TruAmerica Multifamily Acquires Phoenix, AZ Apartment Community for $47.5 Million

LOS ANGELES - Oct. 15, 2015 - PRLog -- TruAmerica Multifamily in partnership with an institutional investor, has completed the purchase of Trevi, a 290-unit community in Chandler, AZ, in an off-market transaction valued at $47.5 million. The acquisition represents TruAmerica’s second in the greater Phoenix area.

        “There are quite a few areas, particularly in the western United States, that are starting to match the tech growth we’ve seen in places like the San Francisco Bay Area,” said Greg Campbell, TruAmerica Senior Managing Director of Acquisitions.  “They are attracting a young work force looking for more affordable housing and a better quality of life. Chandler is one of those areas fitting this description and has earned it the moniker ‘Silicon Desert.’”

Chandler, located 22 miles southeast of downtown Phoenix, was recently named one of America’s 50 best cities to live in by Businessweek.com. The city of 248,000 residents is home to Fortune 500 employers such as the Intel Corporation, which employs close to 12,000 people locally, and Freescale Semiconductor with more than 5,000 workers. This growing employer base is boosting office construction in the submarket near the Broadstone complex, with 11 projects and more than 3 million square feet currently planned or under construction.

TruAmerica specializes in identifying, acquiring and repositioning apartment communities to provide higher quality housing in growth markets throughout the Western United States addressing a growing shortage of Class B or better affordable rental units for working class families and young professionals.  Since its beginning in 2013, TruAmerica has become one of the most active multifamily investors in the United States, acquiring a portfolio of 13,000 units valued at approximately $2.2 billion in just over 2 years.

Chandler’s relatively young demographic and expensive home sales market is making it an opportune rental play for TruAmerica. The median sales price for homes in Chandler climbed to $255,000 between June 15 and September 15, a 3.6 percent increase over the same period last year, according to residential real estate site Trulia Inc. Chandler’s median sales price is 11.5 percent above the national level in August of $228,700, according to the National Association of Realtors.

“Chandler has a very compelling rental demographic,” said Campbell.  “Home prices are more than 10 percent above the U.S. median, which is preventing many younger families and individuals from purchasing a home.  This has created a heightened demand for quality multifamily rental housing as renting becomes a much more affordable alternative for this demographic, especially with the added incentive of high-end amenities.”

Trevi, which was built in 2005, is 97 percent occupied.  The richly designed Class A property characterized by its Tuscan-themed architecture, features a broad array of resort-style amenities including two resort-style pools and spas, clubhouse and resident lounge, bocce ball courts, outdoor kitchen and fireplace, grape vineyard, as well as a fully equipped 24-hour fitness center. About 20 percent of the units have already been renovated with new stone countertops, updated cabinet hardware and fixtures, new appliance packages and USB charging ports. TruAmerica will undertake a $3 million capital improvement program to complete the interior renovation of the remaining units.

The acquisition was leveraged with $34.2 million in agency debt financing secured through Berkeley Point Capital and originated by Senior Managing Director Mitch Clarfield.

The seller was Phoenix, AZ-based Alliance Residential Company.

About TruAmerica Multifamily

TruAmerica Multifamily is a vertically integrated value-add multifamily investment firm based in Los Angeles. Founded in July 2013 as a joint venture between Robert Hart and The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, TruAmerica has been one of the country’s most active multifamily investors and manages a $4.3 billion portfolio of more than 21,000 units across prime locations throughout Northern and Southern California, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada and Utah. For more information on TruAmerica Multifamily, visit www.truamerica.com or call (424) 325-2750.