Lending Velocity Spurs Fashion-District Refis

A stable area throughout the recession, the Fashion District downtown is now seeing a spate of refinancing transactions, thanks mostly to the fact that lenders are loosening up the purse strings. Mortgage-banking firm Quantum Capital, for one, recently arranged financing for two properties in this section of town, and managing director Jonathan Hakakha tells GlobeSt.com that it means transaction activity is once again starting up for the area.

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BEZOS: Amazon Would Love To Have Physical Stores, But Only Under One Condition

Jeff Bezos has done incredible things with Amazon, and now with retailers doing everything they can to offer products on all channels, everyone is starting to wonder: Will Amazon ever go into brick-and-mortar stores? Here's what Bezos had to say:

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Grove developer Caruso opens lavish apartment complex

With apartments holding strong as the hottest class in commercial real estate, developer Rick Caruso is testing the limits of the luxury category in Los Angeles with his residential complex that just opened on Burton Way. The developer, best known for his plush outdoor shopping centers such as the Grove, spent $65 million building an 87-unit complex where the cheapest apartment is $4,500 a month and many cost more than $10,000. “Those are New York rents,” Caruso acknowledged. At about $8 per square foot, they are quadruple the Los Angeles average. One furnished penthouse will go on the market for $40,000 a month.

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Bankers Give 6 Reasons To Shop for a CRE Loan Now; And 2 Reasons Not To

Third Quarter Bank Earnings Reports Clear Up Picture of Commercial Real Estate Conditions By Mark Heschmeyer The second week after the end of quarter is always a revealing time for commercial real estate. That's when many of the nation's largest bank holding companies go live to discuss their earnings, and how their CRE lending is faring. In this latest go-around, the bank executives provided the clearest picture of CRE conditions that they have in a long time. As we do each quarter, we present the most telling statements regarding bank CRE-related activities from the presentations we heard:

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Commercial real estate recovery will continue, report says

The nation’s commercial real estate recovery will advance in 2013 with modest gains in leasing, rents, and sales prices, industry leaders said in a report. Recent job creation should be enough to increase absorption and push down vacancy rates in the office, industrial and retail sectors. Despite being on a slower-than-normal recovery track, U.S. property sectors and markets have “noticeably” better prospects compared with last year, the report said. Developers, architects, brokers, lenders and other commercial real estate professionals were surveyed for the annual Emerging Trends in Real Estate report released by the industry think tank Urban Land Institute and accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.

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