Sperry Van Ness International Corporation’s (SVNIC) 2015 Market Update Reports assess the current state of the national commercial real estate market, and identify micro-trends within specific geographic regions and industries for 2015. Today we are delving into the 2015 Top Office Markets to Watch. Not the largest or the most actively contested markets, the 2015 Office Markets to Watch are each at an important juncture that presents unique opportunities for investment. Together, they reflect the diversity of trends that is driving the economy and commercial real estate performance in markets across the country.
Top Office Market to Watch: Silicon Valley, CA
With one of the fastest growing office-use job markets in the country, it is no wonder that San José and the surrounding area boast rent growth rivaling the most highly sought-after neighborhoods in Manhattan and San Francisco. Underpinning that momentum, the continued expansion of established tech firms and heady space demand from newly funded startups has pushed effective rents in prime areas like Palo Alto and Mountain View to levels approaching – and in some cases surpassing – their dot-com highs. Setting the pace, Silicon Valley investors spent much of 2014 watching Google’s leasing and buying spree. Among the highlights, the tech giant’s moves across the Peninsula included purchases of 6 office buildings comprising almost one million square feet and the leasing of Moffett Airfield from NASA.
Development is picking up as the market tightens further and corporate campus moves take large blocks of space off the market. The slate of corporate real estate projects is headlined by Apple’s Campus 2, which is expected to open in 2016. The tally of projects in the surrounding area reached nearly 5 million square feet by the end of 2014. With pre-leasing levels dropping, developers are betting the tech boom still has legs. Those optimistic assessments are well reflected in aggressive property pricing; cap rates averaging 5.8% in 2014 are on par with the largest and most actively traded gateway markets.
To read more on Silicon Valley and other top office markets, download the full version of the 2015 Office Market Update report here.
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