NAR: Good things happening in commercial market (5/24/2013)
Commercial Realtors report an increase in annual gross income for the third year in a row, thanks to more transactions and higher sales volumes.

Commercial Realtors optimistic about market (5/20/2013)
Poll at NAR convention: Commercial market is a bit better this year and expected to improve even more in 2014. Multifamily and office doing well.

Fla. metro construction up 15.3% year-over-year (4/19/2013)
BidClerk: Building in major Fla. metro areas increased substantially in the first quarter – 0.8% in private construction and 25.4% in public construction.

Gov’t tries to unload excess properties (4/15/2013)
General Services Administration (GSA) is trying to unload surplus buildings across the country through auctions and, recently, negotiating land swaps.

Will online shopping hurt retail real estate? (4/10/2013)
Online retail sales could reach $262B in 2013. Some commercial investors worry that brick-and-mortar stores can’t handle that kind of change. Others don’t.

Economists fear farmland bubble (3/25/2013)
Recent high crop prices have boosted buyer demand for farmland. But analysts warn that the normal boom-and-bust cycle of farming cannot sustain the surge.

New survey looks at multi-family rental properties (3/18/2013)
About 20% of households live in multi-family rental buildings. New HUD/Census study looks at how properties are financed as FHFA develops underwriting standards.

NAR: Commercial real estate sectors steadily improve (2/26/2013)
Economist: U.S. vacancy rates to decline 0.4 percentage point in the office market, 0.4 in industrial, 0.3 in retail and 0.1 point in multifamily this year.

Foreign firms eye U.S. single-family rental market (2/22/2013)
It’s not just U.S. firms buying single-family homes and creating a network of managed properties. Several foreign firms also view it as a good investment.

Small business loans could take a hit (2/12/2013)
An $85 billion mandatory across-the-board cut to gov’t programs could take effect March 1. If it does, SBA loan funding may be cut up to $540 million.

NAR: Commercial investors eager to ‘turn the page’ (2/8/2013)
New annual report finds investors frustrated by uncertainty and a sluggish economy. They see current market as the “new normal” and will invest accordingly.

Commercial, multifamily lending to climb this year (2/6/2013)
Mortgage Bankers Association: Lenders predict an 11% increase in 2013, as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA and life insurers “have strong appetites” for lending.

Florida rolls out pro-business branding campaign (2/1/2013)
Tagline: “Florida. The Perfect Climate for Business.” Officials say state branding will help attract economic investment and companies looking to expand.

NAHB: Multifamily to remain strong through 2013 (1/24/2013)
Panelists say multifamily has recovered substantially since 2010, and it’s now about 70% of the way back to a sustainable level.

U.S. women gain in real estate (1/14/2013)
CREW Network survey: In five years through 2010, the share of female commercial real estate professionals increased from 36% to 43%.

Uncle Sam, real estate baron (12/17/2012)
The federal government owns and leases more than 3 billion square feet of building space and 900,000 structures.

Commercial real estate investment shows small signs of improvement (12/10/2012)
CCIM: Investment better in all property sectors, but property values remain flat and transaction volumes down in 3Q.

HUD to sell FHA mortgages in Fla. (12/4/2012)
HUD sells FHA mortgage loans to investors, who, HUD says, help owners avoid foreclosure. Next Fla. sale is in March.

NAR: Job creation forecast to lift commercial (11/27/2012)
NAR: Most major commercial sectors improving and absorbing the small amount of new space when it becomes available.