Having—for the most part—quickly sheltered in place in March and April, office workers across the U.S. are slowly venturing back to their workplaces, according to a new weekly report from Kastle Systems International.

The Kastle Back to Work Barometer is an average based on millions of aggregated, anonymous daily building access data points from Kastle-secured properties in 10 major metro areas: Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Jose and Washington. 

Originally published in Summer 2020 Issue by Shawn Moura, Ph.D., Trey Barrineau

The effects of the coronavirus hit these sectors earlier, faster and more deeply than other areas of commercial real estate.

Fears of contracting the coronavirus, government bans on public gatherings, mandatory closures of nonessential businesses and social distancing measures pose ongoing challenges to the retail and hospitality sectors. Many stores have been forced to temporarily close their doors in response to government mandates or in reaction to sharp declines in foot traffic.

Originally published by NAIOP Charlotte 

“The virus’ macroeconomic impact is now quite visible in U.S. data,” according to the Q2 2020 NAIOP Office Space Demand Forecast. “Since March 2020, COVID-19 has markedly altered the U.S. macroeconomic landscape as states issued stay-at-home orders designed to limit the spread of the disease. Workers across multiple industries are staying home, and it is unclear how or when they will return their workplaces. Due to the turmoil in the national economy, rising unemployment and continued uncertainty about future work arrangements, the U.S. office market absorption is forecast to decline into negative territory through the second quarter of 2021.”

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The COVID-19 pandemic might not have a massive economic effect on the office sector, but it could spark big new ideas on the use of space.

The office sector appears to be less vulnerable to disruptions associated with the coronavirus pandemic than retail or hospitality, but it’s not entirely immune to an economic downturn — or the acceleration of changes in the ways people have been working  during the crisis.

Mandatory closures and other social distancing measures have taken a toll on firms that are closely tied to the consumer economy, such as the British airline Flybe, which went bankrupt in March after travel bookings plummeted in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Businesses that cannot conduct most of their business remotely are also in peril. On the other hand, many companies have learned that they can run their operations without anyone physically in the office, a trend that has the potential to depress demand for traditional office leases.

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NAIOP is offering all on-demand courses absolutely free to all members through August 1. No code is required. Members can log in with their member ID to see complimentary pricing.

Please note: The ARGUS Software Certification (ASC) - Enterprise Bundle is excluded from this promotion.

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Originally published in June 2020 by Shawn Moura, Ph.D., Director of Research, NAIOP

Last week, the Trump administration’s Waters of the U.S. – or “WOTUS” – rule went into effect. The new regulation, which defines the scope of federal jurisdiction over streams, rivers and other bodies of water, largely replaces the broader Obama-era rule. NAIOP weighed in on a draft proposal more than a year ago, and in January complimented the Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers on developing a final rule that appropriately balances conservation and economic development.  

Originally published in June 2020 by Shawn Moura, Ph.D., Director of Research, NAIOP

Best Practices for Building Owners

Reopening Buildings

Owners of buildings that have been partially or entirely vacated during the outbreak need to complete several tasks to ensure that buildings are clean, safe and in good working order before reopening.

Are you currently in a Tier 1, Tier 2 or Tier 3 market? Or perhaps a gateway city, a 16-hour city or a secondary market? Are you sure?  

Tier models rank metropolitan real estate markets based on their investment potential or growth characteristics. But different analysts use different methodologies and rank markets differently as a result. Adding to the potential for confusion, analysts often adopt different terminologies to describe markets and may create separate rankings for different property types or different audiences. 

Originally published in NAIOP's Summer 2020 Issue By Shawn Moura, Ph.D., Trey Barrineau

The COVID-19 pandemic might not have a massive economic effect on the office sector, but it could spark big new ideas on the use of space.

The office sector appears to be less vulnerable to disruptions associated with the coronavirus pandemic than retail or hospitality, but it’s not entirely immune to an economic downturn — or the acceleration of changes in the ways people have been working  during the crisis.

Originally published on June 23, 2020 by Shawn Moura Ph.D.

Last week, NAIOP conducted its third survey of its U.S. members on how the novel coronavirus has affected their businesses and local markets. The survey examines the outbreak’s effects on conditions in commercial real estate and evaluates how firms have responded. The June survey results reveal that development conditions have continued to improve since May.

Originally published by Bloomberg CityLab on June 22, 2020.

As cities emerge from coronavirus lockdowns, the way people use parks, stores, restaurants, transit, streets and homes is changing in ways both subtle and dramatic.

Originally published by the Real Estate & Building Industry Coalition

Governor Roy Cooper announced yesterday that as trends move in the wrong direction, North Carolina will remain in Phase 2 for three more weeks. Executive Order 147 also requires face coverings in public and at various business settings where individuals cannot maintain a physical distance of six feet from others.

Originally published on June 22, 2020 by NAIOP.

NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, has selected Kilroy Realty Corporation (NYSE: KRC) as the 2020 Developer of the Year – the association’s highest honor. The award will be presented during NAIOP’s CRE.Converge conference in Las Vegas this October.

Originally published on June 9, 2020 by Chris Barnet in DMagazine.com.

Imagine the last time you went to the doctor. You likely rode up an elevator and sat in a lobby or waiting room, elbow-to-elbow with other patients. You probably filled out paperwork, either with a pen and paper or maybe a touch screen device. Unless you were sick, you probably didn’t wear a mask.

Originally published by Shawn Moura, Ph.D., Director of Research at NAIOP in June 2020.

Measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak temporarily slowed economic activity and dramatically reduced occupancies at many commercial buildings. As state and local governments outline plans for a phased reopening of the economy, office building owners and employers are formulating plans that will allow employees to return safely to work.

Originally published on June 16, 2020 by NAIOP.

After weeks of pumping the brakes on a so-called “phase four” coronavirus relief bill, the White House recently signaled its interest in moving an additional legislative package, provided it includes certain priorities.   

Buildings and businesses that have been closed (or open at reduced capacity) for a prolonged period have reduced water usage, potentially leading to stagnant water inside building plumbing that could become unsafe to drink. Businesses should take steps to flush the building’s plumbing before reopening.

Clearing the water lines, known as flushing, can be done by running the tap water for an extended period in the building. The goal is to turn over the water left in the pipes with fresh, clean water from the public water main. This process will clear the stagnant water when reactivating dormant plumbing systems and ensure the water in the building is safe as well as taste and odor-free before the resumption of regular water use.

The economic disruptions from COVID-19 have had significant impact on the credit quality of tenants, building occupancy and demand from buyers, resulting in substantial uncertainty in the valuation of commercial real estate and complexity in the accounting for lease modifications.

John Thomas, CEO of Physicians Realty Trust, and Dennis Power, CFO of the Opus Group, shared their experiences with tenant collections, lease concessions, market demand, and the resulting impacts on real estate valuation across their market niches. Brent Maier provided his view on the impacts he has seen in his role as the leader of Baker Tilly’s real estate transaction advisory services team while Mike Kamienski and David Jamiolkowski, also from Baker Tilly, shared their view of how these issues will impact financial reporting from a real estate impairment and lease accounting perspective. Don’t miss this discussion of critical topics so you understand the valuation and leasing impacts from COVID-19.

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Originally published on June 5, 2020 by Shawn Moura, Ph.D. 

The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated social and economic changes that were underway before the outbreak, while also leading consumers, workers and employers to adopt new preferences and behaviors. Collectively, these changes will require that commercial real estate firms adopt new approaches to design, customer relations and business operations to be successful in the future. Christopher Lee, founder and CEO of CEL & Associates, offered his predictions for how the outbreak will reshape demand for commercial real estate in the U.S. and outlined steps that firms can take to remain competitive during a recent NAIOP webinar.

Originally published on June 3, 2020 by Clay Edwards

As offices are set to reopen across the country over the next few months, many companies are considering all their options to make the workplace as safe and healthy as possible for returning employees. Companies will need to do more than put hand sanitizer dispensers everywhere and rearrange desks to put employees’ minds at ease.