This is not a great time to be a commercial real estate agent or shopping-center owner. Delinquency rates are up across the country as landlords struggle to renegotiate loans and lease rates.

And with credit hard to get and prices depressed, commercial real estate sales volume is way down -- falling 49% from Lodi to Bakersfield and along the Central Coast over the last year, according to LoopNet Inc., which tracks activity.

Shopping centers have been especially hard hit. Per-square-foot prices in Central California have tumbled 14.3%, from $209 a year ago to $179. Nationwide, the decline was 5%, LoopNet said.

Apartments also are cheaper, with per-unit costs down 8.1% in Central California, compared with a 4.1% dip in the U.S.

John Stewart, president of Grubb&Ellis/Pearson Realty in Fresno, said the sluggish market is prompting some shopping-center and office tenants to ask for shorter lease terms.

In addition, more of the office activity is finding space for businesses that have downsized.
But commercial real estate isn't dead. Here's a sample of recent deals, according to LoopNet: A Walgreens building at 2424 N. Brawley Ave., $5.7 million; a Rite Aid structure at 3789 W. Shields Ave., $4.3 million; and Office Depot, 2736 E. Divisadero St., $5.2 million.

In addition, more of the office activity is finding space for businesses that have downsized.

But commercial real estate isn't dead. Here's a sample of recent deals, according to LoopNet: A Walgreens building at 2424 N. Brawley Ave., $5.7 million; a Rite Aid structure at 3789 W. Shields Ave., $4.3 million; and Office Depot, 2736 E. Divisadero St., $5.2 million.