In the ever-changing world of construction, creative solutions are key to moving projects forward. In an industry where tradition can take precedence over innovation, it’s important for general contractors to regularly challenge the norm; doing so can uncover modern insights that reshape the way we build the communities where we live and work.
To achieve deadlines and stay within budget, developers must generate solutions to the industry dilemma of rising construction costs. Examine what’s driving construction spending, how these costs are impacting developers and solutions for maintaining development momentum.
Construction projects have many moving parts, stakeholders and dependencies. If money doesn’t flow smoothly from lender to borrower, a project can quickly become delayed. Because construction loans are funded in increments, rather than all at once, managing draws are of the utmost importance.
Industrial refrigeration systems are arguably the most critical component of a refrigerated warehouse facility. The industry has evolved significantly over the past decade, and the options are vast when planning a new project or upgrading an existing system.
Understanding the many types of cold storage and controlled environments – food and beverage processing; food distribution; and public refrigerated warehousing – along with a plethora of product-specific terminologies, is the first step in diving into the world of its development. But there is much more to explore to understand the nuances of this sector.
Recent years brought new stresses on the construction industry – COVID-19 shutdowns, supply chain woes, labor shortages and bank failures have slowed projects or put them entirely on hold. At the same time, the cost of capital has risen considerably.
The groundbreaking ceremony for a new building signifies the physical start of a construction project. In most cases, however, months or even years have already been spent preparing the land for future growth, as planners and developers work behind the scenes to make the property “shovel ready.” Attempting to market a property that is not shovel ready can be a significant barrier to making a commercial property sale. But what does it mean to have a shovel-ready property, and why is it so important?
With Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell indicating that the Fed will continue to raise interest rates through the end of the year and into 2023, traditional capital providers with strained balance sheets are pulling back on lending. And given the current economic outlook, many senior warehouse line lenders may also look to pull back on financing, opening the door for a more direct asset-by-asset approach. As a result, borrowers need to seek out alternative lenders that creatively finance their projects – enter nontraditional lenders and loan-on-loan financing partners.
With all signs pointing to an economic recession – presumably arriving midyear or Q3 – how can the commercial real estate community best plan for this event, which asset classes will be particularly hard hit, and what silver linings and opportunities will be available to savvy investors and progressive companies? Offering their insights and perspectives on this topic are Anirban Basu, chairman and CEO of Sage Policy Group and Jennifer LeFurgy, Ph.D., vice president of knowledge and research for NAIOP.
Supply chain bottlenecks over the past two years have created challenges for construction schedules and project deliveries. In a session
