Professor Gregg Colburn weighs in on the benefits of housing individuals experiencing homelessness in hotels, a program adopted by King County at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. | The Daily
Category: News
2016 Runstad Center Affiliate Fellows Present: A City to Love
Please join us for the 2016 Runstad Center Affiliate Fellows final presentation of their research from Auckland, New Zealand. They have explored the ways in which a city can rapidly transform the function and capacity of the public right of way to support a rich urban life at a time of unprecedented population growth. A relevant topic indeed!
A CITY TO LOVE
VISIONS OF A PUBLIC REALM
Friday, February 17, 2017
12:00-1:30 pm
Gould Hall, room 440
3950 University Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98195
Refreshments will be served, please RSVP to bestm2@uw.edu
The Runstad Center Affiliate Fellows Program gathers thought leaders from industry, faculty, and Master of Science in Real Estate students to examine real estate issues in cities around the globe. The 2016 Runstad Affiliate Fellows are Rick Mohler, Barbara Swift, Joe David, Giovanni Migliaccio, Genevieve Hale-Case, Amy Hartman, and Ben Broesamle.
Financial and macro-economic factors in global real estate markets
The last three decades have seen increased integration across global stock markets. New research from the Runstad Center of Real Estate Studies at the University of Washington has examined what factors drive international integration across public real estate markets. The research has implications for fund managers as increased integration can have a negative impact upon the diversification opportunities available across global real estate markets. The findings observe that whilst public real estate markets have become more inter-connected, both the level and increase in integration is less than that observed in stock markets generally.
The research, authored by Simon Stevenson, John and Rosalind Jacobi Family Professor of Real Estate and Director of the Runstad Center, also considers how financial and macro-economic factors impact the extent of co-movement across markets. The results highlight that those countries with heightened financial and trade openness and display monetary independence see increased integration. The stability of respective the foreign exchange rate also has a significant impact.
Financial market factors, both specific to public real estate as well as the broader stock market, are also important. The paper finds that increased integration is observed in countries with larger stock markets, which are themselves more integrated with the global market, whilst the size of the public real estate market also plays an role. Specifically, public real estate markets that constitute a larger proportion of the overall domestic stock market, also tend to display increased integration. Factors such as volatility and trading volume in public real estate stocks are also important elements.
The paper, “Macroeconomic and Financial Determinants of Co-Movement across Global Real Estate Security Markets” is published in the latest issue of the Journal of Real Estate Research, the primary publication of the American Real Estate Society.
Faculty search underway for undergraduate courses
The University of Washington’s Department of Urban Design and Planning and the Runstad Center are seeking two affiliate part-time instructors for the spring quarter to teach a Real Estate Market analysis course and an Accounting for Real Estate course. The instruction dates are from March 28th through June 1st with exam week being from June 5-9th. For additional information and material submission please contact Prof. Sofia Dermisi at sdermisi@uw.edu The application deadline is February 10th, 2017 and specific information regarding the position can be found here
New Undergraduate Initiative in Real Estate
Thanks to a generous endowment from the Jacobi Family and Windermere Real Estate the University of Washington is launching a series of undergraduate classes in real estate. The Director of the Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies, Professor Simon Stevenson, who also holds the John and Rosalind Jacobi Family Chair, described the initiative as an important part of the long-term development of the Real Estate program at UW.
“The development of an undergraduate minor is exciting in many respects. It will complement the well established MSRE program and will also open up real estate and the associated career possibilities to UW’s undergraduate student body. The first class started this quarter and from a standing start it already has over twenty students enrolled. The Intro to Real Estate class will be followed by a Market Analysis course in the Spring Quarter. As more courses are rolled out over the next two years this will develop into a fully-fledged minor in real estate. Everyone in the University of Washington’s College of Built Environments would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to Windermere Real Estate and the Jacobi family for their support and help in developing this exciting initiative”.
What can Seattle learn from Vancouver’s housing mess?
Peter Orser was recently quoted in a Crosscut article about how Seattle could be affected by Vancouver’s collapsing housing market, link to the story here
Keeping building materials green
One of our own, affiliate faculty member Nicole Denamur, wrote an article for the Daily Journal of Commerce this fall regarding environmental issues with building materials. Nicole is an attorney with Pacifica Law Group, a LEED Green Associate and WELL AP, and teaches Risk & Reward in Sustainable Development at the Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies. Read the story here.
Faculty Search
The University of Washington’s Department of Urban Design and Planning and the Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies are seeking applicants for two Assistant Professor positions and one Associate Professor position for the MS in Real Estate.
The appointments will be on a 9-month (100% FTE) basis with salary commensurate with qualifications and experience. Qualified candidates will hold a doctoral degree or foreign equivalent in a related field with expertise in at least one of the following areas; housing, real estate development, real estate finance and investment or corporate real estate and possess a record that demonstrates promise as a researcher and scholar.
Candidates for the Assistant Professor positions should be prepared to teach real estate courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Expertise in affordable housing and housing policy would be viewed favorably for the Associate Professor position. Follow the links below for full descriptions as well as application instructions.
Innovative ideas from Dallas
Today we begin a series of blog posts from our second year MSRE students, who recently attended the 2016 Urban Land Institute Fall Meeting in Dallas. One of the many benefits of an education at the Runstad Center is the unique opportunity to travel to a national conference and have exclusive access to a number of prominent figures in the industry, which is funded through generous donations from the Runstad Center Advisory Board. Evan Wong, MSRE Candidate 2017, shares his experiences in Dallas…
Following our ULI Young Leaders Group tour in Ft Worth yesterday evening, things were moving rather slowly for me in the morning. I woke up at 7 am (5 am PST) to get some work emails out and ran down to the café for an espresso where I ran into two of my MSRE compatriots, Brendan Mason and Amy Hartman also on their laptops in the lobby. Laughs were shared and pleasantries were exchanged as we bleakly looked on into our computer screens; our minds a bit fatigued but we were determined to get our school assignments completed and work emails sent.
It’s still relatively early in the trip, but the best thing about Dallas so far has been the weather. 85 degrees and partially sunny with a slight breeze throughout the day. Not the best suit weather certainly, but the conference rooms were frigid and I guess it kind of balanced out. I haven’t gotten to explore to much of the city given our dense schedule, but I did manage to sneak away to Klyde Warren Park on Monday for a few minutes of serenity and relaxation.
On Tuesday morning, we met with Hal Ferris, founder of Spectrum Development and Molly McCabe of ULI’s Responsibility Property Investment Council. Molly is a firm proponent of triple bottom line investing, which emphasizes a focus on profits, people, and environmental sustainability when evaluating real estate returns. It’s an interesting concept, and one that I just previously heard about earlier this quarter at The Evans School in Joaquin Herranz’s Public Policy 566: Community Economic Development class. Joaquin however stresses a quadruple bottom line approach, adding creativity as the fourth factor in the equation. It’s so exciting to see concepts that we learned about in the classroom being applied to the present in the real estate industry.
Following our meeting with Molly and Hal we then met with Scott Matthews of Vulcan to give us the State of the Union for Paul Allen’s development powerhouse. While they are known for their development of the Amazon campus and reinvigorating South Lake Union it was interesting to hear about the entitlement and community feedback process that they are currently going through for 23rd & Jackson in the Central District. Like all accomplished development companies, Vulcan takes community engagement very seriously and is actively working with all parties involved to develop a project that matches the needs of the community with Vulcan’s underlying ideals towards development and revitalization.
Meet Brendan Mason and Korbi Wenzl, MSRE Class of 2017
What happens when you bring a Visiting Graduate student from Germany and a 2nd year MSRE student together for a conversation?
The 2016-2017 school year has just started, and with it comes a group of fresh students with new ideas and career goals. Second year students begin this year with a big milestone in their future: graduation. The Runstad Center offers ample opportunity for networking amongst students and the industry, but this time we decided to invite a first year student and a second year student for a more intimate conversation. Joining us today are Korbinian Wenzl, MSRE Candidates of 2017, and Brendan Mason, MSRE Candidate of 2017.
Korbinian Wenzl is a 1st year MSRE student who is participating in the inaugural exchange program between the Runstad Center and the University of Regensburg in Germany. While this isn’t his first time in the US, he is getting his first dose of American education. After completing his first masters year at the International Real Estate Business School at the University of Regensburg, Korbi has just completed Orientation week and is enjoying his first quarter of the MSRE program.
Brendan Mason is a 2nd year MSRE student and an experienced project manager at Olympic Property Group. He is currently working on Harbor Hill, a 330-acre master planned community in Gig Harbor while simultaneously completing his Masters of Real Estate degree.
Given that tuition is free in Germany, we were especially curious to hear what brought Korbi to Seattle. It turns out he really wanted to get to know our educational system. “In Germany, classes are heavily lecture and exam based. Here, we have more discussions, which I find very interesting.” Says Korbi, “Of course, the UW and Runstad Center also have a great reputation.” He’s additionally attracted to Seattle’s growing real estate market and influx of capital. Finally, Korbi is also a big outdoor fan. “I can drive 30, 45 minutes and go hiking, kayaking, all sorts of activities!”
Since graduating from University of Puget Sound with his business degree, Brendan knew that he wanted to become a real estate developer. His career has included positions with Lease Crutcher Lewis and Olympic Property Group, but Brendan wanted additional education to compliment his work experience. “Back in 2006, I thought about the University of Southern California’s program. When the Runstad Center added the MSRE degree, I knew I wanted to be at the University of Washington. This is my home market and I’ll be able to obtain my degree while still gaining valuable experience in my role at Olympic Property Group,” Brendan says.
The most surprising aspect of the Runstad Center for both Korbi and Brendan is the incredible amount of industry support. “During Orientation week, we met so many people. Through this program we get to really know the real estate industry and our advisory board,” says Korbi. He nods in agreement, as Brendan adds, “We got to see the industry behind the scenes, where most people don’t get to see. I knew I would network and make friends, but this week solidified us as a class, and we built strong relationships even before our first class.”
“At first I couldn’t believe I needed to take a week’s worth of vacation to do Orientation Week,” Brendan laughs, “but it was totally worth it.”
“So why real estate?” asks Brendan, noting Korbi’s youth. Korbi is 22, but has known since high school that he wanted to work in real estate. “I’m creative, but I want to organize. Real estate is a perfect match of both worlds for me,” Korbi explains. Following graduation, he will be going back to Germany where he will work for his sponsor, the Staudinger Group, for five years. “I’m still trying out different aspects of real estate, but I’m drawn to development and asset management at a portfolio level, which are all important business lines at Staudinger,” he adds, “Following that, we’ll see where I go, depending on the opportunity, of course!”
Korbi poses the same question to Brendan. Why real estate? What aspect of real estate are you drawn to? “I’m pursuing development,” Brendan responds, “During undergrad, I thought I’d pursue a career as a financial advisor and did an internship at Morgan Stanley. After a few months, I knew it wasn’t the right fit for me. My business school invited alums to talk to us every Thursday night. On one of those evenings a gentleman by the name of Tom Leavitt explained to us his transition from being an attorney to a real estate developer. By the end of his presentation, I knew that I would do whatever it took to become one myself. I love being a developer because you get to see your project when you finish. You get to live it and it lasts a lifetime.”
“It lasts a lifetime. I love that,” responds Korbi.
“To your point, real estate development allows me to be creative. For my current project in Gig Harbor, I’ve collaborated with my team and an artist to build a natural park that engages with the community. The whole project will include single family homes, multifamily units, retail, and numerous parks and trails. It is a beautiful example of what the Growth Management Act set out to do; increase density while preserving greenspace. I don’t know where else I can have such a cool job!” Brendan says enthusiastically as he shares photos of artwork for the parks.
As future leaders of the real estate community, the conversation turns to the biggest issues facing Seattle. Despite only having lived in Seattle for a month, Korbi immediately answers, “Easy question. Transit. Especially coming from Europe.”
Brendan laughs and agrees, and then adds, “Population growth is also a big challenge. As a developer, I’m against urban sprawl. We need to be able to do more infill projects in order to preserve our resources and natural landscape. Also, I’m excited for the potential of driverless cars and what that means for development. Parking structures might be a thing of the past and they make great redevelopment sites.”
Despite these challenges, Brendan and Korbi both love Seattle. Some of their favorite things? “Tango’s El Diablo dessert,” says Brendan, “You need to go try it.” Korbi is game, but he is enjoying Seattle because of the great opportunities and easy access to the mountains and outdoor recreation. Brendan agrees and says “If you like the mountains, you should come with me night skiing after class during winter quarter, there isn’t a better way to end a day after class.” “That sounds great”, replies Korbi as the two start planning their wintertime adventure.