2023 News Archive

The resiliency of the Houston retail market is being tested while absorbing the three-year high of new supply and dealing with an uncertain economy. A total of 4.5 million SF of new supply was delivered to the Houston market in 2021 and 2022. In 2023 the new construction pipeline expects to deliver approximately 4.9 million SF. Furthermore, the vacancy rate of 4.9% remained unchanged in 3Q23. The lack of construction in 2022 is a leading cause of the current vacancy rate. However, with most of the current new construction to be completed by the end of 2023, we forecast the vacancy rate to level off over the next few quarters.

The Houston Industrial market continues to be among the top three major metro areas in the U.S. for absorption with 21.2 million SF in the last 12 months. Therefore, in 3Q23 the positive net absorption continued to increase while the pace of growth slowed down. This is due to new construction supply outpacing demand. Nevertheless, there is still 23.5 million SF under construction that is scheduled to be delivered by the end of 2023. In the past decade, 196 million SF of space has been added to the market, growing its total inventory by 30%. Therefore, new supply has been a monumental factor in making the Industrial market what it is today.

The Houston Office market continued to grapple with ongoing challenges throughout 3Q23. One of those challenges is a continued high office vacancy rate at 18.7% due to overbuilding in the 1980a€™s, tenants downsizing their office footprint, and choosing to sign leases in newer, class A, office buildings instead of older, vintage buildings. This vacancy rate comes as no surprise to the market because it has been a constant obstacle for the past few years. Available inventory of 77.4 million SF for lease continues to be a cloud over the office market. Landlords are still struggling to fill large spaces as tenants are consolidating and reevaluating their needs. Despite these weaknesses, quality lease space and high-end building amenities are factors that are keeping the office market alive.