Industry Voices

As campus life settled into its new normal this past year, higher education administrations have been reassessing their capital, real estate, and student experience strategies to remain resilient and meet expected standards in technology, efficiency, and sustainability. As in most other industries, the pandemic accelerated longer-term trends, particularly when it came to uses of technology and flexible facilities. At the same time, it has driven an increase in construction costs and led to less predictable project timelines—all of which has made planning even more important. As development projects resumed across …

Not long ago, assessors’ student housing properties valuations generally struggled keeping pace with the rising market. College enrollment was high, rent growth outpaced expenses and student expectations lined up with most newer facility amenities. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and its fallout changed the game. Property taxes are often the single highest expense on a property’s profit and loss statement. When market changes make student housing less profitable, the tax burden should not be allowed to remain high. When this occurs, the assessor’s property valuation needs to be challenged and reduced. …

These past few years have been unlike any I have personally experienced in my career to date. With shut-downs, campus closings, the great resignation, quiet quitting and supply chain shortages, paired with greater traffic, leasing velocity and unprecedented rental hikes, this world we are in is ever-changing. I am typically the eternal optimist mixed with a dash of realist, yet I cannot help but wonder how this fall’s occupancy numbers will land? And how the ever-rising amount of folks being laid off could impact our space? At conferences and on …

College life is as much about human connection as it is about education. In fact, the increased chance for human connection is why many students prefer “immersive” living environments that offer dynamic interactions with peers.  When considering the progressive trends in the student housing sector, amenities that energize outdoor lifestyle spaces while fostering community, camaraderie and inclusivity earn high marks for enriching higher education experiences. College Transitions & Social Turbulence Transitioning into higher education can be both exhilarating and overwhelming for students. There are not only more rigorous academic demands, …