Patrick C. O'Connor has been president of O'Connor & Associates since 1983 and is a recipient of the prestigious MAI designation from the Appraisal Institute. He is also a registered senior property tax consultant in the state of Texas and has written numerous articles in state and national publications on reducing property taxes. He continues to set the standard in direction and quality of our appraisal products, adding services ranging from business valuations and business appraisals to cost segregation analysis for income tax reduction.
Market Study Fundamentals
Market studies
Most market studies are obtained by developers contemplating building a new apartment project, condominium project, commercial property or subdivision. In some market studies, the developer wants independent thought and insights regarding market conditions and the probability of success. In other market study cases, either partners or a lender require independent analysis regarding the proposed project.
While market studies are obtained for proposed projects, many real estate owners and investors benefit from market studies and/or market research for existing projects. The studies address upgrading interior amenities, common area amenities, or repositioning the property so it is better received by the market. Market research for an existing property can determine the prospective and concerns of existing tenants, prospective tenants, and independent leasing agents regarding the subject property. This market research can discern latent problems negatively affecting the property.
Elements of a market study typically include market rent or condo sale prices, market occupancy, absorption, projects under construction, proposed construction, capture rate for the subject property and the timing likely required to achieve stabilized occupancy for the proposed property. In many cases, market analysts are asked for insight regarding unit amenities, common area amenities, building size, unit sizes, and the overall level of finish for a property. In some cases, the developers simply ask the market analyst to conceptually design a project which best fits the subject market and location.
Market rent condo, sale prices and occupancy are determined by researching properties which are comparable to the existing or proposed subject property. Market absorption is ideally obtained from aggregate data provided by a primary data collector (someone who comprehensively surveys all properties in the market). Information on properties under construction and proposed for construction are obtained from a variety of sources including interviews with developers, brokers, data services, city permits and driving the subject submarket.
The market analyst develops opinions regarding market rental rates or asking prices for condos and occupancy for the subject property after compiling and analyzing the above referenced data. One of the critical opinions is the time required for a property to reach stabilized occupancy. This factor substantially affects the financial feasibility of the project.
Consider the project experience, depth of staff and experience of the consultant prior to engaging a consultant engaging a market study. A skilled market analyst can not only provided meaningful insights to market conditions and trends, but can also assist in refining development decisions regarding the project.
O’Connor & Associates has prepared over 1,000 market studies for apartments, office, office warehouse, retail, industrial, subdivisions, single-family and special use properties. We provide market study and appraisal services on a nationwide basis. Our 30+ market analysts have over 300 years of collective experience.
For more information on our market studies, contact Kathryn Koepke at 713-686-9955 or fill out our online form.
O’Connor & Associates Market Research division offers both timely data and consulting services to real estate brokers, investors, lenders, developers, and other real estate professionals. This includes information regarding real estate valuation, dual diligence, market study, market research, property tax, tax deduction, financial modeling, expert witness, estate taxes, Williamson Central Appraisal district, Tips and Tricks for Appealing Your Property Taxes in Travis, Travis county appraisal and Federal tax reduction. This capacity to research, analyze and interpret market trends and the impact of new construction is a major reason for why developers and acquisition experts see O’Connor & Associates as the preferred source of trends in investment property and market activity.
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