RCA in the commercial property press:

Moody's Property Index Resumes 'Steep' Fall in July

Bloomberg reports: Commercial property prices in the United States resumed a "steep decline" in July after showing signs of leveling off in June, Moody's Investors Service said, as credit restrictions curtail lending and push landlords toward default.

The Moody's/REAL Commercial Property Price Indices fell 5.1 percent in July from the month before, Moody's said today in a statement. The index is down almost 39 percent from its October 2007 peak. The decline in June was 1 percent.

Commercial real estate sales this year may fall to an 18-year low. This latest set of numbers suggests no letup in that trend, said Neal Elkin, president of Real Estate Analytics LLC, a New York firm that partners with Moody's in producing the report.

"We are still vulnerable to moves on the downside," Elkin said in a telephone interview. "As time passes, the distress and the stress among those who need to sell is growing."

Elkin cited figures from Real Capital Analytics Inc., whose data are used in compiling the report, showing the portion of sales classified as "troubled" - those commercial properties in or close to default - almost doubled to 23 percent in July from March.

That's "something we've never seen," Elkin said.

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Posted by: Matthew Stone

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