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Wolfe Pack Retail Sales Update | August 2019

August retail sales grew 4.6% year-over-year (unadjusted), and up by 0.4% month-over-month, excluding automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants. 

As of August, the three-month moving average was up 4.1% year-over-year versus 3.5% in July. 

While retail trends continue looking good, tariff talks are having an impact.

“While consumer attitudes about the economy indicate some retreating optimism, the bottom line is that consumer spending remained resilient in August and continued to be a key contributor to U.S. economic growth,” NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said. “Trends remain strong, but August grew somewhat slower than July, which could reflect consumers’ concerns about the unpredictability of trade policy. It is too early to assess the impact of the new tariffs that took effect at the beginning of this month, but they do present downside risks to household spending.”’

YOY August Winners (in descending order):

  • Grocery and beverage stores were up 4.9% YOY but down 0.2 percent month-over-month seasonally adjusted.
  • Sporting goods stores were up 3.8% YOY and up 0.9 percent month-over-month seasonally adjusted.
  • Health and personal care stores were up 2.9% YOY and up 0.7 percent month-over-month seasonally adjusted.
  • Clothing and clothing accessory stores were up 2.3% YOY but down 0.9 percent month-over-month seasonally adjusted.
  • General merchandise stores were up 2.2% YOY but down 0.3 percent month-over-month seasonally adjusted.

YOY Losers:

  • Electronics and appliance stores were down 2.9% YOY and unchanged month-over-month seasonally adjusted.
  • Building materials and garden supply stores were down 0.6% YOY but up 1.4 percent month-over-month seasonally adjusted.
  • Furniture and home furnishings stores were down 0.1% YOY and down 0.5 percent month-over-month seasonally adjusted.

Online & Other Non-Store Watch:

  • Online and other non-store sales were up 14.3 percent year-over-year and up 1.6 percent month-over-month seasonally adjusted.

What do you think about the latest numbers and category trends?

All real estate investments carry risks. Nothing in this post shall be construed as tax or investment advice. A buyer and their tax, financial, legal, and construction advisors should conduct a careful, independent investigation of any property to determine to your satisfaction the suitability of the property for your needs.

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Sale-Leasebacks Explained

What are sale-leasebacks?

If you’re a commercial property owner and are looking to expand your business, a sale-leaseback may be an option for you.  A sale-leaseback is when a property owner, who is also an operator, sells their property but continues to operate it by leasing back the property from the new owner.

A sale-leaseback arrangement is useful when a property owner needs or wants to gain access to cash, or wants to divest from a property but maintain the existing operation on the site. The sale-leaseback option will allow the property owner to access the equity in their property and reinvest the funds in the business. The lease agreement is executed at the same time as the sale. The seller of the property becomes the tenant while the buyer becomes the landlord.

SELLER BENEFITS

The transaction allows the business and property owner to increase their liquidity while reducing their debt. In addition, the immediate access to capital allows sellers to:

  • Add additional units
  • Upgrade equipment
  • Invest in marketing, new team members, inventory, etc.
  • Pay off business debt

Plus, the Seller/Operator:

  • Can write off the entire lease payment instead of just the interest on the mortgage
  • Is able to remain in the same location without incurring moving costs
  • Can improve their income statement and balance sheet
    • For example, if the property is sold any existing loan will be removed from the balance sheet
    • Interest and depreciation are also removed from the property owner’s financials
  • Can benefit from a lower cost of funds than debt financing through off-balance sheet financing
    • Since sale-leaseback investors get the tax benefits of owning and depreciating the property, the seller can often be successful in obtaining a lower cost for capital than the cost for debt.

Seller Benefits & Opportunities Snapshot

  • Access to capital
  • Liquidity
  • Stronger balance sheet
  • Tax benefits
  • Lower cost of capital
  • Opportunity to grow your business
  • Reinvest in your business

BUYER BENEFITS

Buyer Benefits & Opportunities

  • The buyer and the seller have the unique opportunity to negotiate the lease with terms that meet their specific needs from the rental rate to a division in management responsibilities
  • The buyer can ask for the opportunity to review the tenant’s financials to gauge their financial health and stability. In the majority of lease agreements already in place at the time of the purchase of a property, the buyer has less negotiating power to request access to financials.
  • The property is already improved to meet the needs of the tenant

Attention Restaurant Owners:

Listen to my conversation with Jim White of Katz Sapper & Miller on how restaurant owners, who also own their properties, can benefit from sale-leasebacks.
This Episode: ‘Grow Your Restaurant’ Podcast with Barry Wolfe of Marcus & Millichap

All real estate investments carry risks. Nothing in this post shall be construed as tax or investment advice. A buyer and their tax, financial, legal, and construction advisors should conduct a careful, independent investigation of any property to determine to your satisfaction the suitability of the property for your needs.

#NetLeasePro #NNN #CRE #Retail #Sale-Leaseback#NetLease #CREInvesting #STNL #BarryWolfe

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1031 Exchanges Explained

1031 Exchanges Explained

What is a 1031 Exchange?

A 1031 Exchange allows you to defer the taxes from a commercial property sale by reinvesting the proceeds from the sale in “like-kind” property, within the specified time frames, potentially saving you tens of thousands of dollars.

There are two critical deadlines that must be met.

Deadline #1: The 45-Day Property Identification Period

Within 45 days of the sale of your property, you MUST:

  • Identify a replacement property in writing to an intermediary, specifying the property you want to acquire.
    • You can identify three potential properties for the exchange as long as you eventually close on at least one of them.
      • The identification of the property must be specific and not ambiguous.
    • As an alternative, the 200% rule allows you to designate more than three properties, which may add up to a maximum of 200% of the exchange value.
  • The proceeds from the sale of the property must be held by a qualified intermediary, also known as an exchange accommodator.
    • To avoid taxes, the total value of the replacement property or properties must be equal to or greater than the relinquished property.  

Deadline #2: The 180-Day Exchange Period

  • You MUST close on the new property or properties within 180 days of the sale of the old or relinquished property.
  • The countdown on both deadlines begins simultaneously when the sale of your property closes.
  • There’s no limit to the number of times you can do an exchange so you only have to pay taxes on the final sale for which you want to realize or cash-out on the gains.

If your debt decreases in the exchange, the difference is treated as income–sometimes called boot–and is taxable as is any cash you may have left over after the exchange

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NOTE: 1031 Exchanges can only be executed with investment and business property, not primary residences.

Q&A

  • What is a like-kind property?  

According to the IRS, properties are of like-kind if they’re of the same nature or character, even if they differ in grade or quality. Real properties generally are of like-kind, regardless of whether they’re improved or unimproved.

 

  • How do I find a like-kind property within 45 days?

This can be tricky, which is why it is recommended that you work with a broker who has expertise in both the type of properties you are looking for and 1031 Exchanges

 

  • Why is broker expertise important?

There are thousands of properties listed, many expired or no longer available. Some have encumbrances or other issues that could delay the process impacting your ability to close or your timeline, or both, not to mention the hours of your own time you’ll have to put in to do the research.  An experienced broker can take all of that stress off your plate and provide you with a fully researched list of viable properties that meet or exceed your criteria.

All real estate investments carry risks. Nothing in this post shall be construed as tax or investment advice. A buyer and their tax, financial, legal, and construction advisors should conduct a careful, independent investigation of any property to determine to your satisfaction the suitability of the property for your needs.

#NetLeasePro #NNN #CRE #Retail #1031-Exchanges#NetLease #CREInvesting #STNL #BarryWolfe