Office

Investors Wait for Commercial Opportunity

Investors looking to buy commercial properties on the cheap as the economy slams the commercial real estate industry have been disappointed so far.

Property values have declined on paper, but would-be buyers haven’t been able to walk off with offices, shopping centers, hotels, and warehouses at fire-sale prices, and very few properties are changing hands.

“Investors seem surprised at the lack of quality buying opportunities given the problems in the financial markets and the continued weakening of the industry’s fundamentals,” says Susan Smith, director of the real estate advisory practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Investors are expected to keep waiting because many properties purchased during 2006 and 2007 are over-leveraged and lenders will eventually be forced to foreclose and sell them at a discount.

Source: Los Angeles Times, Roger Vincent (09/15/09)

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Elliott Robinson, JD – Associate Broker
Keller Williams Realty Metro Atlanta
315 West Ponce de Leon Ave., Ste. 100
Decatur, GA 30030
o- (404) 564-5560
Blog – http://elliottonrealestate.com
Twitter – http://twitter.com/elliottrob

Office

Office Market in Bad Shape

Nearly 16 percent of offices in the U.S. were vacant in the second quarter, the highest rate in four years. Rents fell by the largest amount in seven years, according to research firm Reis Inc.

“It’s bad,” Reis’ Director of Research Victor Calanog says. “It’s decaying and getting worse. Given the depth and magnitude of the recession, you can argue that we are facing a storm of epic proportions and we’re only at the beginning.”

Reis confirmed its previous prediction that the U.S. office vacancy rate will top out at 18.2 percent in 2010 and for rents to continue to fall through 2011. It expects the default rate to peak at 5.2 percent in 2011.

Source: Reuters News, Ilaina Jonas (07/07/2009)

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Elliott Robinson, JD – Associate Broker
Adams Realtors
458 Cherokee Ave. SE
Atlanta, GA 30312
(o) 404-688-1222