The large sites used to build these low-density rental communities are getting harder to find. As a result, garden apartment complexes have relatively little competition in their price range.

Employers are attracted to suburban office markets because rents for class-A space there tend to be nearly half those of central business districts (CBDs). 

At this point in the cycle, office tenants who may be seeking shorter-than-traditional lease terms may find themselves in difficult negotiations with landlords, who themselves are facing close lender scrutiny. In certain markets, however, tenants...