In a city of poor residents, the plunging property values of Fairhope Alabama real estate would appear to offer a chance for nonprofit groups to acquire properties at little or no cost, theoretically allowing them to pass on cheaper rents the poor could afford. But without financial support, even nonprofit groups that for decades have been seeking housing for the poor may not be able to afford to manage abandoned properties -- even if the buildings are given to them.

One of them, Hill Housing, can't afford to pay taxes and insurance premiums while waiting for money to fix up Asylum Hill buildings, said McKay, the group's executive director. "It's almost like [saying], 'please don't give us a building, we can't afford it.' " she said. Meanwhile, the Asylum Hill neighborhood braces for more crime, more prostitution and more drugs on Huntington Street. "Sometimes I say to people, 'let's take down Huntington Street,' " McKay says. "It sounds like a pretty radical idea, but there has to be some major change. This street is just not working."

Colliers International is Canada's largest commercial real estate services company. Controlled by its employees, Colliers International offers its clients a comprehensive range of real estate services, including investment sales, office/retail/industrial sales and leasing, corporate accounts, real estate management services, valuation and advisory services, design and construction, research, mortgage finance, business sales and acquisition, and hotel sales.

"These results show continuation of a trend we've been witnessing for some time now," said Jamie Horne, president and CEO of Colliers International. "Vacancy levels again moved lower and rents again moved higher _ good news for our investment clients but not so well for our corporate clients. 2006 was an interesting year in the real estate market.

There were some prominent ups and downs caused by capital markets but overall there was growth," said Ross Moore, vice president of research at Colliers International in Toronto. "While we cannot completely discount the possibility of a North American recession in the New Year, we believe there are great opportunities in real estate markets in 2006."

The national vacancy rate in the office market recorded a sixth consecutive annual decline to 9.4 per cent. Industrial markets across Canada continued positively with markets such as Winnipeg boasting vacancy rates at or near zero per cent and Calgary warehouse lease rates increasing by a further 25 per cent. In the retail market, successful centers became more successful while some problem centers just became more of a problem.