CPPI Reports Precipitous Drop in April

The Moody's/REAL Commercial Property Index (CPPI) results are in for April, showing a return of negative 8.6% for the all properties national index. The index now sits 25.3% below its level from this time last year, and 29.5% below the peak prices measured in October 2007. "Unlike other areas where people are comfortable that the pace of change is positive, in commercial real estate pricing the pace of change is negative," Neal Elkin, REAL president, told CPN. "January was one of the largest changes in pricing ever seen before, but in April prices are deteriorating faster."

The CPPI is a periodic same-property round-trip investment price change index of the U.S. commercial investment property market based on data from MIT Center for Real Estate industry partner Real Capital Analytics, Inc (RCA). Moody's observes that April's negative return partly reflects that most deals closed during this time were negotiated at the end of 2008 and beginning of 2009 when securities markets plunged. "Primary markets are outperforming compared to the others. If you look at the Southern region, industrial properties are down 28.8 percent," said Elkin. "When you look into the numbers you see a return to the premium of primary markets. Prices are falling much faster and farther in secondary and tertiary markets and you're seeing that in other property types."

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