NEW YORK, NY – Wharton Equity Partners announces the completion of the sale of a 900-unit portfolio in Central Florida it bought with partners in 2012. The sale caps off a productive 2016 for Wharton Equity in which the firm sold over $300 million of multifamily properties which it bought over the last few years in partnership with institutional investors.

“Starting in 2012, we saw an opportunity to buy properties in strong secondary markets, and bought approximately 6,500 units during this time which we are now in the process of selling to recognize gains. To date, these sales have resulted in weighted average IRR’s well in excess of 20%,” notes Peter C. Lewis, President of Wharton Equity Partners.

The firm, founded in 1987, and with offices in New York City and Miami, has a history of acquiring real estate slightly ahead of the curve and then selling when the markets ripen. “The driving investment philosophy of our firm for 30 years has been to capitalize on trends across all asset classes and strategies. Having been through a number of cycles, we felt strongly that multifamily assets would lead real estate out of the downturn, and chose to focus on secondary markets to reap the greatest arbitrage between cap rates and the cost of debt,” states Lewis.

The Florida portfolio is emblematic of Wharton Equity Partners’ investment style as the firm was presented with the transaction from a REIT when another buyer dropped out of contract and went quickly to buy the assets in conjunction with a New York City hedge fund and property management firm. After adding value through improved operations, and upgrades the partnership was able to raise income and sell the properties at a substantial gain.

“Although the environment has gotten more challenging, we believe there are still opportunities to buy properties today and are actively looking for assets, particularly those catering to workforce housing,” adds Lewis. Along these lines, the company is about to close on a multifamily property in Nashville, TN that it is acquiring from the original developer.  “This is exactly the type of property we want to be purchasing right now where we can completely transform an asset, located in a burgeoning market, which caters to middle income families. Within the next six months, we will expand our sights to include Class A properties in strong markets where we believe there will be downward pressure on pricing due to softening from over-building. This is in addition to our development activities, mostly in Florida and New York” he notes.  In December 2016, the firm bought a 2 acre property in the Bay Harbor/Bal Harbour sub-market in partnership with Northwood Ravin Investors where it plans on developing a mixed use project comprised of residential rentals, office and retail.

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ORLANDO, FL – Florida’s housing market reported higher median prices and fewer all-cash sales in December, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors. Sales of single-family homes statewide totaled 22,332 last month, up 0.8 percent from December 2015.

“The trend of tight housing supply continued to have an impact on Florida’s housing market in December,” said 2017 Florida Realtors President Maria Wells, broker-owner with Lifestyle Realty Group in Stuart. “Last month, statewide median sales prices for both single-family homes and townhouse-condo properties rose year-over-year for 61 months in row. While that’s excellent news for sellers, it’s continuing to place pressure on inventory for first-time homebuyers and those who may be looking for their next ‘go-up’ home.

“And that’s where your local Realtor comes in – he or she will place their expertise to work for you to successfully navigate the complexities of finding the right property in your local real estate market and will make sure you get to the closing table.”

Home sellers continued to get more of their original asking price at the closing table in December: Sellers of existing single-family homes received 96 percent (median percentage) of their original listing price, while those selling townhouse-condo properties received 94.7 percent (median percentage).

The statewide median sales price for single-family existing homes last month was $226,000, up 9.2 percent from the previous year, according to data from Florida Realtors research department in partnership with local Realtor boards/associations. The statewide median price for townhouse-condo properties in December was $166,900, up 7.7 percent over the year-ago figure. The median is the midpoint; half the homes sold for more, half for less.

According to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), the national median sales price for existing single-family homes in November 2016 was $236,500, up 6.8 percent from the previous year; the national median existing condo price was $222,600. In California, the statewide median sales price for single-family existing homes in November was $501,710; in Massachusetts, it was $365,000; in Maryland, it was $266,164; and in New York, it was $240,000.

Looking at Florida’s townhouse-condo market, statewide closed sales totaled 8,673 last month, down 5.2 percent compared to December 2015. Closed sales data reflected fewer small sales and cash-only sales last month: Small sales for townhouse-condo properties declined 45 percent while small sales for single-family homes dropped 39.2 percent. Closed sales may occur from 30- to 90-plus days after sales contracts are written.

“Florida’s markets for existing homes closed out the year in December with a performance very much in line with what we saw over the previous 11 months of 2016,” said Florida Realtors® Chief Economist Brad O’Connor. “At the local level, single family home sales increased in 15 of Florida’s 22 metro areas, while condo and townhouse sales rose in only five of these markets. And, as has been the case all year, the lack of significant sales growth in much of the state has had a lot more to do with a shortfall of supply in key price tiers than with demand.”

Inventory dipped to a 3.9-months’ supply in December for single-family homes and was at a 6-months’ supply for townhouse-condo properties, according to Florida Realtors.

According to Freddie Mac, the interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.20 percent in December 2016, up significantly from the 3.96 percent average recorded during the same month a year earlier.

To see the full statewide housing activity reports go to Florida Realtors Media Center.

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