Chicago Multifamily Property Blog

Utility costs represent a major expense for landlords. This is especially true at multifamily apartment buildings where base rent often includes utility costs. When landlords must incur these costs, the cash flow impacts can be substantial. In this article, we will look at what’s known as RUBS -or a ratio utility billing system. Implementing a RUBS program is a common way owners pass utility costs on to their renters.

Multifamily rents cooling off at last? Compared to previous years, according to a new report by Apartment List. While prices remain up 5.5% year-over-year, they fall behind the Illinois average of 6.6% and outpace the U.S. average of 4%.

As you may know, increasing the Net Operating Income (NOI) of any commercial property will not only increase your cash flow but also increase the value of your property since the value is determined primarily through NOI and Capitalization Rates (quick refresher on how to calculate the value of the commercial property).

Savvy real estate investors are always looking for ways to increase the returns associated with multifamily investors. This is true whether someone has owned the property for decades. Or whether they are looking to acquire an asset and need to justify the purchase price. There are many value-add strategies investors can consider.

Regional and community banks have grabbed a larger market share of commercial real estate loans as banking giants like JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo have retreated from the market.

Everyone has eyes on the multifamily market activity as we move into the new year. Here’s a list of the four biggest multifamily trends we’re watching in 2022 and 2023.