On April 17, I wrote about the massive train wreck coming in commercial real estate. As it turns out, my estimates of the coming devastation – which seemed outlandish to some at the time – have actually turned out to be too conservative. The problem is far worse than anything that’s been reported so far, particularly when it comes to our icon of consumerism: the shopping mall.

I’m confident that the trend for REITs will be down through the end of 2009. That’s why I suggest buying the UltaShort Real Estate ProShares ETF (NYSE: SRS. Current price $18.52) as a way to profit from weakness in the REIT sector. But fasten your seatbelt! SRS will be volatile!

With consumers losing savings, their jobs and their homes, it was only a matter of time before businesses across the country began to feel pain.