Some runway left

Southwest Florida's strong job growth and population influx is boosting commercial real estate sectors throughout the region, and while there are indications that a commercial property bubble may be forming elsewhere in the U.S., Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties appear poised for further growth.

That was the message a panel of economic experts sent to a recent gathering of commercial real estate professionals associated with the prestigious CCIM Institute, a leading industry trade group that seeks to educate agents.

“There is some justification for saying we may be in the early stages of entering a commercial real estate bubble,” says Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, a Chicago-based trade group that has more than 1.1 million members throughout North America.