Your Commercial Real Estate Insider guide. From profiles of the biggest dealmakers to skyline-shaping transactions, we bring you the deals, breakdowns and war stories that move the market — for insiders, by insiders. From bad-boy guarantees to CMBS tranche warfare to syndicator sins, we cover it all.
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Ep68: Skyscraper Triage & Data Center Power Struggle
Jul 15
This week, we ride up a rickety construction elevator to the 21st floor of the Pfizer Building, where a major scare threatens to consume New York’s signature office-resi conversion project. We do a 360-degree analysis, from the bricks n’ sticks to the financials and the all-important narrative, looking at the stakes for developers Nathan Berman & David Werner, lender Madison Realty Capital and city & state stakeholders. Then, we check in on a battle of hearts and minds in Virginia, where Blackstone has walked away from a data-center megaproject. The behemoth and many of its peers are grappling with a growing national discontent that has to be putting some investment question marks on this emerging asset class. Plus, our Punch List rundown of the newsiest industry happenings: Airbnb's NYC buy; Norges' retail JV'; SF developers walk; Charles Cohen gets off the mat.
This week, we wade into the underbelly of big-ticket restructuring, looking at Pimco’s $1.8B lifeline on its disastrous bet on the Columbia Property Trust office portfolio, and how the lenders that stepped in after the default have set themselves up for a massive payday. The whole journey is a valuable lens into the opportunities available deep in the nethers of the capstack. Next, we have to revisit the saga of S2 Capital's Scott Everett, the GP who’s now declared that his $400M multifamily fund is a total loss– we sensed this was coming, but it still hits. We dive into both the business and reputational aspects of the wipeout. Plus, our Punch List rundown of the newsiest industry happenings: RFR Realty succession; Sergey Brin's NYC rent-stabilized misadventure; Miami condo buyout aces; Kayne Anderson gobbled up.
Thsi week, we take stock of the legacy of Alan Greenspan, the long-serving Fed Chair who has died at the ripe old age of 100. Greenspan’s moves, for better and for worse, shaped the CRE market as we know it today. Next, we visit the rapidly gentrifying swamp that is Gowanus, where Sam Charney is remaking the neighborhood with a little help from his friends. And finally, we dive back into one of The Promote’s pet topics – the fallout from the end of the Traveling HFC property-tax loophole in Texas. Plus, our Punch List rundown of the newsiest industry happenings: Charles Cohen v Fortress; BTR-killer bill; NYC freezes rent; World Cup takeaways.
This week, we load up on chips n' vinegar and take you with us on an extraordinary journey into British caravan country. Embattled mobile-home king Robert Bull's tale brings together gypsies, Norwegian beauty queens and New York financiers – and yes, it is very much a CRE story. Next, we slip into Dolce & Gabbana and ride to the branded-condo epicenter of Miami, where JDS’ Michael Stern is prepping a rescue recap of his latest development – Stern is a first-draft pick for a real estate pirate, and we get into the backstory. And finally, a strong example of returns not mattering in institutional CRE – Nuveen has disclosed a string of meaty losses on its investing bets. Plus, our Punch List rundown of the newsiest industry happenings: a $1.3 billion arbitration award in an OC real estate dispute; Ken Griffin's empire-building; and Monty Bennett's pillaging of hotel REIT Braemar.
This week, we dive into the high-stakes, high-reward (not for shareholders tho) world of SL Green, the mighty REIT that is New York’s largest commercial landlord. From a deal junkie standpoint, SL Green is king of the hill, but no matter what it does, it can’t seem to get Wall Street to love it. Next, we convert our dollars to lek and head to Albania, where Jared Kushner is trying to create the next St. Barths. And finally, we load up those 10-cent bags and go shopping - for grocery anchored retail with TPG and friends. Plus, our "Punch List" rundown of the newsiest industry happenings: Brookfield's DC shutdown; Amancio Ortega's CRE fixer; Bears move to Indiana; LA mayoral race; and Paul Massey folds.
This week, we look at Texas billionaire Tilman Fertitta’s $18B megadeal for the Caesars entertainment empire - this is really an excuse for us to talk Tilman, one of the industries "C"haracters. Next, we dive into CoStar’s $800M acquisition of home-data firm Zonda – part of Andy Florance’s quest to control every piece of data in the real estate universe. And finally, it might be curtains for prominent multifamily developer ZOM Living, who we’re told is prepping a bankruptcy filing. Plus, our Punch List rundown of the newsiest industry news: NYC rips, S2's special servicing, Fisher Island fracas, Brookfield bombs again, and banks are back!
This week, we talk fear and loathing in interest rates: The 10Y and 5Y are going haywire and threaten to knock CRE's recovery off-kilter. Next, we discuss nepo babies running the asylum at Newmark: Howie Lutnick’s son Kyle has decided it’s his time to shine. And finally, we have to revisit one of the strangest sagas we’ve discussed on here: Floyd Mayweather is now throwing haymakers at his former confidant Jona Rechnitz in an explosive $175M lawsuit. Plus, our Punch List rundown of the newsiest industry news: A syndicator wipeout, BTR back from the brink, CO Power 100, EQR-AVB mega-merger is official.
In this special episode, we dive deep into the story of JMB Realty Corporation, one of the most influential firms in the modern history of CRE, with a playbook and an alumni network that continue to shape the industry today. You could argue that if JMB didn’t exist, real estate syndication would look very different today. M&A would look very different today. Hell, even the Heavenly Bed wouldn’t exist. From its humble beginnings as a glint in the eyes of Neil Bluhm, Judd Malkin and Robert Judelson, to its status as the powerhouse firm of the 80s and its legacy as the firm whose alum birthed Starwood, Blackstone Real Estate, Northwood and scores of other industry leaders, we explore it all. This is a must-listen both for industry vets and for up-and-comers looking to understand why the CRE industry looks the way it does today.
This week, we dive into Sunbelt multifamily kingpin’s Scott Everett's (S2 Capital) audacious attempt to save his distressed portfolio via a private REIT – an attempt coming apart in real time. It's an opportunity for us to discuss the Sunbelt ZIRP-fueled boom/bust, the broader syndicator reckoning and how figuring out how to survive is sometimes all you can do. It’s then time to talk fathers and sons – a long-stalled FiDi site at 8 Carlisle may finally see salvation after lender Maxim Capital kept the faith in developer Grubb Properties after a decade-long debacle by the Ohebshaloms. And then it’s time to unpack the real estate legacy of a G-reat man,just-passed media mogul Ted Turner. Plus, our Punch List rundown of the newsiest industry happenings: A sextortion plot against Fortress founder Wes Edens; Gary Barnett's latest assemblage; La Caisse and EB-5 investors taking a bath in Brooklyn; and Soloviev's $526M windfall at a Manhattan office trophy.