More Commercial Foreclosures On The Horizon
Although the public has most certainly been made aware of the massive amounts of residential properties being foreclosed upon, most are not aware of the amount of commercial properties that are either delinquent or soon to be so. Towards the end of the residential real estate boom, the commercial real estate market also saw a boom itself. Fueled by easy credit and new investors entering the market the commercial real estate market exploded.
Thousands of these properties were purchased at the height of the market and were highly leveraged. These properties may have performed well enough to cover debt service and operating costs when occupancy rates were at historic highs, but now that businesses are tightening their belts, unemployment is rising, consumers are not spending money on goods and services or traveling the pressure is mounting on commercial property owners. This scenario has left these commercial owners in an extremely precarious situation. If the poor economy doesn t push these owners to a breaking point, the lender that holds the mortgage on the property will.