Online Article Archives

JUNE 2008

AFT's Leadership Roundtable
COVER STORY
Board members and special guests took part in the magazine's annual Apartment Industry Leadership Roundtable as part of the APARTMENT FINANCE TODAY Conference here in April. Some panelists said they had seen little increase in cap rates in early 2008. On the other hand, they said deal velocity had slowed substantially as sellers resisted lowering their prices, leaving a substantial gap between what buyers are willing to pay and what sellers will accept.

MAY 2008

Wired for the Next Generation
COVER STORY
Tomorrow's wave of renters is already having a big impact on the technology amenities offered by apartment communities. The business center is morphing into an internet cafe, and many clubhouses now include wireless access, flat-panel televisions, and iPod docking stations. Some communities are starrting to offer video-gaming rooms, and even barbecue areas are getting a high-tech makeover.

• Films Adopting Revenue Management Software
• AFT's Technology Survey Results

APRIL 2008

Immigration Transformation
COVER STORY
A flood of new immigrants continues to fill apartments and push up property values in markets both large and small. Here’s the outlook for the future and some tips on how to market to immigrant renters.

• The Dividends of Diversity
• Top Five Metro Areas for Immigrants
• Policy Unlikely to Keep Immigrants Out
• It's All In the Name
• Emigrating to Luxury

MARCH 2008
COVER STORY

Long-Distance Affair
Foreign capital is flowing more freely than ever into the U.S. multifamily market, thanks to the weak dollar and lack of competition from domestic investors. Many local real estate investment firms are partnering with overseas investors, such as the joint venture between Behringer Harvard and Dutch pension fund PGGM. And with less debt and equity available in today’s market, many developers, such as Trammell Crow Residential, are riding this wave of international interest.>>more

FEBRUARY 2008
COVER STORY

Certainty of Execution
Johnson Capital stands out on APARTMENT FINANCE TODAY’s list of Top 50 Multifamily Lenders, because it stands alone. The company is one of the few, and one of the largest, independent lending shops in the nation, which is no small accomplishment in an industry beset by consolidation. While ARCS, Collateral, and LaSalle Bank were all acquired by larger institutions last year, the biggest trend at the beginning of 2008 is the re-emergence of traditional lending programs at the expense of the once high-flying conduit lenders. >>more

JANUARY 2008
COVER STORY

Capital Markets Outlook 2008
How badly has the ripple effect from billions of dollars in failed home mortgages roiled the capital markets? How long will tighter loan terms and higher loan pricing spreads last, and how will they affect multifamily property values? The good news is that some owners believe the turmoil will have the positive effect of shutting down the craziest and most reckless dealmaking. On the other hand, no one knows for sure whether the capital markets are in the process of settling down, or just enjoying a relative calm before the next and more intense storm. Then there’s the very real risks poised by an economy that is on the knife’s edge between the threat of recession and the risk of inflation. Get the information you need to plan for a very uncertain year with our annual capital markets forecast. >>more

NOV/DEC 2006
COVER STORY

Analyst Targets Workforce Housing
Analyst Lewis Goodkin has given apartment developers across the country a lifetime's worth of good advice. He warned his clients against the condominium crash and encouraged some of the first landmark mixed-use deals. Now he believes the time is right to build new apartments that the broader market can afford to live in.

OCTOBER 2006
COVER STORY

New Luxury Comes to Roosevelt Island
New tenants have rented 60 luxury apartments a month at the Octagon in New York City since the leasing office opened in January. “The stars have aligned for us here,” said Bruce Becker, president of Becker + Becker, based in Fairfield, Conn. His building is one of the planned developments bringing thousands of high-end apartments and condominiums to Roosevelt Island, one of the oldest and largest planned, mixed-income communities in the country.

SEPTEMBER 2006
COVER STORY/SPECIAL FOCUS

Surviving the Slowdown: Condo Crash Survival Guide
Smart condo developers have planned carefully to survive the condominium crash. Michael Lander, president and founder of the Lander Group in Minneapolis, has delayed risky projects and focused all his company’s energy on one project he knows can succeed. Are you ready? Read our Condo Developers’ Survival Guide to discover key strategies for success.

JUNE 2006
FEATURE

Steady as she goes
Investors have to compete with InvesTek when it comes to the Toledo area, where this company's three partners look for underperforming multifamily assets, with plans to buy, rehab, and then manage them. These long-term owners are demonstrating how to create value in a market often perceived as less-rewarding than the coastal markets.

MAY 2006
FEATURE

Struggles to rebuild Gulf Coast
Eight months after Hurricane Katrina destroyed hundreds of thousands of housing units in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, apartment companies there are getting back on their feet. But they are still faced with difficulties ranging from slow payment of insurance claims to uncertainty about future population levels. Our on-the-ground reports tell you how apartment owners, developers, and managers are repairing their properties and planning new developments.
New Orleans report | Mississippi report

APRIL 2006
FEATURE

Apartment outlook bright for 2006
Apartment Finance Today's Editorial Advisory board members painted a positive picture of the outlook for multifamily housing in 2006, but they noted that the view is nicer from some locations than others. >> more

MARCH 2006
SPECIAL SECTION: GREEN BUILDING

• Editor's Letter: Rediscovering our downtowns
• Upfront: News, trends & people
• Upfront: Wall Street Watch: AFT Index falters
• Mortgage Lending: FHA Programs: A war brews over FHA plans to hike MIPs
• Mortgage Lending: Fannie Mae Programs: Small loans loom large for Fannie Mae
• Mortgage Lending: Freddie Mac Programs: Freddie Mac keeps conduits in crosshairs
• Mortgage Lending: Insurance Companies: Life companies target niches avoided by conduits, GSEs
• Capital Markets: Bridge & Mezz Financing: Freddie following Fannie's mezz program with its own version
• Capital Markets: Tax Credits: Syndicators discuss changing tax credit market
• Special Focus: Apartment Market Forcast: Sunny outlook for apartment owners
• Special Focus: Apartment Market Forcast: 20 hot, tepid and cold markets
• Bottom Line: Asset & Property Management: The power of integration
• Bottom Line: NOI Builders: Keep a lid on operating expenses
• Bottom Line: Security: NCHM offers CD-ROM security guides
• Bottom Line: Marketing & Demographics: Baby boomers buy up condos as second homes
• Bottom Line: Market Opportunities: Student housing construction slows
• Regional Markets: The West: Strategic Decisions
• Regional Markets: The West: Wave of development hits downtown San Diego
• Regional Markets: The West: Apartments, condos join downtown L.A. revival
• Regional Markets: The West: Sky-high home appreciation entices condo converters to Inland Empire
• Regional Markets: The West: New jobs, residents launch Salt Lake City recovery
• Regional Markets: Nationwide
• Parting Shots: Parkchester saved from decay

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006
FEATURE

Cap rates likely on the rise in 2006
Yields seem destined to rise with debt costs, but stronger rents and heavy investor competition should minimize value erosion. Read all about it in Apartment Finance Today's exclusive Capital Markets Outlook 2006. >> more

• Editor's Letter: Here's to new beginnings
• Upfront: News, trends & people
• Upfront: Wall Street Watch: AFT Index closes '05 in positive territory
• Mortgage Lending: Finding the right fit for three deals
• Mortgage Lending: Fannie Mae Programs: Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac urged to do more mixed-use
• Bottom Line: Asset & Property Management: Increasing value by smart management
• Bottom Line: Market Opportunities: "Opportunity funds" circle South Florida
• Parting Shots: Downtown landmark revamped for mixed-use

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2005
FEATURE

4th Annual Readers' Choice Awards
The votes are in ... Apartment Finance Today readers tell us who's tops when it comes to providing financing and services for the multifamily industry. In its fourth year, the Readers' Choice Awards is the only recognition program of its kind. >> more

• Editor's Letter: Hoping for the best in /06
• Upfront: News, trends & people
• Upfront: Wall Street Watch: Oil markets zap market
• Mortgage Lending: FHA: FHA loans get faster, cheaper
• Mortgage Lending: Mortgage Banking: Property-services brokerages eyeing mortgage bankers
• Capital Markets: Construction Loans: Pension fund steps up with SF loan
• Capital Markets: Financing Small Properties: Lofts hot in college town of Lexington
• Forest City remakes American cityscapes
• Learning Curve: Hidden problems can taint acquisitions
• Bottom Line: Market Opportunities: Testing the waters for seniors housing
• Bottom Line: Market Opportunities: Condo crash coming
• Bottom Line: Growth Strategies: How to hire advisers who are expansion-minded
• Bottom Line: Marketing & Demographics: Developers reach out to disabled renters
• Bottom Line: Asset Management: One owner's laundry room turnaround
• Bottom Line: Asset Management: Getting a grip on crime
• Regional Markets: South Central: Waiting for help
• Regional Markets: South Central: Katrina sends renters to Houston
• Regional Markets: South Central: Hurricane housing needs overwhelm owners
• Regional Markets: South Central: Slow growth sustains Oklahoma City
• Regional Markets: South Central: Aging apartments stand vacant in Topeka
• Regional Markets: Nationwide
• Parting Shots: Shaker-style apartments come to Texas

JULY/AUGUST 2005
FEATURE

Apartment Leadership Roundtable: Upbeat outlook formultifamily
Apartment industry executives met in an exclusive leadership roundtable at Apartment Finance Today's Developer Conference. Learn what they and other key leaders said about the state of the industry and what's coming down the road. >> more

• Editor's Letter: Forming new alliances
• Upfront: News, trends & people
• Upfront: Wall Street Watch: Solid economic data, falling oil boost market
• Mortgage Lending: FHA: Lenders want strong FHA head
• Mortgage Lending: Insurance Companies: Life companies start targeting TICs
• Capital Markets: Financing Small Properties: Demand grows for 'small balance' pools
• Capital Markets: Construction Loans: Some lenders grow wary of condos
• Learning Curve: When renovations go in, value goes up
• Bottom Line: Legal Beat: Don't run afoul of fair housing law
• Bottom Line: Asset Management: Choose low-cost and no-cost amenities
• Bottom Line: Asset Management: Keep your finger on the pulse
• Bottom Line: Security & Risk Management: Multifamily owners take part in first security survey
• Bottom Line: Market Opportunities: Modular housing hits mainstream
• Bottom Line: Growth Strategies: Managing to win
• Bottom Line: Marketing & Demographics: The forecast calls for gray
• Regional Markets: Southeast: Giant Atlanta project creates neighborhood
• Regional Markets: Southeast: Atlanta market turns corner
• Regional Markets: Southeast: Time to branch out
• Regional Markets: Southeast: Rental to make comeback
• Regional Markets: Southeast: City View brings life to downtown
• Regional Markets: Southeast: Louisville sees brighter future
• Regional Markets: Nationwide

JUNE 2005
FEATURE

Privately owned developers to watch
The private apartment developers chosen as our developers to watch have one thing in common: innovation. They're competing head-on with homeownership, rising construction prices and other challenges, but they are responding by developing new markets or changing the ways they approach existing markets. >> more

• FirstWorthing zeroes in on infill
• Flaherty & Collins doubles apartment starts
• HRI targets downtown, historic living
• Cap rates drive JPI
• If you can't beat 'em
• Sobrato Development adapts to the times

• Editor's Letter: The power of community
• Upfront: News, trends & people
• Upfront: Wall Street Watch: AFT Index edges into positive terrain
• Mortgage Lending: Freddie Mac: They compete, you win
• Mortgage Lending: Defeasance: Use defeasance to free up your equity
• Mortgage Lending: Conduits: Conduit spreads widen
• Capital Markets: Tax Credits: Tax credit syndicators predict latest trends
• Capital Markets: Mid-Year Rate Outlook: Fixed rates look stable for '05
• Special Report: Developers share new strategies
• Navigating minefield to permanent loan
• Bottom Line: Legal Beat: Free ride for bankrupt residents to end soon
• Bottom Line: Market Opportunities: Surviving with condos