Cap rates in the single-tenant net lease sector increased for the ninth consecutive quarter within all three major property types, according to The Boulder Group’s 2nd Quarter Net Lease Research Report. Single-tenant cap rates increased to 6.47% (up five basis points) for retail, 7.67% (up seven bps) for office and 7.10% (up eight bps) for industrial.

“Elevated interest rates and limited 1031 exchange and institutional buyer activity is the cause of the consistent upward trend in cap rates,” said Randy Blankstein, president, The Boulder Group. “The lack of transactions when compared to recent years is causing property supply to rise without a path to clear the market inventory.”

With a significant number of properties on the market, most investors now believe the current market strongly favors buyers over sellers in terms of compromising on asset pricing. This applies especially to assets that are more highly commoditized, like dollar stores.

“With limited competition, buyers are targeting assets in either income-tax-free states or areas with strong demographic drivers,” said John Feeney, SVP, The Boulder Group. “Secondary buyer motivations include strong real estate fundamentals with credit tenants.”

In the second half of 2024, the pace of cap rate expansion should slow, according to the report. However, cap rates are still expected to rise, given the increase in the supply of net lease properties.

Single-tenant net lease cap rates increased in the fourth quarter of 2023 for the seventh consecutive quarter to 6.58%, a seven-basis point increase compared to Q3, The Boulder Group reported. By sector, the increases were eight bps to 6.35% for retail, 14 bps to 7.55% for office and four bps to 7.00% for industrial.

“Cap rates continued to rise in the fourth quarter as asset pricing has not caught up to the massive increase in borrowing costs over the past year,” said Randy Blankstein, president, The Boulder Group. “A lack of 1031 buyers is also causing property supply to increase in a meaningful way.”

The disparity in the spread between the median asking and closed cap rate increased across all asset types from the previous quarter. This was especially apparent in the office sector, where the cap rate spread increased by 12 bps in Q4 to 67 bps. Simultaneously, the number of properties on the market in Q4 grew by 11.6% overall and by 12.7% for the retail sector when compared to Q3.