Student Housing Shortages: Next Investment Opportunity?

Echo boomers, children born between 1982 and 1995 to baby boomers, are about 80 million strong
Echo boomers, children born between 1982 and 1995 to baby boomers, are about 80 million strong

RISMEDIA, August 24, 2006??The student housing market is a good niche opportunity today,? said Kenneth T. Rosen, chairman of the Rosen Consulting Group, a real estate and economics research company in California. The demographics are excellent, and the demand is great.?

Echo boomers, children born between 1982 and 1995 to baby boomers, are about 80 million strong. College enrollments have been on the rise while the supply of on-campus housing is dwindling.

Student housing projects are often leased by the bed, with parents increasingly guaranteeing the leases. The student housing market, which is estimated at $160 billion, has proven profitable for many investors. Capitalization rates can often exceed those on conventional multifamily projects.

Typical investors are independent companies and regional investment groups. Some tenants-in-common programs (TICs), offering fractional ownership of properties, also invest in student housing. Recently, three real estate investment trusts specializing in student housing have emerged ? GMH Communities Trust, American Campus Communities and Education Realty Trust ? making the sector more accessible to passive investors with less money to invest.

Through July of this year, American Campus Communities had a total return (price appreciation and dividend) of 10.07% while Education Realty returned 28.76%, according to the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts. By comparison, the total return for all equity REITs during that period was 16.12%, the association said.

Typically, student housing occupancy is near 100%. The success of these investments is tied to college enrollment, not to external economic factors like job creation,? Michael H. Zaransky of Prime Property Investors and author, said. In fact, one can argue that in bad economic times, people will want to pursue better credentials and go back to school.?