Renewed interest in commercial real estate in north Georgia

GAINESVILLE - While the economic climate may be somewhat dismal, one north Georgia real estate company believes the market for commercial real estate is looking sunnier.

Allen Nivens with Norton Real Estate, based in Gainesville, said this week that agents have seen what he called a "drastic increase" in real estate call volume and showing volume over the past 4 weeks. He noted that he doesn't have any state or national numbers to compare with the call volume he has experienced lately, but he finds the local numbers encouraging.

Nivens speculated that as corporations have laid off workers, those employees are taking the opportunity to open their own businesses.

He said that agents have not only been showing retail and office building space, but also acreage, to potential small business owners.