Urban Land Institute Issues Report on Commercial Real Estate Projections
The U.S. economy and commercial real estate industry are, in general, expected to experience moderate growth through much of 2019, according to a new three-year economic forecast from the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Center for Capital Markets and Real Estate.
The latest ULI Real Estate Consensus Forecast, a semi-annual outlook, is based on a survey of 53 of the industry’s top economists and analysts representing 39 of the country’s leading real estate investment, advisory, and research firms and organizations.
Among the survey’s key findings for commercial real estate:
- Sales volume is expected to continue declining from $489 billion in 2016 to $450 billion in 2017 and 2018, and slip to $430 billion in 2019.
- A similar drop is anticipated for the issuance of commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS), a source of financing for commercial real estate. CMBS issuance grew consistently from 2009 to $101 billion in 2015, then declined in 2016 to $76 billion, a level it is expected to maintain in 2017. Moderate increases, to $80 billion and $85 billion, are forecast for 2018 and 2019 respectively.
- Commercial real estate prices are projected to grow at relatively subdued and slowing rates in the next three years, at 5 percent in 2017, 3.5 percent in 2018 and 3 percent in 2019, all below the long-term (from 2001 through 2016) average growth rate of 5.7 percent.
- Institutional real estate assets are expected to provide total returns of 7 percent in 2017, moderating to 6 percent in 2018 and staying at that level in 2019. By property type, 2017 returns are expected to range from 9.8 percent for industrial to 6 percent for both office and apartments. In 2019, returns are expected to range from 7.9 percent for industrial to 5.5 percent for apartments.
- Availability and vacancy rates for 3 sectors (industrial, office, and retail) are expected to continue improving in 2017, but remain essentially flat in 2018 and 2019. The exception is the apartment sector — the vacancy rate for apartments slightly increased in 2016 from near historic lows in 2015, and is expected to rise once more in 2017 to 5.2 percent.
- Commercial property rents are expected to continue rising through 2019 for all sectors, although at more subdued rates than in recent years. In 2017, rent increases in the four major property types will range from 4.6 percent for industrial to 2 percent for apartments. Rent increases in 2019 will range from 3 percent for industrial to 2 percent for retail, office, and apartments.
- Single-family housing starts are projected to increase from 781,500 units in 2016 to 920,000 units in 2019.
Access the ULI Real Estate Consensus Forecast here. (Smart phone users: “Open Link in New Tab”)