Atlanta real estate firms look beyond metro area

Atlanta’s biggest real estate companies are doing an increasing amount of work elsewhere as the metro area struggles to rebound from the economic slowdown, a reflection of a sluggish market that lags behind other cities.

Atlanta-based commercial real estate heavyweight Cousins recently bought a skyscraper in Dallas and is exploring more projects outside Georgia’s borders. Carter is tackling major projects in Ohio, Mississippi and elsewhere. And Atlanta-based apartment developers are ramping up work across the country.

The companies say they’re not abandoning their hometown, but instead going where the work takes them.