After this incredibly busy September rental season, one thing has become clear to brokers specializing in rentals – inventory is low. Or maybe, demand is just high. We did see a larger-than-average influx of students into Boston’s competitive rental market this year. And with a disconnect between market value and seller prices, with the resulting decline in sales inventory – purchasing a home in Boston is paradoxically more difficult these days. Making renting an apartment even more competitive.

That could change, in the future, however. One nice side effect of increased demand and insufficient supply is that people with real money sit up and take notice when hundreds of people flood the city, begging them to give them thousands of dollars, and they have to say “no”. If they were comfortable with that circumstance, they wouldn’t be as successful as they are, after all. And they’re taking action to ensure that they will not have to say “no” much longer.

So what are they doing?

Let’s start right next door to my office. This summer I had a great time finding parking on Brainerd Road every day, what with the wrecking equipment demolishing the run-down auto-shop building next door, followed by the usual progression of debris and soil on their way out, building materials on their way in, and cranes taking up the entire block as they lift steel beams into place. What’s it all for? New luxury highrise, here we come. Our contacts with the developer Mt. Vernon Company tell us we should expect roughly 100 high-quality units, one and two bedrooms. Based on the market and estimated quality of the units and building amenities, we expect these will come out for around $2000 for the one bedrooms and around $2600 for the two bedrooms. We’re hoping this project will be completed in time for September 2012 move-ins! Please let us know if you’d like to get on the waiting list!

Rendering of proposed building on 60-66 Brainerd Rd (Mount Vernon Co., Prellwitz Chilinski Assoc., BRA)

Mt. Vernon has also submitted a proposal for an additional 79 loft-style units to be built across the street from that project, displacing the warehouse that currently occupies that spot. The 1.2 acre site straddles the Allston-Brookline border, though the address of the property will be on Brainerd Road in Allston. The proposal is expected to be approved, and construction is estimated for completion in time for the September 2013 rental season.

On another front, Harvard University’s Allston Work Team recently gained approval for their two-stage plan for future developments in Allston. Stage one of the plan includes plans for new residences and retail outlets on Barry’s Corner, a new Health and Life Sciences center on Western Ave, and a desperately needed revamping of the existing Charlesview Apartments complex. The second stage will include development of Harvard’s new 36-acre Enterprise Research Campus on Allston Landing North, which may include a hotel and conference center reminiscent of Kendall Square. Harvard is currently in discussion with co-developers on plans to make housing available both to students and on the general market. Construction is planned to begin in 2013.

Artist rendering of the planned new Charlesview Residences complex (The Community Builders, Inc.)

The existing Charlesview Apartments complex on Barry’s Corner (which Harvard will take over for their project discussed above) will be replaced by a new sprawling Charlesview Residences complex being built on the former Brighton Mills Shopping Center in Allston.  The existing 213 units on Barry’s Corner will be replaced by 340 units which will include a wide range of apartment sizes and types, from one bedroom flats to four bedroom townhouses. The redevelopment plan also includes new streets and parks, facilities for community use, commercial space, and an underground parking garage that will accomodate up to 243 vehicles. The design has been carefully created to avoid regurgitating the community objections towards the previous development in the 1970’s, which residents criticized as an eyesore. The development has been designed to blend seamlessly into the community and stimulate the neighborhood. The unusual project has attracted a variety of non-traditional corporate investors, including most notably Google, Inc.

Moving into town, there are also several urban luxury towers pushing up new spots in the cityscape. AvalonBay Communities started construction last month on tevalon Exeter, located on the Back Bay’s Exeter Street. Avalon Exeter will add 187 new luxury units to the Prudential Center complex in the form of a new 28-story glass tower right next to the Lenox Hotel. Units will carry a wide array of sizes and prices. The 32 studios will start at around $1800, the 52 one-bedrooms will start at $2500, and the 83 two bedrooms will start at $3500. There will also be 20 penthouse apartments whose prices are yet to be determined. AvalonBay Communities also recently submitted a proposal for a 29-story residential tower on Stuart Street in Boston, to provide 404 luxury apartments of varying sizes and roughly 200 indoor parking spaces.

Downtown, a variety of new projects are proposed. Hayward Place will add 265 new apartments across from the Paramount Theatre. Another as-yet-unnamed development on Hudson Street will bring 345 units to Chinatown. Chinatown may also see another 381 units in the new Kensington Place development on Washington Street. And the Charles River Park complex plans to add another 500 units near the Boston Garden.

These new developments are exciting, especially amidst the miasma of a stagnant economy. With high jobless rates, new construction projects should find zoning and permit agencies friendly and accommodating, and with the rental season we’ve just seen, we can expect construction contracts to treat time as a valuable commodity. The real estate market is about to be injected with a large quantity of interesting new listings on the high end of the spectrum – we can’t wait to see what that does to the market as a whole!

An article on The Wall Street Journal Online is discussing Harvard plan to sell up to $500 million in real estate assets.  Although Harvard’s endowment has approximately $5 Billion in real estate and future commitments to the properties.

Here’s an excerpt from the article about the losses posted and a little on the plan to sell:

Harvard’s own real-estate portfolio “suffered a loss of over 50%” for the fiscal year ended in June, according to a September report from Jane Mendillo, head of the company that manages the endowment, the nation’s largest. Harvard’s endowment posted miserable overall returns last year, declining 27.3% for the year that ended in June.

In November, Harvard began marketing a portfolio of stakes in more than 30 real-estate funds, ranging in size from $50 million to $500 million through Credit Suisse Group, according to several secondary-market buyers and intermediary firms familiar with the offering.

Some of the largest commitments are with real-estate-investment companies such as Beacon Capital Partners, Lubert Adler, Lone Star Funds and Westbrook Partners, according to documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. Close to 60% of the funds are in North America, but there are also a number of commitments with real-estate companies in Europe, Asia and South America, according to the documents. A spokesman for Credit Suisse declined to comment.

I really do not see this as a surprise at all.  Last year was not a great year for many investments at all, and really to see a 50% loss on real estate values isn’t as bad as some have seen.  Losing 27% of the total endowment is a strong blow, but when you have an endowment the size of Harvard’s (currently $26 billion) you generally have some room for ups and downs.

The Article states Harvard Yard is not for sale, but I am very interested in the price it would fetch.  I would also be interested in knowing if it’s true that everything is for sale, for the right price.