by Michael Snyder

You might want to start thinking about that, because the truth is that the industry is in a tremendous amount of trouble.   Occupancy rates are extremely low and getting lower, rising interest rates have created all sorts of havoc, and now many of the small and mid-size banks that the industry depends upon for financing are in serious jeopardy.  In essence, the commercial real estate industry is facing a "perfect storm" of nightmares, and this crisis is only going to escalate in the months ahead.

I may sound like a broken record to some of my readers, because I have been warning about a commercial real estate crash for some time.

But now what is happening is so obvious that even CNN is sounding the alarm…

After decades of thriving growth bolstered by low interest rates and easy credit, commercial real estate has hit a wall.

Office and retail property valuations have been falling since the pandemic brought about lower occupancy rates and changes in where people work and how they shop. The Fed's efforts to fight inflation by raising interest rates have also hurt the credit-dependent industry.

Recent banking stress will likely add to those woes. Lending to commercial real estate developers and managers largely comes from small and mid-sized banks, where the pressure on liquidity has been most severe. About 80% of all bank loans for commercial properties come from regional banks, according to Goldman Sachs economists.