The Commerce Department reported Wednesday that the gross domestic product, the nation's total output of goods and services, rose at an annual rate of 4.1 percent in the July-September quarter. It was the fastest pace of growth in 1 1/2 years.
The U.S. economy turned in a remarkably strong performance in the summer despite surging energy prices and the battering the Gulf Coast states took from hurricanes, although business growth was slightly lower than the government previously estimated.
Gruen Gruen + Associates, a research and consulting firm says the economy and real estate industry in 2006 will be more buoyant than the contentious political mood of the country, with Gross Domestic Product growing between 3.4 and 3.8 percent. Local growth rates will vary above and below this positive nationwide output.
Additionally 1.Fastest employment growth will gravitate to suburban and exurban locations where local firms have strengths in these advantaged industries.
2. Except for condominium and town home products in areas where speculation from investors is more important than user demand, don't bet on a bursting bubble to keep housing from being the land-value-increasing profitable real estate sweet spot.
3. Immigrants, members of Generation Y, and a slowly rising interest rate will support apartment market growth in areas where employment growth is at or above the national rate.
4. Adaptive re-uses, the replacement of obsolete shopping areas in slow growth areas, and attempts to be the first center where suburban growth is still expected will motivate retail real estate activity.
5. Ample capital will push up values across the country, but profit-bringing demands for office, industrial and hospitality uses will vary greatly between regions, with positive returns to new products restricted to uniquely strong sites.
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