Residential
Rentals | MNS
Rents in Manhattan stayed flat in April, increasing by just 0.22 percent to $3,965. The most robust area was the Lower East Side, which posted month-over-month price hikes for doorman studios (11.6 percent), one-bedrooms (4.6 percent) and two-bedrooms (7.1 percent). The biggest bargains are doorman one-bedrooms in Soho (down 36 percent) and non-doorman one-bedrooms in Tribeca (down 10.9 percent). Read the report here.
Rentals | RentCafe
Rents in Brooklyn dropped slightly in April. During the month, the borough posted a one percent year-on-year decline to settle at $2,688. In spite of the drop, Brooklyn ranked as the ninth most expensive rental market in the country. The borough’s rent price was almost double the national average of $1,377. Read the report here.
Commercial
2017 China-US Inbound Investment Capital Watch | Cushman & Wakefield
Chinese investment in U.S. commercial real estate dropped by 55 percent to $7.3 billion in 2017. The decline, brought on by tighter capital controls from Beijing, resulted in China dropping in the ranking of foreign capital sources behind Canada and Singapore. The tepid investment volume from Chinese buyers coincided with a retreat from deals over $1 billion. During the year, Chinese activity in the large deals dropped by 75 percent. Read the report here.
Construction Costs | Associated General Contractors of America
In April, the cost of construction materials posted its highest year-on-year increase since 2011. During the period, price hikes touched goods such as lumber and plywood (11 percent), aluminum mill shapes (11.9 percent) and steel mill products (7.4 percent). Other construction materials that registered price increases include diesel fuel (41.6 percent) and ready-mix concrete (6.9 percent). The increases were attributed to tariffs imposed on Canadian lumber and Chinese steel and aluminum. Read the price index here.