North County office and industrial space not easy to fill but some headway made.

North County sales and resales are picking up but still have a ways to go.

There are telltale signs of an economic downturn, says Kent Williams, senior vice president and managing director of Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services. The price of gasoline jumps. The stock market crashes. Panic ensues.

Payment of property taxes is often the largest annual expense for an owner of real property. Savvy real estate investors save money -- and you can too -- by appealing your property tax. Oftentimes, a tax rebate of 20 to 40 percent is possible if the property is assessed over current fair market value, as we have found is often the case for properties purchased in the last 10 years.

While the quiet lull of slowed home sales still whispers throughout the country, Southern California’s Twin Cities are still buzzing. The cities of Temecula and Murrieta remain premier cities within Southwest Riverside County. Residents and businesses have been attracted to these cities for a number of reasons, including our highly skilled labor force, top notch K-12 school system, quality and affordable housing, and an exceptional quality of life. It is with these attractive qualities that residents continue to be drawn to the region.

In just its fifth year of existence, the two 78,000-square-foot Crossroads Corporate Center buildings -- part of a planned 273,000-square-foot campus located at the confluence of the 15 and 215 freeways in Murrieta -- continues to provide regional top-tier tenants a Class A alternative.

Retail Development Advisors Corp. of Yorba Linda, Calif., completed its second annual study of retail vacancy rates in shopping centers and potential anchored centers in the Murrieta trade area in September 2009. The study analyzed all anchored retail shopping centers and furniture centers within the Murrieta trade area. The Orchard - Stone Creek trade area was defined as within a 3-mile radius of the Orchard at Stone Creek Center in Murrieta, while the larger trade Murrieta trade area of is an 8-mile by 8-mile area with The Orchard - Stone Creek shopping center at the interchange of I-215 and Clinton Keith Road as the center.

Truax Development is pleased to announce its Creekside Corporate Campus is moving forward. Located adjacent to the I-15 and I-215 freeway connection, in Murrieta, the 18-acre site includes three identical 81,000-square-foot buildings totaling 243,000 square feet in a campus-like setting. The campus features floor plates of 27,000 square feet, allowing for a large corporate plan layout. The Creekside Corporate Campus buildings can be made deliverable during the first quarter of 2012.

With many foreclosures, particularly on the eastern side of Chula Vista, the recession hasn't been kind to the South Bay, and it appears some healing is necessary before it is fully on the mend.

When property is owned by more than one owner, and the owners disagree, how is the parties’ dispute resolved?

The recession dealt a lot of hard lessons, but frugality is one that can well serve business and building owners in perpetuity. A simple, often overlooked way to optimize business profits is to modify existing workspace. Studies show that providing an efficient and inspiring interior space can increase work force productivity and reduce absenteeism. For building owners, minor modifications can make a big improvement to the value of the real estate asset.

BOMA San Diego has met the demand for practical, core commercial real estate management education for entry-level and up-and-coming property professionals with the launch of its first ever Foundations of Real Estate Management. The first series proved to be a success, with nine enrolled students and more than 20 course instructors and sponsors.

The San Diego Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) has announced the nominees of The Outstanding Building of the Year (TOBY) Awards, which acknowledge buildings or properties that have garnered the top level of respect in the commercial office building industry.

In the throws of an anemic housing market, homebuilders and would-be homebuyers are weighing whether technological advancements in sustainable features are making them practical options.

(AP) -- California lawmakers have approved a bill that would prohibit landlords from requiring tenants to declaw or devocalize their pets in order to move in.

The two-story, 25,400-square-foot office building on 220 West Crest St. in Escondido 92025, has been sold for $3.5 million.

A pair of four-unit apartments in Valencia Park at 5412 and 5418 Imperial Ave., San Diego 92114, has been sold for $399,000 each in separate transactions.

As in seven of the past 10 years, permits issued for new housing in San Diego County fell from June to July, according to numbers released Tuesday by the Construction Industry Research Board (CIRB).

Experts are beginning to wonder if the historically low interest rates are just a sign of what's to come.

One of the largest medical projects in the country is now 50 percent complete, as construction moves forward on Palomar Medical Center West at Palomar Pomerado Hospital in Escondido. As of the first week in August, seven floors of the 11-story 740,000-square-foot project have been completed. The hospital completion is expected by April 9, 2012.