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Even with numerous retailers adversely affected by coronavirus concerns, discount-value brands have been doubling down on their expansion efforts. These bargain retailers are swooping in on space vacated by other struggling brands. The time has never been better for discount retailers, as Americans are desperate for cost-saving options, especially for essentials. The younger Gen X/millennial More

Look for a surge in multifamily construction lending throughout the third and fourth quarter. Multifamily projects in the best locations with strong sponsors will see available capital, although with more conservative occupancy and rent growth underwriting. Projects are taking longer to get through the entitlement and planning process and there are concerns about the availability More

JV and pref equity investors are starting to tip-toe back into the market after putting things on pause the for last few months.  Equity providers have capital they need to deploy but they do not want to be the first to close a deal.  Expect more investors to re-enter the game once a few transactions More

Look for a surge in multifamily construction lending throughout the third and fourth quarter.  Multifamily projects in the best locations with strong sponsors will see available capital, although with more conservative occupancy and rent growth underwriting.  Projects are taking longer to get through the entitlement and planning process and there are concerns about the availability More

Even with coronavirus prompting more online sales, jewelry retailers, especially those selling engagement rings and ear-piercing services, will still attract a lot of traffic. Customers need in-person ring sizing measurements, and also want to see how a jewel’s color and cut will look against their own skin tone. Though the pandemic had been prioritizing essential More

Stephen DeFrancis, CEO — Cortland Like many in our industry, as stay-in-place orders took effect in March, we quickly ramped up our virtual and online tour capabilities. Within days, we had over 550 video tours up on our community websites and were offering live virtual tours so prospects could still have some form of an More

There will be more demand for land loans as many lenders exit the space.  Borrowers will see lower leverage, higher pricing and more recourse requirements.  Look for active lenders to price and underwrite risk as if they will step into the sponsor role upon default.  Count on debt funds, private money and hard money lenders More

The pandemic has increased opportunities for active bridge lenders since many players are out of the market.  An abundance of capital still needs to be deployed in the bridge space, but some lenders are holding back until the third quarter or longer.  Many bridge lenders are in asset mode because of existing hotel and retail More

Multifamily continues to be the top choice for lenders as property performance has been stronger than expected. There has also not been much turnover since residents are staying put and many are working from home. So far April, May and June collections seem promising. All eyes will be on August, September and October rents, as More

The beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic brought a lot of uncertainty to the industry as tenants saw a surge in unemployment and struggled to pay rent leading to a chain reaction with owners and developers resetting their 2020 goals. The economy saw a small boost with the multiple coronavirus stimulus packages passed and many tenants More

Self-storage has risen to the top as one of the most attractive asset classes for lending.  While lenders have tightened their lending parameters overall, they will be bullish on self storage.  Count on new lenders to enter the space as they move away from retail and hotel loans.  Self storage works well for social distancing More

Many Mexican restaurants, especially the fast-casual and drive-thru establishments, are thriving with expansion. Mexican food is especially attractive in today’s uncertain economic climate as its food is traditionally at a cheaper price point and is already set up for easy to-go orders. Many Mexican restaurant chains are providing options attractive to the younger millennial crowd More