SIMON SELLS

Cushman & Wakefield's Simon Butler tells us his Boston multifamily investment sales team, which includes Biria St. John,Michael Byrne, John McLaughlin, and the pretty sweet view that we snapped above, has been busy throughout the downturn. But what a difference a recovery makes. In September '09, he sold the Avalon at Faxon Park in Quincy for $159k/unit, which amounted to a 6.8% cap rate. In January, he sold the Reserve at Marina Bay in Quincy for $256/unit, a 4.9% cap rate. Rents are rising, confidence is returning, and institutional buyers have come back to the market. He tells us that buyers are willing to accept lower yields, 4% to 5% now compared to 7% for Class-A suburban multifamily in '09.
As the newest member of the team, John's seeing a new trend in ?11. Land is selling again, as developers plan to build. They're zeroing in on urban locations near downtowns and the better bedroom suburbs. New buyers coming into the Boston market include: REITs like UDR from Denver, pension funds like CBRE Investors, and new private players like Dawn Homes of Albany and Acumen Real Estate from Miami. Pre-recession, buyers werelooking throughout the region. Today, buyers are more urban focused, and some like Equity Residential are shedding apartments in outlying locations such as Manchester, NH and buying in Boston.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's Boston Newsletters
Related Stories

Energy Company Opens 125K SF Newton Office: The Boston Deal Sheet

Simon Approaching End Of The Road With Struggling Suburban Boston Mall

Downtown Atlanta Improvement Group Picks Food Bank Chief As Next Leader

Wu Proposes Tax Breaks To Jump-Start Stalled Housing Projects

Trump's DEI Crackdown Is Creating New Risks For Landlords That Lease To The Government

Oxford Properties' U.S. Investment Head On Why It's Buying Office Again — And Where

Brandon Johnson Seeks Second Term Amid Strained CRE Relationship

Davis Looks To Sell 16-Building Beacon Hill, Back Bay Portfolio

Former CBRE Exec Suing Brokerage Giant Over Age Discrimination, Whistleblower Complaint

D.C. Investor Behind The Stacks Swaps CEO For First Time In 25 Years

Healey's New Data Center Rules Make Massachusetts A Tough Sell For Developers

Anthropic Doubling Local Presence With Cambridge Office Lease