Residents Still Flocking to San Antonio

San Antonio Commercial Advisors senior director Scott Weems just opened Legacy Brooks, a 412-unit property on the southeast side of town, and says the property has leased over 100 units since November. That's some solid activity for the slower winter months, and he's expecting a pickup in April. There's been a slight slowdown in traffic from oilfield workers, but there are still a good number of those residents leasing, Scott says. Next, he'll turn his attention to the Northwest—he's breaking ground next month on Legacy Flats, a 310-unit community at 1604 and Shaenfield.

Things are looking bright on the investment sales side, too. Scott and senior director Brandon Lo Porto just completed the sale of Cotton Crossing (pictured), a 118-unit, Class-A community. It got close to record pricing for its vintage (2000s), Scott says, because lots of investors were drawn to the property's quality, upside potential, and location in New Braunfels (a very strong market). A Californian private investor won the deal. Scott tells us that we'll continue to see property valuations rise since there's excellent debt available.

In 2009 the rug was pulled out from under Credit Suisse as legal troubles spawned a mass exodus. But that didn't destroy the global financial services juggernaut's strong network. In fact, several went on to make quite a splash in the industry. Here's a look at some key players then and what they're up to now:

1) Steven Kantor

Then: MD in charge of all leverage finance

Now: Co-Founder of CCRE and CEO of S2K Partners

Son of Edwin Kantor, he apparently rides around Manhattan in a customized, chauffeured Mercedes Sprinter with a built-in office, massage chairs and two big-screen TVs. Steve had a meteoric rise at Credit Suisse where he was in charge of real estate finance and securitization and eventually running global real estate investment banking. In 2006 he was put in charge of all leverage finance. After leaving Credit Suisse, he hopped on board Cantor Fitzgerald, where he became one of three co-founders of Cantor Commercial Real Estate (CCRE). Now inactive at CCRE, he and his father have their own company, S2K Partners, a private equity firm that invests in media, entertainment and leisure. He notably joined forces with American idol creator Simon Fuller to bid on the $400M-plus Standard Hotel last year.

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