Nareit's Reit Report Podcast

John Haskell, founder and chief investment officer at Atla Capital Management LLC, was a guest on the latest episode of the Nareit REIT Report.During the interview, Haskell talked about the opportunities from investing in global emerging market listed real estate, the scope of the market, the key theme of urbanization, challenges posed by the lack of reporting standardization, the potential shelter that emerging markets offer relative to other markets, and more.Haskell manages the Atla Global Urbanization Listed Fund. A key theme for the fund is urbanization, and the opportunities presented by the rapid rise of emerging market cities.“The greatest social and economic transformations in the world today are in developing countries and it all comes down, in my opinion, to urbanization. While developed cities have mostly plateaued in population growth, emerging market cities are inflecting in population and in wealth,” Haskell said.

Jonathan Miniman, global portfolio manager and head of the Americas real estate securities research team at CBRE Investment Management, was a guest on the latest episode of the Nareit REIT Report.During the interview, Miniman discussed: concerns impacting commercial real estate—including the banking crisis; potential opportunities for REITs in the months ahead; the role REITs can play in conjunction with private real estate; and the role that active managers can play for REIT investors.Miniman said that the repricing of REITs that occurred last year, coupled with a likely near-term pausing in interest rate hikes, provide a “catalyst” for the asset class going forward.“The listed market has taken a whole lot of the pain already,” Miniman said. He noted that in the past four historical interest rate increase cycles, listed REITs have started to gain ground about three months prior to the final increase.

REITs are likely to attract growing interest from private real estate funds looking to deploy capital where they see value discrepancies, says Christian Busken, senior vice president and director of real assets at FEG Investment Advisors.“There's a growing recognition that REITs present some attractive opportunities and I think that we'll see more private firms getting into the space,” Busken told the REIT Report podcast. He noted that “it's not unusual for us to see some of our private real estate funds selectively take positions in REITs where they see some kind of a value discrepancy.”Busken added that with $300 billion-plus of private real estate dry powder on the sidelines and needing to be deployed, “we could definitely see more private funds playing in the market.”

Recent survey data from Columbia Threadneedle Investments shows that 93% of financial advisors plan to maintain or increase their real estate allocations over the next 12 to 24 months, confirming that the “timing is right” for the launch of the Columbia Research Enhanced Real Estate ETF (NYSE Arca: CRED), says Marc Zeitoun, head of strategic beta at the global asset manager.Columbia Threadneedle launched CRED on April 26. The ETF tracks a custom, proprietary index which typically tracks 70-90 REITs weighted across eight sectors. It is designed to outperform the FTSE Nareit All Equity REITs Index through research-driven security selection and modified market cap weighting that emphasizes income and geographic opportunity.Speaking on the REIT Report, Zeitoun noted that the firm’s survey data also showed that 82% of financial advisors favored the REIT structure as a way to express their preferences in real estate. “So, we think that timing is right, and we know for sure that the packaging is right relative to th

REITs are making gains across the board in adopting practices that enable investors to make informed decisions taking into account environmental and social strategy and performance, says Jessica Long, Nareit senior vice president for environmental stewardship and sustainability.Speaking on the REIT Report, Long noted that Nareit’s latest REIT ESG Dashboard shows that 100% of the top 100 REITs are reporting publicly on ESG in some manner. “REITs really are demonstrating that as an industry, real estate is taking seriously the requests from investors and regulators and other key stakeholders that are saying that ‘these environmental and social issues are important to us and we want to understand how you're managing those things.’”One data point in the latest dashboard shows that 89% of REITs are reporting on their climate risk policy. Long noted that these percentages show that REITs “are out ahead on this….and putting in place policies and procedures and looking at the metrics to help better manage this r

Championing change related to diversity, equity, and inclusion matters requires organizations to actively commit people and resources to the task, to clarify that change is everybody’s responsibility, and to build coalitions wherever possible, says Adjoa B. Asamoah, an advocate of racial equity and an award-winning social impact strategist.Asamoah, a keynote speaker at Nareit's REITwise: 2023 Law, Accounting & Finance Conference, developed the legislative strategy for the CROWN Act and leads the movement on behalf of the CROWN Coalition to end race-based hair discrimination.Speaking on the Nareit REIT Report, she described the CROWN Act as a “blueprint for championing change,” and added that it has been “groundbreaking on so many fronts and really shows that people can have a role in creating the society that they want to live in.”

A record number of products still under development in the life sciences sector continue to provide tailwinds for the industry, despite volatility in the broader macroeconomic environment, says Matt Gardner, CBRE’s U.S. life sciences leader.Speaking on the Nareit REIT Report, Gardner noted that a bull run of investment in life sciences, that started in 2015, “left us with an incredible number of products in development. And those are still there.”Gardner stressed that the life sciences industry doesn’t follow broader economic patterns. “If a product takes 10 to 15 years to develop, the investment in that product isn't going to follow a seven year economic cycle, which is why we look at this record number of products in phase two and phase three clinical trials as such an important sign of the industry's overall wellbeing. The science is still there,” he said.

Residential REITs offer investors a safe option amid current volatility, with strong balance sheets, leasing tailwinds, and the continued shortage of affordable starter homes among the key factors supporting growth in the sector, says David Auerbach, managing director at Armada ETF Advisors.Armada’s flagship product HAUS is an exchange traded fund (ETF) comprised of 25 pure play residential REITs in the multifamily, manufactured housing, single-family rental, and senior housing segments. It recently celebrated its one year anniversary of being a publicly traded entity.Speaking to the Nareit REIT Report, Auerbach noted that most REITs in the residential sector were able to lock in attractive long-term debt and are well-capitalized to handle the current interest rate environment.As for leasing and rent growth trends, Auerbach pointed to continued strength in many of the Sunbelt markets, while there are signs of residents returning to some of the coastal markets as well.

Farmland Partners Inc . (NYSE: FPI) President and CEO Luca Fabbri says there is “huge potential” to grow the share of farmland assets within institutional investor portfolios, especially given the sector’s risk return profile, asset appreciation, and inflation protection benefits.A co-founder of Farmland Partners alongside former CEO Paul Pittman, Fabbri was named president in October 2021 after serving as the company’s CFO since its inception. He became CEO in February.Speaking with the Nareit REIT Report, Fabbri said the value of U.S. farmland assets is about $2.7 trillion, with institutional investors accounting for probably 5% or less of that amount. That means that there is still a lot of education to be done to show investors that the asset class offers many potential benefits. Among those are the scarcity of the underlying asset, an attractive risk return profile, asset appreciation, inflation protection, and the absence of correlation with other asset classes.

Essex Property Trust, Inc . (NYSE:ESS) President and CEO Mike Schall says the multifamily REIT is facing favorable tailwinds—including continued tech investment in its core markets, muted supply, and strong balance sheet fundamentals—as he prepares to step down from his current role at the end of the month.Schall has served as president and CEO since 2011. His successor is Angela Kleiman, Essex’s current SVP and COO.Speaking with the REIT Report, Schall said, “Coming out of periods of disruption, we've always been an opportunistic company. We've always found the right investments in the right place. And I think this is the case today.”Schall highlighted the rapid pace of investments underway today by tech companies in artificial intelligence, which is likely to drive the economies of northern California and Seattle. “That will help Essex continue to grow as it has over much of the last 30 years or so.”

The supply of housing in the United States has “never been more out of balance”—with the lack of affordable housing particularly acute—making long-term policy initiatives on the federal, state, and local level more important than ever, says Sharon Wilson Géno, president of the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC).Wilson Géno assumed the role of president from Doug Bibby in January, when he officially stepped down after more than 20 years of leading the organization.Speaking on the REIT Report, Wilson Géno said, “The bottom line is, the demand for more housing in this country is as far as the eye can see.”Research by NMHC and other organizations indicates that the U.S. housing stock is in a deficit of about 4 million units.Wilson Géno said new households have formed in the wake of the pandemic, “and that really put a significant strain on the housing supply that was available.” Sizeable rent increases also occurred into the first half of 2022, she noted.

Dynex Capital, Inc . (NYSE: DX) CEO Byron Boston describes the current geopolitical and macroeconomic conditions as an “evolving period” in which the mREIT is maintaining a flexible mindset and evaluating multiple scenarios for the future.Boston, who is also the mREIT’s co-chief investment officer, told the REIT Report that “we're respectful of this evolving period. We're respectful that we may continue to be surprised.” In response, Dynex Capital is carrying more cash and liquidity on its balance sheet, he noted. “Liquidity is absolutely key.”This year, Dynex Capital will not be trying to predict exactly how far or how fast inflation will go, Boston said. “We are evaluating from a month-to-month basis. We're carrying more cash and liquidity because we feel it is dangerous to try to pick one scenario and structure your portfolio around that one scenario with economic variables being this uncertain, and the potential for exogenous shocks to the economy so high.”Dynex Capital’s number one strateg

Investors looking to allocate to real estate today should consider the listed market first, with REITs in particular priced to deliver annual returns in the high single digit range for the next several years, says Lisa Kaufman, head of global securities at LaSalle.“We see public real estate as unequivocally more attractive than private real estate today,” Kaufman told Nareit’s REIT Report podcast.Kaufman said the REIT market has been “really very rational” through the recent period of tightening financial conditions, “and financial conditions do remain in the driver's seat.” She noted that REIT returns “are attractive and we have a higher level of conviction in our outlook today just given the material tightening of financial conditions and the repricing that's already occurred in the REIT sector.”REITs are underrepresented today in institutional real estate portfolios, Kaufman said. Listed real estate represents around 45% of institutional quality real estate worldwide, but only about 20% of invest

REITs provide protection against high and moderate inflation across a range of property types, says Nareit Vice President of Research Nicole Funari.Speaking on Nareit’s REIT Report podcast, Funari noted that, in terms of how REITs respond to inflation pressures, “people are inclined to believe that there might be differences among the property sectors, but the data doesn't bear that out.”

The potential for rolling country-level recessions and the impact of higher interest rates on transactions and capital flows are among the main themes influencing global real estate investment in 2023. The result, according to Citi’s global real estate research team, are opportunities mixed in with the broader uncertainty facing investors.“I think there's a lot more uncertainty entering 2023 than we've seen at least in the past few years, putting aside COVID. I think that's going to be the biggest challenge and opportunity depending on how that turns out,” Nick Joseph, Citi’s global head of real estate and head of the U.S. real estate and lodging research team, told Nareit’s REIT Report podcast.Global sector-specific trends that Citi is monitoring include: the future of the office; e-commerce and the impact on brick and mortar; lodging demand and recovery; health care coming out of the pandemic; housing trends; and digital transformation and its impact on infrastructure.

The REIT industry is undertaking “critical” work to ensure that real estate’s leadership, staff, and procurement opportunities better reflect the nation’s wider demographics, says Ayris T. Scales, Nareit’s senior vice president for social responsibility and global initiatives.Speaking on Nareit’s REIT Report, Scales said that Nareit is working together with its REIT members to accelerate change collectively and “elevate the way that we do things on behalf of the industry.”Scales outlined two key projects underway at Nareit to advance diversity and inclusion throughout the industry.She noted that the grant application process for the Nareit Foundation’s Dividends through Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DDEI) Giving Campaign opened this week.Among the groups urged to apply, Scales said, are organizations focusing on ways to help secure talent for the real estate industry by looking at ways to expose high school or college students to real estate opportunities through mentorship, internships, and any other typ

REITs have historically made solid returns following the onset of a recession, particularly in the early stages of the cycle, making this an ideal time for investors to begin building an exposure to the asset class, says Rich Hill, head of real estate strategy and research at Cohen & Steers.Speaking on the Nareit REIT Report, Hill said REITs have historically produced average 12-month forward returns of more than 10% following the onset of a recession, with early-cycle returns exceeding 20%.

A recovery in the real estate capital markets is likely to begin around the middle of the year, with transaction activity becoming better supported over the course of 2023 as financial stresses start to ease, says Richard Barkham, CBRE’s global chief economist.Speaking on the Nareit REIT Report podcast, Barkham said, “real estate capital markets tend to lead the economy, both on the downside and in the upturn…it’s going to take a while for investors to start to move because they want to assess the situation in terms of fundamentals. But we do see a capital markets recovery beginning around mid-year.”Barkham said transaction activity is likely to become better supported over the course of the year as financial conditions improve, primarily in the second half of the year. However, “that's not to say there won't be activity in the first half of the year. There is a record amount of capital looking to deploy in real estate and looking for opportunities, particularly if pricing is a little bit more favor

Centers for Leadership Excellence (CLE), a new initiative from the Ferguson Charitable Foundation, seeks to introduce ethnically diverse college students to career opportunities available in real estate, with the long-term goal of helping to change the racial and ethnic composition of the sector.“We want to get these students into the boardroom and into the c-suite because as leaders they can effectuate change,” Bill Ferguson, chairman of Ferguson Partners and president of the Ferguson Charitable Foundation, told the Nareit REIT Report.Ebony Mitchell, director of strategic initiatives at Ferguson and student liaison for CLE, noted that with the lack of ethnic diversity in commercial real estate, “there's been a limited number of role models and mentors of color to attract young collegiate talent on and off campus.” She added that many of Ferguson’s clients have also struggled with attracting diverse talent, especially at the entry level due to traditional campus recruiting efforts.Ferguson explained that

REITs have demonstrated resilient operational performance and are well prepared for the continued economic uncertainty, higher interest rates, and elevated inflation expected in the coming year, says Ed Pierzak, Nareit’s senior vice president for research.Speaking on the Nareit REIT Report, Pierzak noted that REITs are not only performing well but are keeping pace with inflation. Meanwhile, balance sheets are in “great shape,” with leverage ratios near historical lows.With the risk of recession a dominant theme for 2023, Pierzak pointed out that “a recession does not have to equate to negative property total returns.”A Nareit analysis of the last six U.S recessions shows that on average, REIT's underperformed private real estate in the four quarters before a recession. However, REIT's outperformed private real estate both during a recession and in the four quarters after. A comparison of the FTSE Nareit All Equity Index to the Russell 1000 Index found that it outperformed broader equities before, du