CPE’s November 2020 Must-Reads

Catch up on our most important stories, interviews, rankings and analyses from last month.

With the Presidential Election at the beginning of the month, a lot of the focus in November was placed on what real estate could expect from the new administration. And since the number of confirmed coronavirus cases continued to surge last month, industry experts are keeping an eye on pandemic relief and affordable housing, among other hot topics.

Last month, we also participated in this year’s Greenbuild, a three-day virtual event focused on trends in reducing carbon emissions and healthy building strategies. The topics discussed in detail by panelists included the challenges and rewards of creatively repurposing older buildings, the role of the built environment in turning the tide on climate change, as well as concepts for a sustainable future. Here’s where you can find our full coverage of Greenbuild 2020.

Global investment surged 23 percent in the third quarter—although the volume pales in comparison to that of the last year’s—at a moment when a Marcus & Millichap report argues that capital markets are adapting quite well to the pandemic, at the same time as some economists note that the U.S. economy is already on a path toward recovery.

And, while jobs in the office-using employment sectors rebounded in the third quarter, office absorption is only expected to recover in 2022. In the meantime, office developers are focusing on new amenities and features to attract wary tenants—these include outdoor spaces on multiple floors, bike storage, advanced air filtration and more.

This November also marked the closing of a series of big-dollar deals or investment vehicles, including $1.7 billion equity raised by IQHQ, while Vantage Data Centers raised $1.3 billion in incremental equity capital and Digital Colony and Blackstone closed a $1.1 billion investment in a logistics park in China.

Here are CPE’s must-reads for last month:


The CPE-MHN 2020 Summit Series Highlights

Check out our coverage from the two-day, virtual event!

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Top 20 Commercial Property Owners of 2020

The 2020 CPE-MHN Top Owners ranking utilized self-reported data for all firms.

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Bernanke Weighs In on CRE Outlook During Marcus & Millichap Panel

The former Fed chair shares insights on GSE privatization, the pandemic’s long-term impact on commercial real estate, and the prospects for recovery.

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CMBS Deals Continue in Face of Uncertainty

Issuances have rebounded after slowing to a standstill, but billions of dollars of troubled loans weigh on the market.

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CBL & Associates, PREIT Bankruptcies Show Coronavirus Toll

The retail property owners have filed for Chapter 11 protection after rent collections suffered during the pandemic.

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Industrial, Data Centers Strongest Sectors in CBRE’s 2021 Forecast

The office sector is expected to lag the overall U.S. economic recovery by several quarters.

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How TODs Are Bringing People Back to Public Transit

IBI Group’s Trevor McIntyre on the planning and design decisions needed for resilient responses to health-related crises.

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CRE Investment Posts Stronger Q3: CBRE

Total sales volume rose, despite a decline in cross-border investment, according to the firm’s latest U.S. Capital Markets report.

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Simon, Taubman Ink Revised Merger Agreement

While the new purchase price is lower than initially negotiated in February, the deal allows the REITs to avoid a legal battle.

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