Real Estate Investor's Best Bet: Head West

The Urban Land Institute recently polled over 700 real estate professionals to find the best places to invest in commercial real estate in 2009. Characteristic of the top spots is a vibrant downtown that is foot-traffic friendly and is not overrun with condos or office space. According to poll results, the following are considered top commercial real estate investment prospects for 2009:

Seattle. On a scale of 1 to 9, Seattle landed the top spot, with a 6.15. Considered the most diversified market, Seattle has a solid business base and is quickly becoming a 24-hour city. Even though Starbucks and Washington Mutual, two of the cities’ mainstays, have lost significant steam, software giant Microsoft and Boeing, the world’s largest aerospace company, remain strong.

San Francisco. San Francisco comes in a close second at 6.12. With an adequate supply of office space and a conservative approach to construction, vacancy rates are expected to be low and overall growth will be steady. Also, the city by the bay has the privilege of relying on an economic boost from Asian imports flooding the local ports.

Source: Forbes