Real estate can tell you a lot about people and markets. Hundreds of Web-savvy startups have sprung up in San Francisco’s oldest buildings in the South of Market district (called “SOMA” for shorthand). So behind that sleek new Apple iPhone whatever-it-does application are a bunch of software developers crowded into a brick building that 100 years ago housed a meat warehouse, a button factory, or maybe a flophouse. Best of all (for those who enjoy irony), that same startup labored, even spent a few grand, to make sure their former warehouse looks nothing like: an office. Original bricks are a must, according to… read more.

By Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times As 2011 came to a close, some commercial real estate experts found promising signs in often troubled markets. The office market is gaining interest from investors amid a mixed bag of property-related economic fundamentals such as improvement in employment and business expansions, a recent survey showed. Commercial real estate continues to offer attractive yields compared with alternative investment vehicles, said respondents to a quarterly poll by consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. “Despite a sluggish U.S. economic outlook, the majority of surveyed investors view commercial real estate as favorably priced and a good play,” said Mitch Roschelle, the… read more.

By Aaron Sankin Huffington Post SAN FRANCISCO — Walk through San Francisco’s bustling SoMa neighborhood and you’d be forgiven for thinking that the economic roller coaster of the last 12 years was nothing more than a bad dream. Both the dot com boom’s epic implosion and the misery of the Great Recession vanish behind a chattering group of enthusiastic engineers waiting in line for artisanal grilled cheese sandwiches. At times, it seems like there has been steady economic growth in SoMa from the tech explosion of the late 1990s to today’s boom. While the newfound expansion, one based on the seemingly limitle… read more.

Fair warning to U.S. real estate players: Resign yourselves to “a slowing grind-it-out recovery” in 2012, as “enduring economic doldrums” continue to weigh heavily on the market. Your best bets: a small handful of “property-wealth islands,” including San Francisco and San Jose/Silicon Valley, both seen as “primary 24-hour gateways located along global pathways,” according to a report being released today at the Urban Land Institute conference in San Francisco. San Francisco ranks third out of 51 cities as a place to invest in and develop commercial and multifamily apartment properties and fourth in for-sale home building, with San Jose two or three rungs lower in… read more.