It seems every week we’re hearing about another BILLION dollars or more coming into the Bay Area housing market.
Most recently it’s Apple with $2.5 billion, one-upping both Facebook and Google’s earlier $1 billion each. Amazon and Microsoft are doing the same in Seattle.
Why is this a “trend” though? Why is there a tech “arms race” on this issue? The answer is one of the simplest Things You Learned in Kindergarten lessons:
Imagine the span of about 18 months from late 2007 to early 2009: 1) Apple introduces the iPhone; 2) Google releases the Chrome browser; and 3) Facebook hit critical mass, shifting from a little campus thing into a real social network and brand platform.
That’s when the world changed. Since then 500,000 tech jobs have been created. Every one tech job yields five non-tech jobs. And yet, only 50,000 new homes have been built. A recent McKinsey report estimates that 3.5 million new homes are needed by 2025 to close the gap.
So tech brings in thousands of bodies, throws tons of money at them, and demand+prices skyrocket. Now they’re throwing more money at the problem they helped create.
But money alone isn’t enough, according to experts who say the answer is “a combination of relaxed suburban zoning and permit regulations from local governments, aggressive home building over the next decade, public transportation alternatives, and a wider array of housing options beside single-family homes.”
And this is why we need to talk to you.
The answer is taller multifamily properties, preferably near transit centers. So what are you sitting on? Ask yourself:
- Do you have a property near a BART or CalTrain station? Or major bus line?
- If you could get zoning changed, could your current property be developed into housing?
- If you could get height limits changed, do you have a property that could be a higher-rise multifamily site?
- Could you get access to any of the $4.5 billion earmarked by tech to improve housing?
Governments are ready to adapt, and you might have an ideal situation for a developer able to navigate City Hall. Contact us, and let’s look at all the commercial real estate investment opportunities that you might benefit from as the rush to build housing continues.
