Downtown apartment rents hit new high, but supply surge coming
Landlords have had the upper hand over tenants as demand for apartments has outpaced supply, but a construction wave will add more than 5,200 units to the downtown market by the end of 2014.
Loan delinquencies on local properties tick higher
But the uptick may be a symptom of the broader real estate recovery rather than a contradiction of it.
Strategic's Geller tops list of highest paid local REIT CEOs
Mr. Geller, the former head of the Chicago-based firm, was one of four of seven CEOs to take home a bigger paycheck in 2012.
Local construction forecast to rise 7.4 percent this year
A 24 percent jump in residential building is expected to offset a 1 percent decline in non-residential.
Local retail vacancy hits five-year low
The Chicago-area rate declined to 8.6 percent in the first quarter, but the gains aren't evenly distributed.
Industrial vacancy nearing pre-recession levels
A surge in smaller leases pushes the rate down to 9 percent in the first quarter, the lowest since early 2008.
Why there may be hope for the suburban office market
Vacancy rate edges lower and big tenants on the move, but job growth underwhelms.
Downtown office market loses momentum
Chicago landlords are striking deals with smaller new companies as longtime tenants slice space to cut costs.
Chicago real estate stocks lag U.S. peers
An index of nine local real estate investment trusts has returned 4.1 percent in 2013, below the total return for all U.S. REITs.
More landlords tap into CMBS market
The volume of such loans on local properties dipped last year but has taken off so far this year.
Architecture firms hiring again, but jobs still scarce
The number employed in the greater Chicago area rose 2.6 percent from June 2011 to June 2012.
Loop retail vacancy falls to 10-year low
Stores are “really focused on this: 'We have to go where the people are.' In Chicago, that's the Loop,” says an executive of Stone Real Estate.
Downtown office sales show appetite for more risk
Buyers took chances last year on more fixer-uppers and high-vacancy properties than they did the two prior years.
Suburban apartment rents hit new high
Rents have risen more than 12 percent since bottoming out in mid-2009, the product of a major shift in the housing market away from owning and in favor of renting.
Delinquencies on bank loans to landlords lowest since 2009
Lenders have continued to sell bad debt, the main reason the rate has fallen, while higher occupancy and rents also have helped.
Delinquencies jump on commercial property loans
The rate on Chicago-area commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) loans has spiked in the past three months, hitting a new high of 10.8 percent in January, according to Trepp LLC.
Industrial vacancy hits lowest level since 2008
Local landlords signed 33.6 million square feet of leases last year, the largest volume since 2006, according to Colliers International.
Retail vacancy improvement halts in fourth quarter
The local rate held steady at 8.7 percent after falling for 10 straight quarters.
Suburban office vacancy remains high
The overall rate stayed at 24.5 percent in the fourth quarter, according to Jones Lang LaSalle. 'I think it could even go higher before it goes lower,' says a tenant broker for the firm.
Downtown office vacancy up for first time since 2010
The overall rate rose slightly to 14.9 percent in the fourth quarter, a concern after a flat third quarter.
