Table of Contents April 2010

FEATURES

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  Slow Transformation

  After a significant drop-off in renovation production, most operators see future growth.

   

Cover Story

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  The Apartment Whisperer

  JRK Birchmont Advisors Sets Out to Redefine Multifamily Value-Add

   

FROM THE EDITOR

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  Trimming the Fat

  Multifamily owners need to know that when it comes to cutting costs, nothing is off the table.

   

CORNER OFFICE

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  Unclear and Uncertain

  As Congress debates the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the industry looks at the effects any decisions would have on their business.

   

NEWS + NUMBERS

Stat of the Month

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  Free Fall

  CBRE’s predicted 2010 apartment vacancy decline hinges on an employment uptick.

   

Direct Reports

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  The Show Must Go On

  With the worst of layoffs seemingly behind it, the New York metro is once again poised to be the darling of the multifamily investment community.

   

• New Marketing Spin

  In times like these, some apartment developers tout their sparkling-new amenities to stabilize new buildings. Others rely on high-tech fitness rooms and amenity packages to put heads in beds. Still others trumpet their urban lifestyle and proximity to nightlife. Atlanta-based Gables Residential...

   
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  Deciphering the Code

  Monday marked the official release of the International Green Construction Code—the country’s first set of model codes and standards for green building.

   
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  Laser Focus

  Freddie Mac's CEO Ed Haldeman says "we want to bring more emphasis to the multifamily business," as the company revamps internal systems and seeks to close the competitive gap with Fannie Mae.

   

• Climbing Costs

  In the past couple of years, apartment owners felt one upside to the recession. Despite a tight credit market and declining occupancies, their suppliers and contractors were willing to budge, while localities were generally open to lowering taxes. That pushed expense increases down.

   
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  Glimmers of Hope

  Phoenix is a tough metro for multifamily owners and investors today. But there are glimmers of hope. Chicago-based Equity Residential says it pushed occupancy 600 basis points in the past week and that’s it's pushing rents again. And, transaction volume, fed by distressed sales, are upward bound...

   
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  Energy Tracker

  While the EPA is happy with the uptick in Portfolio Manager adoption among the multifamily set thus far, a data set robust enough for true comparative analyses and benchmarking of the energy usage of multifamily property types is likely still a ways off.

   

SALES + SOLUTIONS

New Developments

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  Post-Katrina Catalyst

  A trio of apartment buildings jump-start Tulane Avenue’s rebirth in the Big Easy.

   

Tech Specs

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  Electric Eyes

  Video surveillance and access control and monitoring systems lose their big brother stigma with a host of resident friendly amenity and multifamily back-end applications.

   

PRODUCT STUDIO

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  History Lessons

  Windows play an important role in historic renovations.

   

LANDMARKS

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  Landmarks: 200 Second Street, Oakland, Calif.

  200 Second Street in Oakland, Calif., offers a creative design with efficient floor plans.

   

OTHER ARTICLES

• Chicago Multifamily Tower Wins Skyscraper of the Year Award

  Courtesy of a groundbreaking façade designed by architect Jeanne Gang of Chicago-based Studio Gang Architects, the 81-story Aqua in Chicago has largely overcome the wind issue in the windiest of cities, just one of the reasons judges in the Emporis Skyscraper Award bestowed top honors last month to...