Commercial Real Estate in Doldrums Until 2011
It won't be until 2011 at the earliest when investors and consumers see recovery take root in the commercial real estate markets, says Mark Dotzour, chief economist at the Texas A&M Real Estate Center.

That is when Dotzour expects to see property values begin to rise and investors resume their buying activity.

Speaking at a recent Society of Commercial REALTORS®meeting, Dotzour told the more than 300 attendees: "High net-worth investors will be the first in."

He went on to liken today's market to that of the late 1980s, when the federal government established the Resolution Trust Corporation to sell off the property assets of failed savings and loan associations.

Few properties are changing hands these days because buyers believe that real estate values will continue to decline. "People will make money like they did after the RTC in the late '80s; it's a similar kind of environment," he said.

Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Sandra Baker (12/01/09)

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