Ashcroft Capital, a fully integrated multifamily investment firm, today announced the acquisition of four apartment communities totaling 1,080 homes in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Birchstone Residential, Ashcroft Capital’s in-house property management company, has assumed management of the communities.
The Atlanta-area communities include Halston McDonough (formerly Carrington Green) in McDonough, Ga., Halston South Point (formerly Villas at Southpoint) in McDonough, Halston Shiloh Valley (formerly Shiloh Valley Overlook) in Kennesaw, Ga., and Halston Harris Bridge (formerly Harris Bridge Overlook) in Dallas, Ga.
“In spite of capital market fluctuations, we remain bullish on multifamily based on the current and projected fundamentals within our Sun Belt metros. Because of this, we're excited to acquire this value-add portfolio of four core-plus quality properties located in a high-growth metro in which we have an existing presence,” said Frank Roessler, founder and CEO of Ashcroft. “Additionally, this portfolio had a very strong history of institutional ownership, and the previous regime handed them off to us with minimal deferred maintenance. That said, we believe we can significantly improve the assets by updating the classic homes and further modernizing the amenity spaces.”
With the acquisitions, Ashcroft now has 10 communities in metropolitan Atlanta.
“Atlanta is a great example of the kind of Sun Belt market we want to be in,” said Scott Lebenhart, chief investment officer for Ashcroft Capital. “It’s experiencing population growth, has a diverse economy and offers a tremendous quality of life. In short, it’s exactly the kind of metro area in which renters want to be. We only entered the metro Atlanta market last year, but we’re committed to growing a significant portfolio in the area because of the rock-solid fundamentals of the apartment market there.”
The business plan will be similar at each community, as Ashcroft and Birchstone plan to fully refresh the amenity spaces, implement landscaping improvements, upgrade signage and improve overall curb appeal.
In-home upgrades will include the additions of stainless-steel appliances, hard-surface countertops, tile backsplashes, vinyl-plank flooring, upgraded lighting and plumbing fixtures, USB ports and new cabinet fronts with modern pulls. Additional improvement measures will include the addition of washer/dryer sets and the implementation of valet trash service.
Existing community amenities are similar at the properties, as each community features a swimming pool, resident clubhouse and business center, fitness center, picnic areas, playground, laundry facilities and a sports court. Apartment interiors at the classic homes in the properties include laminate countertops, black appliances, wood-style cabinet fronts, walk-in closets, private patios or balconies and washer/dryer sets in select homes.
“All four of these assets are highly desirable given the quality and characteristics of the properties,” said David Deitz, president of Birchstone. “They will fit seamlessly into our portfolio, and we believe our in-home renovations and modernization of property features will elevate each community in the pecking order of their respective submarkets. We fully anticipate demand to significantly increase at each property.”
