How a construction newbie learned to manage O’Hare’s $8.8B infrastructure project
Why this matters
Commercial real estate continues to digest a multi-year reset in cost of capital. Transaction velocity is below the 2019-2021 trend but improving, cap rates have stabilized across most stabilized property types, and the bid-ask gap has narrowed materially in the past two quarters. Sponsors with permanent capital and operating platforms have an advantage in the current execution environment. Chicago capital flow has been concentrated in industrial along the I-55 and I-80 corridors and in the most select downtown trophy office submarkets. Multifamily transaction volume has moved up in the Near North and West Loop. The next twelve months will continue to reward underwriting discipline and operational sophistication over balance-sheet aggression.
Editorial analysis · Real Estate Trail Editorial
On the RET wire
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Chicago Department of Aviation’s Zach Baughman is a lawyer, not a builder. That means he’s constantly asking construction teams about every aspect of the build.
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