Real estate PR efforts are required when brands have news, and recently there has been no shortage of that. Both prominent/well established brands as well as innovative startups have made strategic moves as the push and pull of the market affects decision making, resulting in notable capital raises and developments. This is not exclusive to traditional real estate companies, developers and investors, but to those emerging categories such as proptech, greenbuilding, crowdfunding, AI/ML and so many others.
Behind many of these announcements, there is a real estate PR firm that engages journalists and editors in ways that are meaningful and demonstrate understanding of the industry. Real estate PR efforts must emphasize the sharing of valuable insight with a reporter who can then share with their much broader audiences. This can be achieved via broadcast (TV + radio), print and online media. Here is a roundup of our picks for recent news in real estate:
A proptech VC bonanza: Camber Creek raises $325M for latest fund
“The raise, which comes as investors show record interest in proptech startups, puts Camber Creek above $500 million in assets under management across its funds, according to managing partner Casey Berman.
Its latest raise comes at a time when money is rushing into the sector — proptech startups raised $12.2 billion in venture capital in 2021, data from CB Insights show, up 34 percent from the previous record set in 2019 — but also as many of its biggest startups have taken a beating in the public markets.”
Real-Estate Investors Head South, Bid Up Sunbelt Apartment Buildings – WSJ
“Investors poured a record $335.3 billion into apartments across the country in 2021. Nearly a quarter of it went to just four metro areas in the Sunbelt: Dallas, Atlanta, Phoenix and Houston. In some other Sunbelt cities, total multifamily investment more than doubled over the year prior, according to a report by real-estate firm CBRE Group Inc.
Buyers are clinching an unusually large number of deals for properties that weren’t listed for sale, investors said. Appetite to capitalize on fast-rising rents far exceeds the number of assets available to buy.”
Groundfloor steps up its real estate debt crowdfunding platform with fresh capital | TechCrunch
“Crowdfunding has become an increasingly popular way for companies to raise capital, and investors are taking notice. Groundfloor, the first real estate crowdfunding platform to gain regulatory approval, announced today that it raised its first round of institutional capital since 2015.”
Granite Point Lends $42M on Taconic’s New Jersey Industrial Buy – Commercial Observer
“Manhattan-based Taconic is planning more industrial acquisitions as more deals become available given the recent expansion of the asset class. The developer noted that the New Jersey industrial market recorded its all-time, all-time strongest year in 2021 with 450 transactions totalling over 45 million square feet of leased space.”
Starwood Lends $49M on Brooklyn Industrial Development – Commercial Observer
“Located at 807 Bank Street and 300 DeWitt Avenue, the planned development will feature 80,000 square feet of warehouse space in addition to 92,000 square feet of covered and rooftop parking. Prospective tenants will have direct access to the frontage and streets around the property since it is situated on its own city block with no adjacent neighboring buildings, according to JLL.”
Sotheby’s auction house buys LIC’s Gantry Point for $82M
“The luxury auction house is expanding its footprint in New York, acquiring a recently converted office building in Long Island City for $82 million.
Sotheby’s is no stranger to New York City commercial real estate, having owned its longtime headquarters at 1334 York Avenue on the Upper East Side since 2009, when it repurchased the 500,000-square-foot building for $370 million after a sale-leaseback agreement with Aby Rosen’s RFR Holding.
The auction house refinanced the building in 2020 with a $483 million, five-year, floating-rate loan from Barclays.”
Disney to Develop Residential Communities With Condos, Houses – WSJ
“Walt Disney Co. said it plans to start developing residential communities, starting with one in Rancho Mirage, in California’s Coachella Valley.
The new residential-development business will be called Storyliving by Disney, the company said Wednesday. Disney’s research-and-development team, known as Imagineers, will help design the communities.
Disney has found success beyond its theme-park business in other segments, including its cruise line, and aims to build on that by developing residential communities, Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, said in a promotional video.”
Looking for real estate PR efforts?
FischTank PR works with real estate brands spanning proptech, greenbuilding and sustainability, traditional private equity firms, REITs, investors, attorneys, developers and so many more. If your brand is looking for media coverage for its announcements and insights, please email us at [email protected]
***Blog post authored by FischTank PR intern Anna Dillon***
