In a survey conducted by the Urban Land Institute, 700 real estate professional were asked which are the best places to invest in commercial real estate. Those surveyed include realtor, real estate investment executives and private developer.

The survey partly included the residential market as the single-family-home sector usually follows the economy. As more jobs are created and wages increases, more people are able to buy homes, pushing prices up.

The survey results showed that the best cities in which to invest are those that are access points to international investment, those places where people can forgo cars, and where there is no excess condominium or office space.

In the number one spot is Seattle with a score of 6.15 on a scale of one to nine where nine is excellent. Seattle is "a diversified market, has a good base of business and is becoming a 24-hour city," says Stephen Blank, senior resident fellow, finance, of the Urban Land Institute. "It's going to be in a good position to come back."

In second place is San Francisco with a score of 6.12. There is a reasonable supply of office and apartment space in the area. Vacancies are limited as they did not overbuild as they learned from the 2001 tech crash experience. San Francisco's port is also expected to help the city during the downturn as Asian imports comes will keep coming in.

Washington, D.C., New York and Los Angeles complete the top five.