Southern Nevada commercial and industrial investment sales are much stronger in 2011 than in the past few years, reports Commerce Real Estate Solutions, the local office of Cushman & Wakefield. It’s a favorable indicator that investors outside the region are becoming more confident about the valley’s economic future. Local employment has shown slight gains over the past six months which will result in more positive absorption in the fourth quarter of 2011. The decrease in speculative development has created demand for income-producing properties, thereby putting upward pressure on values. Landlords are eager to lease their buildings and make deals on a short term basis in order to have a means of cash flow, as industrial vacancies rose to 15.1 percent in the third quarter. Median asking rents consequently ranged from 35 cents per foot to 55 cents per square foot, triple-net. While the economy shows signs of slight improvement, it’s not enough to reduce high unemployment. Similarly tepid economic growth is expected though 2013. The valley’s economy would need to grow consistently at 4 to 5 percent annually to generate enough jobs to significantly lower unemployment. As a result, industrial vacancy is anticipated to gradually decrease as the national and local economy show signs of improvement. For the full report, CLICK HERE