Category: Martens Companies

This article originally appeared on the Federal Reserve of Kansas City’s website, we thought it did a great job of explaining the Federal Reserve System and wanted to share it with you! Numbers surround the Federal Reserve System. When trying to learn about the structure, purpose and functions of the U.S. central bank, the numbers can seem overwhelming. The Federal Reserve System includes 12 regional Reserve Banks located in districts throughout the United States. Each of the numbers 1-12 can help represent an important facet of the U.S. central banking…

Josh Adamson with Martens Appraisal recently completed a restaurant appraisal in Wichita, Kansas. The report was prepared for traditional lending. A recent report by the National Restaurant Association projected 2019 restaurant sales in the amount of $863 billion dollars in 2019 and equal 4 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product. With all that demand it’s no wonder that Martens Appraisal completes many restaurant appraisals in Wichita, Kansas each year. A restaurant appraisal in Wichita, Kansas involves assessing its physical assets such as the building, land, and in some cases,…

Mike DeHass, MAI recently completed an appraisal on a unique property in Kansas. The report was prepared for traditional lending, the property was definitely not traditional! A combination of office space and a former feed mill presented a challenge to an experienced appraiser like Mike. Some of the most difficult appraisals complete are on unique properties in Kansas or those that are in rural locations. In cases like this, the availability of suitable sales for comparison can be challenging due to limited market activity. An appraiser can only use what…

Lee Whyte, MAI recently completed work on a hotel appraisal in Hutchinson, Kansas. The report was prepared for traditional lending purposes. Hotel appraisals in Kansas are much more difficult than other types of commercial real estate appraisals and should really be left to the experts. In general, a combination of three methods will be used in a hotel appraisal in Kansas: income, sales comparison and the cost approach. The income approach is an assessment of the property’s revenue-earning power and there are several types that may be used. The first…

What does the future hold for Century II? A new plan for the riverfront says it may soon be a memory. This story and more in our weekly look at the top stories in Wichita Commercial Real Estate. Final Riverfront recommendations: new centers, green space near river, sales tax In the next 10 to 15 years, the east bank of the Arkansas River could have an entirely new footprint. One that includes a new performing-arts center to replace the existing, blue-domed Century II. A new convention center sunk partly below…

Overall Economic ActivityEconomic activity generally continued to expand modestly in the final six weeks of 2019. The Dallas and Richmond Districts noted above-average growth, while Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Kansas City reported sub-par growth. Consumer spending grew at a modest to moderate pace, with a number of Districts noting some pickup from the prior reporting period. On balance, holiday sales were said to be solid, with several Districts noting the growing importance of online shopping. Vehicle sales generally expanded moderately, though a handful of Districts reported flat sales. Tourism was…

It’s been a big week in Wichita! We are all nursing sore throats from cheering on the Shocker’s big top 25 win last night but there has been quite a bit of Wichita commercial real estate news as well! Here are the highlights from the past week. Far-reaching boundaries for proposed stadium CID include sites for future development The City Council on Tuesday will consider establishing a Community Improvement District that will help pay for the construction of the $75-million downtown baseball stadium — the future home of the minor-league Wichita…

LeAnn Adams, MAI recently completed work on a multifamily appraisal project in Wichita, Kansas. The report was prepared for traditional lending purposes. Multifamily appraisals in Wichita, Kansas are more difficult than appraising a single-family home. Generally, Martens Appraisal uses the market approach when completing work on multifamily appraisals, we will look at sales of comparable properties in the market. However, using the income approach—determining the fair market rent of each unit based on comparable rents for other properties—often comes into consideration as well. This is especially true if there aren’t…