From the Wall Street Journal: Commercial Property Meltdown Clobbers Pension Funds

Pensions, like sovereign-wealth funds, university endowments and family offices, generally either buy properties outright or invest through private fund managers. Some analysts and pension advisers suspect those managers are themselves slow to report losses. Share prices of publicly traded real-estate investment trusts have generally fallen much further than private marks. 

But pension funds to date have reported even less strain than private managers. Privately managed funds tracked by the National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries reported a negative 12% return in 2023, double the loss pension funds booked. The tracked funds hold a mix of apartment, industrial, retail and office properties. Pension officials often factor in private fund marks on a one-quarter lag because they take longer to arrive than stock and bond valuations.

The board overseeing Canada’s $461 billion national pension plan is shifting the focus of new real-estate investment away from bricks-and-mortar buildings and toward infrastructure such as highways and energy, according to its annual report published in May. 

Source: Apollo

To bring the vacancy rate, both rental and homeowner, back in line with historical averages, the U.S. would need to add an additional 1.5 million vacant for-sale and for-rent homes.

Source: Freddie Mac

Source: Gallup

More than 50% of the population lives in the highlighted regions below:

Half of all renters are spending over 30% of their monthly income on rent. The red areas below denote regions where renters are spending above 50% of their monthly income on rent.

Source: Econbrowser

The multifamily industry has a high rate of employee turnover at 37.2%, according to another NAA report — nearly double the average for other industries in the U.S. Among other issues like overwork and lack of response to issues, salary is one of the most common points of dissatisfaction for on-site personnel in particular, according to an analysis of employee surveys. 

On-site technicians have an annual turnover rate of 39.2%, the highest rate out of any multifamily position. Not only is maintenance a difficult and physically demanding job, but many professionals do not feel their pay is equivalent to their skill and experience. 

Source: Multifamily Dive & The RCLCO Compensation Survey

Myrtle Beach, SC and Charleston, SC are the fastest growing employment markets in the country.

Source: RealPage

The overall sales volume during Q1 of 2024 was down 25% from Q1 of 2023, while the number of properties trading hands was down 26% during the same period.

The average price per unit, while above pre-pandemic levels, has also continued to fall, registering at $190,184 in 1st quarter, down 6.5% year-over-year and the lowest level in three years.

Cap rates for apartment transactions in 2024’s 1st quarter were up 50 basis points (bps) year-over-year, averaging 5.7%. That was the highest cap rate in nearly eight years.

Source: RealPage