Real eState

BentallGreenOak Raises $1 Billion for Real-Estate Lending Fund – BNN

Published

4 years ago

March 4, 2021

(Bloomberg) — BentallGreenOak has raised 869 million euros ($1 billion) for its latest European real estate debt fund as the private equity firm muscles in on property lending amid a retreat by banks.

The fund, which started raising cash before the onset of the pandemic, exceeded its initial target of 800 million euros, according to a statement Thursday. It issues loans secured against offices, warehouses and homes in Germany, the Netherlands, the Nordics and Ireland.

“Post-Covid we have faced a lot less bank competition on the lending side,” said Jim Blakemore, a London-based managing partner and global head of debt. “This is a good market to be a lender in today.”

The outbreak prompted banks to make hefty provisions for soured loans as widespread lockdowns threatened borrowers’ rent collections and their ability to repay loans. That’s diminished their appetite for new real estate lending, particularly to malls, stores and hotels that have seen their income wiped out. Non-bank lenders have spied an opportunity to step in and back investors seeking to reinvent those impaired properties.

GreenOak Europe Secured Lending Fund II has so far lent 382 million euros, the statement said. The eight loans agreed to date have been for properties in the Netherlands and Ireland.

“This crisis may be for assets that are no longer fit for purpose,” like shopping malls leased to fashion stores that have seen consumers move online, Blakemore added. “When you talk about sectors having to be reinvented, that kind of real estate transformation doesn’t fit well with bank lending, that’s the place where private credit can fill the gap.”

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Real eState

Homelessness: Tiny home village to open next week in Halifax suburb

Published

20 hours ago

October 24, 2024

Anne Joseph

HALIFAX – A village of tiny homes is set to open next month in a Halifax suburb, the latest project by the provincial government to address homelessness.

Located in Lower Sackville, N.S., the tiny home community will house up to 34 people when the first 26 units open Nov. 4.

Another 35 people are scheduled to move in when construction on another 29 units should be complete in December, under a partnership between the province, the Halifax Regional Municipality, United Way Halifax, The Shaw Group and Dexter Construction.

The province invested $9.4 million to build the village and will contribute $935,000 annually for operating costs.

Residents have been chosen from a list of people experiencing homelessness maintained by the Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia.

They will pay rent that is tied to their income for a unit that is fully furnished with a private bathroom, shower and a kitchen equipped with a cooktop, small fridge and microwave.

The Atlantic Community Shelters Society will also provide support to residents, ranging from counselling and mental health supports to employment and educational services.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 24, 2024.

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Real eState

Here are some facts about British Columbia’s housing market

Published

1 week ago

October 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

Housing affordability is a key issue in the provincial election campaign in British Columbia, particularly in major centres.

Here are some statistics about housing in B.C. from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s 2024 Rental Market Report, issued in January, and the B.C. Real Estate Association’s August 2024 report.

Average residential home price in B.C.: $938,500

Average price in greater Vancouver (2024 year to date): $1,304,438

Average price in greater Victoria (2024 year to date): $979,103

Average price in the Okanagan (2024 year to date): $748,015

Average two-bedroom purpose-built rental in Vancouver: $2,181

Average two-bedroom purpose-built rental in Victoria: $1,839

Average two-bedroom purpose-built rental in Canada: $1,359

Rental vacancy rate in Vancouver: 0.9 per cent

How much more do new renters in Vancouver pay compared with renters who have occupied their home for at least a year: 27 per cent

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.

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B.C. voters face atmospheric river with heavy rain, high winds on election day

Published

1 week ago

October 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

VANCOUVER – Voters along the south coast of British Columbia who have not cast their ballots yet will have to contend with heavy rain and high winds from an incoming atmospheric river weather system on election day.

Environment Canada says the weather system will bring prolonged heavy rain to Metro Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast, Fraser Valley, Howe Sound, Whistler and Vancouver Island starting Friday.

The agency says strong winds with gusts up to 80 kilometres an hour will also develop on Saturday — the day thousands are expected to go to the polls across B.C. — in parts of Vancouver Island and Metro Vancouver.

Wednesday was the last day for advance voting, which started on Oct. 10.

More than 180,000 voters cast their votes Wednesday — the most ever on an advance voting day in B.C., beating the record set just days earlier on Oct. 10 of more than 170,000 votes.

Environment Canada says voters in the area of the atmospheric river can expect around 70 millimetres of precipitation generally and up to 100 millimetres along the coastal mountains, while parts of Vancouver Island could see as much as 200 millimetres of rainfall for the weekend.

An atmospheric river system in November 2021 created severe flooding and landslides that at one point severed most rail links between Vancouver’s port and the rest of Canada while inundating communities in the Fraser Valley and B.C. Interior.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.

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