MIAMI—Multifamily assets with a value-add twist are more difficult to come by now that most of the distressed commercial real estate assets have been snapped up. But IHT Capital Advisors just closed on three of them—a 231-unit complex In Huntsville, AL, and two communities—one 102 units and one 128 units—in Gainesville, FL.

“We expect to continue to garner a great deal of interest from investors looking for the higher returns that value-add properties in emerging markets can generate,” IHT principal Dan Summers tells GlobeSt.com. “These assets are undergoing capital improvements, including significant rehab, which will allow new management to concentrate on operations and resident retention.”

What is IHT's secret sauce? The firm focuses on value-add, off-market opportunities in emerging and secondary markets across the Southeast.

Clearly, it's working. These three deals are only part of a larger story.

The firm has closed over $17 million in multifamily acquisitions in the Southeast since forming in the last five months. IHT is working with investors throughout the country and apartment property owners in Florida, Texas, Alabama, and Mississippi.

“It's the possibility of those lucrative returns that is helping to drive a great number of investors into the multifamily market,” says Summers. “With our approach to sourcing off-market deals, expertise and menu of services, we have successfully closed three transactions and have in excess of $90 million under agreement and entering due diligence”.