— By Greg Swedelson and Jon-Eric Greene, co-founders, SSG Realty Partners — Although there continues to be much speculation and concern about the impacts of inflation, high debt costs, rising unemployment and an economy that may be heading for a slowdown in the coming year, there is reason to believe that the outlook for the Salt Lake City commercial real estate market is quite positive. With more than $100 billion in annual GDP, Salt Lake City’s economic growth rate is poised to end the year up nearly 3.5 percent (and nearly 80 percent since 2011). Although many are projecting a more moderate growth rate of 2.8 percent entering 2024, the overall economy and commercial real estate market in SLC remain resilient, if not robust. Offering a combination of affordability, abundant job opportunities and a business-friendly environment, SLC has attracted some of the nation’s largest corporations and specialized tech companies, and with them, talent to fuel meaningful employment growth. So much so, in fact, that net employment is up nearly 10 percent over the pre-Covid levels of 2019, with no sign of slowing. Like so many markets, SLC has seen a precipitous drop in investment sales volume across all commercial sectors …
