Hot Properties for Jan. 30, 2012
Hot Properties highlights recently sold or leased commercial properties in the Charleston region. Submissions should be sent to dailyjournal@scbiznews.com .

Don't rush into REITs
You'd think that investors would be leery of companies that own and manage commercial real estate. Vacancy rates remain elevated in office buildings and shopping centers. Except for apartment buildings, rents really haven't grown at all in four years. And given the possibility that the global economy may retrench yet again, things could still get worse before they get better.

Commercial real estate news for Indianapolis metropolitan area
Planners: Deny requests by Pic-A-Part, AutoZone Zoning planners recommend denial of two auto-related requests being considered by a city zoning board Tuesday. Pic-A-Part wants to install a car crusher in its auto salvage yard at 940 W. 16th St., a move that planners said could endanger groundwater with small leaks of gas, oils and antifreeze. AutoZone wants to build a 7,188-square-foot building ...

Washington Trust Provides $20 Million to Finance Massachusetts’ Office Park
Washington Trust, the largest bank headquartered in Rhode Island, recently provided $20,000,000 in commercial real estate financing to Highwood Investors, LLC, an affiliate of BPG Properties, Ltd.

Bank of America to sell some office space
The bank has so far identified three office buildings it will sell, in N.Y. and N.C. It also has substantial real estate holdings in Southern California. In a move to shed nonessential assets, Bank of America will sell and lease back some of its administrative office space.

Real estate investments to avoid
Investors are racing into REITs that promise higher yields than equity REITs. But be forewarned, the higher yields of these other types of real estate vehicles come with very real risks.Mortgage REITsIf ...

Don't Overlook REITs
by Amy Fontinelle Real estate investment trusts (REITs) are a relatively small investment category; there were just 123 equity REITs in the FTSE NAREIT index, which comprises all the REITs traded on the NYSE and NASDAQ exchanges in the fourth quarter of 2011. However, even though the REIT investment universe is small, it contains many ...

Ryley Carlock & Applewhite Expands Denver Office Space, Moves to Wells Fargo Center
The Denver office of Ryley Carlock & Applewhite and its 41 attorneys and staff will move January 30 to the Wells Fargo Center at 1700 Lincoln, the firm announced today. It will take the entire 35th floor of the “cash register building,” the third-tallest building in Denver.

REITs Continue to Perform Admirably in Unstable Market
NEW YORK, NY-- - High yielding Real Estate Investment Trusts have performed well in the current economic climate. As reported in The Wall Street Journal, the MSCI U.S. REIT Index returned 8.7% in 2011, ...

Commercial properties: Building, corner parcel included in sale of Bella Villa Shops in Fort Myers
Griffin Bonita Springs Properties purchased the Bella Villa Shops at 8850 Salrose Lane in Fort Myers for $1.7 million from SunTrust Bank.