CHICAGO: Time To Get Picky
With lots of capital entering the student housing market, it's critical to be selective with new acquisitions and development. We'll hear strategies from the experts, including Blue Vista Capital Partners SVP Walt Templin, at Bisnow's second annual Chicago Student Housing Summit on Dec. 19. There are interesting investment and development opportunities, but investors need to be diligent about fully underwriting not only the school and market, but also the potential for future supply, Walt says. Hungry buyers are even willing to look in markets that have significant pipelines, like Florida State University, but location and buying at the right basis are key.
Blue Vista has acquired or developed more than $1.3B in student housing, representing 52 assets on 38 campuses. Its local property, 477-bed Tailor Lofts at UIC (managed by an affiliate), has seen strong performance thanks to the city's limited student housing development pipeline and large student body in the Loop area, Walt says. Students continue to demand resort-caliber, high-quality amenity packages, which include everything from giant swimming pools with lazy rivers to golf simulators in the clubhouse areas. Walt's expecting his first child and dreaming about what student housing will look like 18 years from now. (Robots use the golf simulator while you actually study, perhaps?)
