In search of better returns, investors are finding their way back to real estate.

Lows and highs were energized this month: unemployment dropped to an almost four-year low; cap rates stayed near four-year lows, but moved enough to suggest a broadening buyer appetite for secondary markets; CMBS issuance vaulted to an almost five-year high; and multifamily permits were near four-year highs.

While national statistics show gains, particularly for market-rate units, experts warn that in a few markets, there may be too much supply in the pipeline.

The top ten trends in this month’s Barometer point to sparks as well as concerns in the economy, some weak signals in the capital markets, and some glimmer in the weak housing market. Compared with a year ago, 57 percent of the key indicators in the Barometer are better and 43 percent are worse.

Coupled with numerous advances in other green programs, the National Green Building Standard and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Homes Multifamily Midrise Guidance make multifamily energy efficiency and broader environmental performance goals more attainable than ever. Read how two builders are not just preaching green, but living it.

With mortgage foreclosures increasing and the number of renters on the rise, “it is critically important” that a financing tool be developed to help expedite private acquisition of foreclosed single-family properties so they can be placed back into the market as rentals, according to lending industry representatives speaking on a multifamily finance panel at ULI’s 2011 Fall Meeting.

The Avenue, located at one of the most coveted corners in Hollywood’s current renaissance, was developed as a condominium by an affiliate of John Laing Homes, now submerged in Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The seven-story condominium development was 70 percent complete when Laing halted construction. Read how the property is being repositioned and what the developer considers a key to its approach.

With multifamily yields on both coasts stagnant, some of the smart money is going inland—and more investors are expected to follow. For example, says one insider, a lot of institutional capital is looking at Texas and the middle of the country because it is getting priced out of coastal markets. Read more to learn what insiders have to say about the dramatic difference in cap rates they’re seeing.

Nashville, the capital of Tennessee, now has one of the nation’s most successful home retrofitting campaigns—Go Green Nashville. It started two years ago as a small pilot initiative by the ULI Nashville Sustainability Committee, targeting an urban neighborhood within the city, and has now taken off. Read more to discover what has made this community-based initiative so successful and what lessons can be applied in your area.

The Commercial Mortgage Alert Trepp weekly survey of 15 active portfolio lenders remained unchanged during the most recent survey period with financing remaining available in the 5 percent +/- range.