A generational CRE hangover...
---- Three fundamental shifts ----
1. Less excess return
The 10-year Treasury rate was 6.7% in the 1990s. It fell to 4.5% in the early 2000s, to 2.4% in the 2010s, and sub-2 % during the pandemic and subsequent recovery.
Real estate return requirements also fell: 10%+ in the 1990s, 8% in the early 2000s, 7% in the 2010s, and 6% during the pandemic recovery.
...but the spread between treasury yields and real estate returns was the highest on record as Treasurys reached their trough. CRE returns were 0.6x Treasuries in the 1990s and peaked between 2-3x Treasuries when the 10 Year approached 0%.
2. Higher return requirements
Back to the future? The dust hasn't settled, but it's clear that the 'free money' days of real estate are over. The 'new' reality is reminiscent of the 1990s. Buyers are demanding higher returns, pushing down values, which hurts sellers.
3. More dispersion
The difference between winners and losers, within CRE, is growing. In the 2000s, there was very little difference between the highest and lowest yielding real estate sectors. But that difference has grown from about 10% to about 50%.
---- Good news: No existential crisis ----
Despite a steady flow of real estate 'doom loop' headlines, the industry does not face an existential crisis.
Why is this so difficult for pundits to believe?
Perhaps because CRE has been whipsawed by crises since the 1980s: Extreme overbuilding, widespread excess debt (S&L), and excess debt again (GFC).
But declining values don't necessarily equate to a crisis. Sometimes, it's just a cycle. Normal cycle declines stay in the fairway (i.e., 25% ish value declines), while existential declines threaten the fundamental structure of the industry. The industry, as a whole, is in the fairway.
PS - Another bit of good news: This framework is yet another indicator suggesting that real estate players will increasingly get paid for skills (vs. simply being in the market). This will likely be painful for some ('why am I not getting a call back') but opportunistic for others ('we need someone who can do [xyz].')
I like fixing things… and I am always hiring good people.
1wI am 3 months post-class and it has paid for itself multiple times in relationships alone. Love the class, love the leaders. Great group.