Market Analysis Reports

Our Market Analysis Reports

ProformaFC provides comprehensive Market Analysis reports to provide a complex overview of your properties general market dynamics and economic drivers: including up-to-date demographic, economic and segmented psychographic data as well as detailed household income and make-up information.

Making the Right Decisions Requires the Right Information

At Proforma FC, we specialize in offering extensive and in-depth Highest & Best Use / Market Analysis reports. These reports provide a comprehensive understanding of your property’s position within the market by delving into various aspects of general market dynamics and economic drivers. Our analyses are rich with up-to-date demographic information, household and tapestry psychographic data, offering our clients valuable insights into the market landscape.

Weighing important site selection factors—like hard and soft costs, schedule, and risk—and clearly identifying obstacles early on can save you time, energy and money, from initial site selection through project completion.

The Four Tests for Highest and Best Use

1. Is it physically possible?

The first test of a properties highest and best use evaluates whether it is possible to use the land in a certain way. Ignoring the zoning and economics of the proposal, consider whether or not the potential use is physically possible. That means the topography, soil type and conditions, lot size and shape, surface and subsurface water, and even weather patterns must make the development possible. In addition, an appraiser must not only consider the proposed use of the site but also the characteristics of the optimum improvements for that use. This first test, however, is usually the easiest to pass.

2. Is it legally permissible?

After eliminating all potential uses that are not physically possible, you can move on to the second test. Whether a potential use is legally permissible involves a few different legal considerations including zoning regulations, city planning initiatives, historical restrictions, etc. If building in a historical area with restrictive covenants, the proposed improvements must not violate any rules. The proposed use must conform to all applicable building codes and height limits. In addition, the improvements must adhere to any restrictions imposed by easements on the property.

Determining whether a proposed use is legally permitted requires research into the local building regulations and restrictions. Gaining a comprehensive understanding of the applicable legal requirements can be time-consuming, but it is fairly easy to determine whether or not a proposal violates any of these regulations.

3. Is it financially feasible?

To address whether a proposed use is financially feasible, you need to conduct a Market Analysis and develop Proforma Cash Flow estimates. You’ll need to collect data in order to forecast construction costs, operating expenses, lease rates, sales, absorption rates, occupancy rates, discount rates, cap rates, and residual project values. Once you’ve compiled all of this information, you will estimate the proforma net operating income over your expected holding period. Employing discounted cash flow techniques, you can determine which projects meet your particular investment standards. Discounting cash flows by your cost of capital and computing the Net Present Value. You can also compute the Internal Rate of Return and compare the property’s return to your acceptable hurdle rate for projects. Only the proposed property uses that meet these criteria for being financially feasible move to the next step of the analysis.

4. Is it maximally productive?

The first three steps eliminated all proposed uses that were not physically possible, legally permissible, and financially feasible. The fourth step takes all of the proposed uses that meet these requirements and ranks them in order of rate of return. While ranking proposed uses, it is also important to evaluate the risk associated with the proposed use. One way to adjust for higher risk associated with a proposed use is to apply a discount rate that is commensurate with the level of risk while computing the net present value. When the full analysis is complete, the proposed use with the highest internal rate of return and net present value is the maximally productive use. 

Market Analysis Components