NEWS: Colleges Cash In on Real Estate Now Before the Burst

As the pandemic wanes, many institutions are re-evaluating their campus footprints and looking for ways to create liquidity, experts say. Land remains one of their hottest commodities. - Inside Highered

Many colleges and universities across the nation are predicting the end of the real estate bubble to come sooner than we anticipate and are cashing in on their property to get the most for it now. 

Gwynedd Mercy University in Pennsylvania recently sold a 154-acre property for more than twice what it paid for the land three years ago. Last week, Southwestern University in Texas sold for tens of millions two properties that it has held since the 1930s

WIth growing interest in this market on big property's and land, colleges have to look at their plans and review if it is worth it to cash in now or to stay the course and see what happens in the months ahead. Will they need that land down the line? What can they do with the money they make now? These are the major questions they are scrammbling to answer. 

The pandemic has prompted many institutions to re-evaluate their footprints, said Jeff Hubbard, senior managing director of real estate sales at A&G Real Estate Partners.

Now with the impacts on many businesses with remote work and school, it really is a question of, do we need all of this land? With enrollment staying steady and more and more people adjusting to the fully remote lifestyle, no wonder the housing market has gone wild. 

What do you think? Do you agree with colleges cashing in their property now or do you feel that the burst is not going to happen for a while and they should hang in there?

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