How much warehouse you can buy today versus last year... sellers, take note.

While the transitions through business cycles can affect consumer confidence and create uncertainty in the financial markets, it’s important to realize we are still a long way off from 20% interest rates, and remain, at present, in historical low territory. Having said this, it’s obvious that a 3.25% increase in the BOC benchmark rate over just a 6-month period will have some tangible consequences. I am going to outline the facts behind affordability in the commercial real estate sphere compared to 12 months ago, and outline how this is affecting our owner/user clients (those who would occupy their own building) and our investor clients (who are looking for tenanted assets with a return on their money). Spoiler alert… property values are (gradually) eroding.

Investment, EconomicsBronwyn Scrivens, Omada CommercialOctober 11, 2022Inflation, Economics, Economy, Interest Rates, Alberta, Industrial, InvestmentComment

Where has all the distribution space gone, Alberta?

It truly wasn’t long ago, maybe 12 months or less, that Edmonton and Calgary were flush, perhaps too flush, with Class A speculative distribution space. In the matter of not years, but months, the inventory in both major cities has been absorbed by household names who have entered the Alberta market in quick succession. Regardless of submarket - north, south, east, west or periphery - the pickings are now unbelievably slim for large distribution tenants looking to take advantage of the low cost environment in our province and move into warehouse space within the calendar year.

The multi-billion dollar industry that is relatively non-existent in Alberta...and shouldn’t be.

Data is growing at an almost incomprehensible rate. There are 2.5 quintillion bytes of data created each day at our current pace, but with the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, 5G and AI, that pace is accelerating. By understanding the requirements and initiatives surrounding tech based real estate, Alberta could be in an advantageous position to diversify industry and encourage the absorption of current vacancy in the form of data centres.

Investment, Development, Market, Technology, TrendsBronwyn ScrivensJanuary 7, 2020data centre, Tech, Technology, tech based real estate, development, InvestmentComment

"Beds and Sheds" hedging to be the front runners for investors in 2020

The catchphrase of the moment is proving to hold its weight as we analyze commercial real estate trends leading into the new year. Canada’s Multifamily market is the strongest it’s ever been with rental rates nearing 10-year highs, apartments near 100% occupancy, and volatility remaining low. On the industrial front, demand for fulfillment space continues to reign supreme to satisfy the multiplying growth metrics in e-commerce.

Directing your attention to Prosperity Edmonton

Founded by a collaborative group of local businesses and non-profit organizations, they came together with the common goal of fostering competitive tax and policy programs within the City of Edmonton to ensure all businesses and citizens can successfully grow and flourish.

Development, Economics, InvestmentBronwyn Scrivens, Omada CommercialSeptember 3, 2019edmonton, Development, Investment, taxes, permitComment

Improving Canada's real estate investment and taxation policies - where's our 1031 exchange?

Unless you’ve had the opportunity to be involved with real estate investments in the United States, you may not know what a 1031 exchange is. Also called a like-kind exchange, this is a unique and progressive policy under the IRS that allows allows an investor to sell a property, reinvest the proceeds into a new property, then defer all capital gain taxes until a future date. It improves asset liquidity, increases market transaction volume, and promotes larger capital investment into the market.

The Four Commercial Real Estate Investment Strategies

Core, Core Plus, Value Add and Opportunistic are terms used to define the risk and return characteristics of a real estate investment. They range from conservative to aggressive and are defined by both the physical attributes of the property and the amount of debt used to capitalize a project. Have a look at the following videos and sections, where I’ve briefly explained the differences between the four strategies.

Canadian Lodging Industry Continues to Show Positive Momentum

This week I wanted to jump back into my ‘Hotelie’ roots and highlight trends of the Canadian Hospitality Industry. Though not discussed as frequently, the lodging industry in Canada makes up a large part of the commercial real estate transaction volume in our country. In fact, 2016 and 2017 saw roughly $4.1 Billion and $3.5 Billion, respectively, in total transaction volume, the highest numbers in over ten years!

Trends, InvestmentBronwyn Scrivens, Omada CommercialNovember 27, 2018Commercial Real Estate, Real Estate, hospitality, hotels, lodging, trends, InvestmentComment

Over 15 transactions ranging from $10 Million - $63 Million have occurred in Edmonton this year!

For many years, Edmonton has been considered by neighbouring metropolitan cities, a second-tier destination, a "working-class" town. When individuals and businesses from around the world think of Canada, they always first spout out - Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary... And while we have primarily been a blue-collar City, this does not mean that our business owners are shy of investment capital, nor does it mean that our City lacks innovation, diversity and opportunity.

Extreme Makeover: Edmonton Edition

As we near the midway mark of 2017, it's been exciting to see the changes to our Downtown Skyline as existing development projects near completion, while others break ground and continue to mold our core.

Cushman & Wakefield Quarterly Marketbeat Reports - Q1 2017

Take a look at the quarterly reports and videos that outline the commercial real estate transactions and trends of Q1 2017 in the Greater Edmonton Area. Have we really hit the bottom?

"Maple Revolutionaries" - Canada's Pension Fund Giants

Canada's Top 10 Pension Funds collectively manage over $1.1 Trillion and rank as some of the largest in the world. They have created a model for investment management that has become a template and inspiration to public funds on a global scale.

InvestmentBronwyn ScrivensApril 26, 2017Commercial Real Estate, Real Estate, Pension Fund, Fund, Investment, Management, CanadaComment

Construction Cost Guidelines

Construction projects are made up of a combination of hard costs and soft costs that must be budgeted with accuracy in order to ensure the success of the project, but what is the difference between these hard and soft costs?

Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2017 - PwC & ULI Report

I'm pleased to provide the Annual PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) and Urban Land Institute (ULI) Report on upcoming and emerging trends in the Canadian and American Real Estate markets.

Cushman & Wakefield Quarterly Marketbeat Reports - Q4 2016

Take a look at the quarterly reports and videos that outline the transactions and trends of Q4 2016 in the Greater Edmonton Area. What do we expect heading into 2017?

Thought Leadership

Bronwyn Scrivens, SIOR is a licensed real estate agent with: