and not Fort Lauderdale or well-known Miami neighborhoods like Brickell and Wynwood? Because the …

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Todd Watkins, Railfield
Industry VoicesLeasing & MarketingOperations

It’s Time to Fight Fire with Fire Against Fraudsters 

by Channing Hamilton

As a young lawyer, I passed up an opportunity to work at the SEC (think Bernie Madoff not Nick Saban). I turned the job down because I didn’t want to spend all day thinking about fraud. I’m glad I turned down that job, but I find I still spend a lot of time thinking about fraud. If fraud is using deceit to deprive another of their rights or property, then fraud is everywhere. Some fraud is horrible (Bernie Madoff stole roughly $65 billion over the course of two decades). Some …

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FinanceIndustry Voices

Tax-Exempt Bonds Present Unique Opportunity to Secure Low-Cost Debt

by Lynn Peisner

Today, the inverted yield curve has created challenges for borrowers to secure debt. The curve describes the condition when long-term U.S. Treasury debt interest rates are less than short-term interest rates. This is particularly evident in the cost of capital for construction loans. Despite these challenges, sophisticated and experienced affordable housing debt providers are finding creative solutions to meet borrower needs. In particular, borrowers are taking advantage of the lower-cost option of tax-exempt bonds, primarily funded by institutional municipal capital providers instead of only looking to commercial banks. Balancing Taxable …

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Brendan Kelly
Affordable HousingFinanceIndustry VoicesOperations

How to Minimize Affordable Housing Property Taxes

by Channing Hamilton

Most people who have studied real estate investing will recall that property expenses are divided into controllable and noncontrollable buckets. In the noncontrollable bin are items like insurance, utilities and property taxes. And while it is true that these expenses usually are unavoidable, an owner should try to exert some level of control, at least in the case of taxes.  Taxing entities calculate property taxes by multiplying a property’s assessment by its jurisdiction’s tax rate. The rate is indeed noncontrollable, but savvy owners will review their assessments and challenge them …

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Joe Stampone, Atlas Real Estate Partners
FinanceIndustry VoicesInvestment SalesSoutheast

Why Deal Flow Will Pick Up in the Southeast in 2025

by Channing Hamilton

All the talk in multifamily circles in 2023 and throughout 2024 has been about the impending “maturity wall” of loans set to expire. This wall, many have said, would stir up a wave of distress that would create “generational buying opportunities” from the fallout of the overleveraged, floating-rate acquisitions and new developments delivered at the top of the market.  How has that played out? Buying opportunities haven’t yet materialized, and the multifamily investment sales market remains flatlined.  How can that be given the record number of trades at the top …

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Michelle Newton, Insurance Office of America
Industry VoicesOperationsSoutheast

Property Owners Must be Proactive to Mitigate Flood Risk

by Channing Hamilton

Hurricane season is in full swing. As heavy rains and powerful winds tear through the Southeast, flooding has quickly become a major concern for multifamily owners and operators. Flooding is the most common and costly type of natural hazard in the nation. According to the Department of Homeland Security, 90 percent of natural disasters within the United States involve flooding. Additionally, flood risk is intensifying as the number and severity of storms increase. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted an 85 percent chance of a more destructive than average hurricane season in …

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Affordable HousingIndustry VoicesLeasing & MarketingMidwestNortheastOperationsSoutheastTexasWestern

Technology Clears Operational Roadblocks for Affordable Housing Managers

by Channing Hamilton

There is an urgent need for more affordable housing in the United States. For every 100 extremely low-income renter households, there are just 36 affordable units available for rent, according to a March 2024 report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC). Despite widespread attention on this issue — including at the state and federal levels — the supply shortage has continued. Municipalities across the United States continue to struggle to address symptoms of the affordable housing crisis, such as homelessness and rising housing costs. The NLIHC reports that there is …

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Barbara Jean Wright Court Apartments in Chicago
DevelopmentIndustry VoicesNew YorkNortheast

How to Pull Off a Large-Scale Rehab of an Occupied Property

by Channing Hamilton

When New York-based developer Jonathan Rose Cos. (JRC) acquired the Barbara Jean Wright Court Apartments in 2021, the 272-unit, low-rise, 40 percent Section 8 community in Chicago’s University Village neighborhood was in need of some serious repair.  Originally built in the 1970s and remodeled in 1999, the complex’s HVAC systems, flooring, kitchens, bathrooms and boilers were long past the point of needing a complete overhaul. The issue? The building was nearly fully occupied, which made this a tricker project than normal.  To pull off this occupied restoration, JRC needed a construction …

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Francis Greenburger
Affordable HousingIndustry VoicesNew YorkNortheastOperations

A Developer’s Thoughts on Recent Changes to New York Laws Regarding Rent-Stabilized Apartments

by Channing Hamilton

The recent changes to New York laws regarding rent-stabilized apartments, included in the 2024 budget legislation and signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul, are a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, the step is so small that the effect will be the same as standing still. Much of the initial commentary on 2024 housing law updates was about the so-called “good cause eviction” provisions, which have little to do with eviction but are instead a rebranding of rent control. In 2019, the legislature made significant changes to the rules …

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