Retail Properties of America CEO Expects Increased Retail Strength in 2015

Steven Grimes, president and CEO of Retail Properties of America, Inc. (NYSE: RPAI), joined REIT.com for a CEO Spotlight video interview at REITWorld 2014: NAREIT’s Annual Convention for All Things REIT at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis.

Retail Properties of America is one of the largest owners and operators of shopping centers in the country. The firm owns a diversified mix of assets that includes power centers, community centers and lifestyle centers.

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Fidelity Portfolio Manager Expects Active REIT Transaction Market in 2015

Steve Buller, portfolio manager at Fidelity Investments, joined REIT.com for a video interview at REITWorld 2014: NAREIT’s Annual Convention for All Things REIT at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis.

Buller discussed the impact of rising interest rates on REITs in both the United States and abroad.  He noted that on a historical basis, there has been little correlation between REIT returns and higher interest rates.

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Analyst Expects Hotel REIT RevPAR Acceleration in First Half of 2015

C. Patrick Scholes, managing director with SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, joined REIT.com for a video interview at REITWorld 2014: NAREIT’s Annual Convention for All Things REIT at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis.

Scholes said healthy fundamentals in the hotel REIT sector are likely to continue into 2015, based on a favorable supply-and-demand balance. Revenue per available room (RevPAR) should accelerate in the first half of 2015, according to Scholes.

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NAREIT Announces 2015 Leadership, Neithercut Elected Chair

(L to R) First Vice Chair David B. Henry, Chair David J. Neithercut, Second Vice Chair Edward J. Fritsch and Treasurer Timothy J. Naughton

The National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT) today announced the election of its 2015 officers, as well as the members of its Executive Board, the organization’s sole governing board.

Elected Chair was David J. Neithercut, President and CEO of Equity Residential. Neithercut takes the place of NAREIT’s 2014 Chair, Ronald L. Havner, Jr., Chairman, CEO and President of Public Storage.

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Houston Ranked as Top Market for Real Estate Opportunities in 2015

Houston now offers the most attractive real estate investment and development opportunities of any major U.S. market, according to a survey from PwC and the Urban Land Institute (ULI).

Another Texas city, Austin, took second place in the 2015 survey of more than 1,000 real estate experts.  San Francisco, which was ranked first in 2013 and 2014, slipped to the third position. Meanwhile, New York fell out of the top 10 to 14  in the 2015 survey. The Big Apple trailed up-and-coming cities such as Charlotte, N.C., and Nashville, Tenn.

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Commercial Real Estate Poised to Gain from Positive Market Fundamentals in 2015

The commercial real estate industry is poised for broad-based growth in the coming year as performance and profitability continue to improve across most property types and markets, according to projections from consulting firm Deloitte.

The company’s 2015 outlook is supported by improving property fundamentals, a strengthening economy, easy financing, and increased domestic and international investment activity, according to Deloitte. Against that backdrop, U.S. REITs are expected to continue to outperform benchmark indices such as the S&P 500 and Russell 2000.

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