Strategic Portfolio Play Targets Shifting Freight Lanes
Annapolis-based Realterm just closed on a $111 million acquisition that signals where smart money sees logistics demand heading. The firm picked up 22 industrial outdoor storage (IOS) and high flow-through (HFT) properties from Atlanta's Axis Partners, bringing 324,903 square feet across 80 acres into its portfolio.
The properties hit the sweet spot for modern logistics operations: 14 maintenance facilities, seven transload buildings, and one truck terminal spread across nine states. Average building size runs 14,800 square feet on roughly 4 acres, with multiple maintenance bays, transload capabilities, expansive outdoor storage, secured access, and comprehensive lighting. The portfolio is 95% leased.
Geography tells the story here. The portfolio concentrates in three major logistics hubs: seven properties in Atlanta, four in Laredo, and three in Houston. Other locations include Alabama, California, Florida, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, and Virginia—all states that have seen significant shifts in freight patterns over the past few years.
Why This Matters for 3PL Operators
"The fundamentals driving demand for IOS and HFT facilities in these markets remain strong as freight lanes shift," said Joe Noon, Senior Vice President of Investments at Realterm. "We're seeing sustained growth in fleet maintenance and transload logistics that make highly functional, well-located assets such as these increasingly valuable to operators."
That last point matters if you're running 3PL operations. As e-commerce continues pushing freight volumes closer to end consumers and nearshoring redirects supply chains, the properties that bridge different transportation modes—truck to rail, cross-dock operations, fleet maintenance hubs—become more critical. This deal suggests institutional investors are betting that trend has legs, which could mean tighter availability and higher rates for these specialized facilities in key markets.
