Seller achieves 25% asset appreciation in 14 months with strategic value-add plan

Miami – Avison Young’s Florida Capital Markets Group closed the $18 million sale of 50Forty on 7th, a nine-story, ±82,298-square-foot medical and professional office building at 5040 NW 7th Street in Miami’s Airport submarket near the prestigious Waterford office district. 

Avison Young Principals David Duckworth; John K. Crotty, CCIM; Michael T. Fay, who is also Managing Director of the firm’s Miami operations; and Vice President Brian C. de la Fé represented the seller, Riverside 1031 LLC. The buyer was Miami-based Valoro Capital.

“Our client purchased the asset in January 2021 for $14.5 million as a value-add opportunity,” said Duckworth. “They implemented a plan, including leasing up the property to 93.3% occupancy, to take advantage of improved market conditions and achieved 25% asset appreciation within 14 months.” 

More than half of the 50Forty building’s tenant roster comprises medical office users, followed by business services and government tenants. Its location just two minutes from the Miami International Airport, coupled with an onsite parking structure and recent significant renovations, has attracted new tenants. The property has maintained a 95% retention rate over the past three years.

“With the asset near full, the new owner has the opportunity to bring current rents to market,” said Crotty. “Driven by an influx of out-of-state firms, average asking rents in the Miami Airport submarket have climbed to $39 per square foot as of first-quarter 2022, a new record high for the area but competitive when compared to nearby Coral Gables.”

According to Avison Young’s first-quarter 2022 research, Miami’s overall vacancy contracted to 16.5 from 16.9 at the end of 2021. Vacancies are expected to contract further in 2022 as several large new-to-market relocations are still planned for South Florida and some businesses choose to expand to capture rents now that will only continue to grow in the coming months.

“Office buildings are seeing strong investor demand and appreciation right now,” added Duckworth. “Rental rate growth has largely outweighed risks such as rising interest rates, and we have yet to see a slowdown in overall investor demand in South Florida.”

The 50Forty building is well-positioned in a medical district with nearly 150 physicians’ groups within a three-mile radius and seven hospitals within a 25-minute drive, thanks to easy access to Florida’s Turnpike, the Dolphin and Palmetto Expressways, and Interstate 95. The nearby population, with a relatively older median age, spends more than $75 million annually on healthcare, suggesting that medical office demand will continue to increase in the coming years.