And obviously office is mixed in with that, because obviously, with jobs. And industrial typically follows retail because it provides the support structure for shipping and manufacturing. So they're all correlated with one another.

So when you think about the question of “How is commercial real estate doing in the Southeast?” you need to start with, well, how is the Southeast doing? And when you think about the two states that are creating those jobs right now its Florida and Texas and a lot of good, solid markets in between. So, you know that feels good.

GlobeSt.com: What are the biggest challenges for developers that you see?

Crossman: It's kind of a tell tale sign to a market that's improving. They're may start seeing some issues with labor, finding labor, some issues with construction. I think the bigger issue is finding the right sites in the best market.

When you look at Miami for example, there is high value in a limited amount of retail sites and it's those sites that become more complicated, because they could be mixed use or other categories. Certainly these basics can be applied anywhere and I think for a dense market like Miami there exists these unique challenges.

I do think that in some markets across the Southeast, one of the great recession lessons, was that some communities and local governments got better at working with developers. So I think that there are some that have become a little friendlier to the process. That's going to continue to be a great benefit.

ATLANTA—The Southeast was hit hard during the Great Recession, but most markets have rebounded—and some are booming. Most industry watchers are bullish on the Southeast's commercial real estate market, including John Crossman, president of Crossman & Company, one of the Southeast's largest retail leasing, property management and investment sales firms that just entered Miami with a bang.

GlobeSt.com caught up with Crossman to get his take on the temperature of the Southeast's commercial real estate market in part one of this exclusive interview. Crossman is active in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia, with 25,678,368 square feet under leasing and management in 347 properties.

GlobeSt.com: What is the state of commercial real estate in the Southeast?

Crossman: The answer is strong. You know, when you talk about retail specifically, what I always tell people is that retail follows, meaning that it's not the lead-in to real estate. Retail follows other real estate growth. And what I typically look at first is employment. Where are jobs moving? And then what follows jobs is housing. And then what follows housing is retail.

And obviously office is mixed in with that, because obviously, with jobs. And industrial typically follows retail because it provides the support structure for shipping and manufacturing. So they're all correlated with one another.

So when you think about the question of “How is commercial real estate doing in the Southeast?” you need to start with, well, how is the Southeast doing? And when you think about the two states that are creating those jobs right now its Florida and Texas and a lot of good, solid markets in between. So, you know that feels good.

GlobeSt.com: What are the biggest challenges for developers that you see?

Crossman: It's kind of a tell tale sign to a market that's improving. They're may start seeing some issues with labor, finding labor, some issues with construction. I think the bigger issue is finding the right sites in the best market.

When you look at Miami for example, there is high value in a limited amount of retail sites and it's those sites that become more complicated, because they could be mixed use or other categories. Certainly these basics can be applied anywhere and I think for a dense market like Miami there exists these unique challenges.

I do think that in some markets across the Southeast, one of the great recession lessons, was that some communities and local governments got better at working with developers. So I think that there are some that have become a little friendlier to the process. That's going to continue to be a great benefit.