While Boston’s commercial real estate market may have stabilized, money managers on this morning’s NAIOP discussion panel said they do not foresee substantial rent growth in the near future for the Boston market.

"We’re not seeing much rent growth happening now," said Marc Davidson, managing director for AEW Capital Management. "Boston seems to have stabilized, but for all the talk of leasing that’s gone on, a lot of the market is flat-lining or just slightly up."

Indeed, volatility is back in the markets, and "people are taking a step back" from the idea that we are in an "era of strong projected rent growth and strong fundamentals," said James McCaffrey, managing director for Eastdil Secured in Boston and the panel’s moderator.

The suburbs weren’t spared either. Davidson said investing in suburban office assets right now "is a very difficult bet," especially with vacancy rates still high in many properties.

"You have to go where demand is," Davidson added.

That said, commercial real estate is still considered a safer bet for many investors, with good returns that can be leveraged up, rather than the roller coaster ride offered by the stock market, said Mark Higgins, president of Cornerstone Real Estate Advisors.