Tech-savvy Moms Lead Home-based Food Culture

According to “Moms as Food Shoppers: Grocery Store and Supercenter Patterns and Trends,” a recently released report from market research firm Packaged Facts, the modern American mom is at the center of the new home-based food culture and at the front lines of the movement toward healthy eating.

Each year, moms contribute to spending nearly $200 billion on food purchased for use at home. The report reveals that 13.3 million moms (41 percent) consider their kitchen to be the most important room in their home, while 19.7 million (61 percent) say they enjoy cooking.

A growing number of these moms want to put a new spin on the same old menus, especially with new recipes and food products, and this growing desire has given influence to the internet and social media when it comes to household food purchases.

Read the full article here: http://www.progressivegrocer.com/top-stories/headlines/fresh-food/id36836/tech-savvy-moms-lead-home-based-food-culture/

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Retail Auctions Heat Up (VIDEO)

Who is interested in buying retail real estate in an auction environment? How much of auctioned retail real estate is distressed? Auction.com’s Joe Cuomo answers those questions on GlobeSt TV this week at ICSC-New York.

View the full video here: http://www.globest.com/videos/event_coverage/newyork/retail-real-estate-auctions-327396.html

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Housing Starts Surge, But Rentals Are the Drivers

The headline number for housing starts was big, exceeding expectations and sending the home builder stocks on yet another tear.

Tim Boyle | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Starts hit 894,000 (annualized) in October, over 50,000 more than the analysts forecast. Housing starts are now at their highest level since July 2008. (Read More: Good News Keeps Coming for Housing as Starts Surge)

“We expect the builder equities will react positively initially, but then fade through the day once the report is fully digested as 'multifamily' was the key driver of the results,” warned Stephen East at ISI.

There is no question that home builders are benefiting from tight supply in the existing home market and overall improved consumer confidence. That was apparent in the home builder confidence numbers released this week, which hit the highest level in six years. (Read More: Builders Bump Up Thanks to Drop in Existing Home Supply.)

Read the full article here.

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Recovery to Advance in 2013 for CRE

San Francisco Named Top City in 2013 Real Estate Forecast

• San Francisco displaces Washington, D.C., as top-ranked city.
• Apartment sector remains investors' favored property type.
• Secondary markets to gain favor as investors search for yield beyond high-priced core markets.
• Office sector has started to come back; retail "not as bad as feared;" hotels are "surprisingly good."
• U.S. is still seen as a safe harbor for global investment.

 "This is our recovery," Jonathan D. Miller, principal author of the report, said when the Emerging Trends in Real Estate forecast was presented at ULI's Fall Meeting in Denver. "It's a recovery, but anchored in considerable uncertainty," Miller said. He cited Europe's economic troubles, a slowdown in China, and the "fiscal cliff" looming in the United States. But the forecast says modest gains in leasing, rents, and pricing will extend across U.S. markets from coast-to-coast and improve prospects for all property sectors. 

According to survey participants, despite a slower-than-normal real estate recovery track, U.S. property sectors and markets will register noticeably better prospects as compared with last year. Recent job creation should be enough to increase absorption and push down vacancy rates in the office, industrial, and retail sectors, helped by the limited new supply in commercial markets. Robust demand for apartments should hold up, survey respondents indicate, even as new construction ramps up – and even the housing sector makes progress in most regions. Additionally, improving fundamentals should help with rents and net operating incomes, building confidence about sustained growth and strengthening recent appreciation.

Read the full article here.

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CRE 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.

View the full story here.

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Are Boomers the Reason Urban Rents Are Rising?

We know that home ownership is down, super-tiny and very-narrow houses are springing up, and urban rents are rising. Here's another trend to add to the mix: .

On Sunday, the website posted an infographic on their blog examining the renting habits of baby boomers and their offspring. RENTCafé project manager Catriona Orosco explained the trend in an email:

What we're seeing is a wholesale recalibration of expectations. Americans just starting their professional lives are realizing that it will be less likely for them to be able to afford the things their parents had, so they are making different choices about how to live. They also crave flexibility, so if a job or personal opportunity presents itself, they can say yes without being tied to a mortgage.

As for Americans nearing retirement, they are being cautious with the resources that are still available to them — they're downsizing not just for convenience, but because they want to be financially smart and prepared for the future. Maybe the best way to put it is that we're all just being a bit more realistic about our American dream these days.

Read the full article here.

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Can This Mall Be Saved? Need Lower Debt, Deep Pockets

Despite Major Risks, Some Gutsy Owners and Investors Are Hoping To Cash In On Value-Add B-Mall Turnarounds and Repositionings

Last week, CoStar News reported on the daunting challenges faced by hundreds of outmoded malls in remaining relevant in a increasingly Darwinian retail environment. In this, the second of a three-part series, we look at the signs that may signal a mall's days may be numbered, and how some gutsy investors are taking on the challenge of reviving moribund properties. 

According to retail property experts, changes in a couple of key vital signs often provide the first signs that a mall may be in trouble. 

Consistent declines in retail sales per square foot over an extended time is one big warning sign, according to Gerard V. Mason, veteran retail specialist and executive managing director of Savills US. Higher quality class A malls should take in at least $400 per square foot, while a decent B-class mall will yield about $350 a square foot. Any time a mall's sales fall below $300 per square foot, it's likely in very serious trouble, according to Mason. 

Read the full article here.

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