Office space

Austin nails ranking as one of nation’s top commercial real estate markets

Austin is one of only two Texas cities to be named among the top 10 commercial real estate markets.

Photo by Gino Barasa, Visit Austin/Facebook

Unless you’ve been living way off the grid the past couple of years, you’re fully aware that Austin ranks among the hottest residential real estate markets in the U.S. What you may not realize, though, is that it’s also among the country’s hottest commercial real estate markets.

In a recently released report, the National Association of Realtors identifies Austin as one of the top 10 commercial real estate markets in the U.S. San Antonio is the only other Texas market to appear on the unranked list.

Austin’s commercial real estate sector has benefited from an influx of companies, particularly in the tech industry, that are moving out of California. Among the relocating businesses are Cangshan Cutlery, F45 Training, Green Dot, and Markaaz.

Factors in Austin’s favor that the report outlines include:

Office occupancy has grown, rather than shrunk, in the past 12 months. Across the country, the COVID-19 pandemic has hammered the office sector, with millions of Americans telecommuting rather than heading to a workplace.
In the multifamily segment (part of the commercial real estate sector), Austin enjoys one of the most robust levels of construction activity in the country.
Advertised rents at multifamily properties are up 21.2 percent on a year-over-year basis.

“Even as the economy makes a steady recovery, the one sector still lagging behind has been the office market,” Lawrence Yun, chief economist at the National Association of Realtors, says in a news release. “Work-from-home flexibility looks to be the defining shift of the new post-pandemic economy.”

“Despite the overall challenges, however, some local markets are bucking the trend with more office occupancy and rising rents. A combination of strong in-migration and relatively lower cost of doing business is driving these growth markets,” Yun adds.

trends reports downtown

hottest headlines of 2024

Top Austin real estate stories of 2024 unlock hot suburbs, lavish homes

Photo by Mack Ramirez on Unsplash

It seems like everyone is hoping for lower housing prices as we move into 2025.

Editor's note: As 2024 comes to a close, we're looking back at the stories that defined Austin this year, including the red-hot topic of real estate. Austin's real estate market has seen some dramatic swings this year, but that's not all that happened. From Austin's suburbs continuing to boom to lavish estates hitting the market, here's a look at the hottest real estate headlines of 2024.

1. Annual Outdoor Living Tour returns for 2024 in Austin's 8 best backyards. The 2024 tour spanned a wide geography across Austin, including Travis Heights, Rollingwood, Allandale, and more.

2. Austin suburb's ZIP code stands out on new list of hottest U.S. housing markets in 2023. This Leander ZIP code was the 13th hottest market, showing that interest in the suburbs is as popular as ever.

3. Texas chef's Old West Austin home hits the market for $1.65 million. This home was originally built as a guest house in 1947, but has since been completely renovated with modern style.

1002 Baylor Street, Old West Austin, home for sale, Chef Lou Lambert The home is located above the street for privacy. Photo courtesy of James H Ruiz Photography

4. 5 Austin neighbors lauded as best small cities in America. Leading the pack were the northwest Austin suburbs of Leander and Cedar Park.

5. Drake suspected new owner of $15 million Dos Brisas ranch in Texas. Drake was reportedly the latest rap icon that can proudly say he's a Texan after purchasing this acclaimed 313-acre ranch in Washington, Texas.

6. 3 Austin neighbors shine on new list of America's safest suburbs. Cedar Park, Georgetown, and Round Rock have earned high praise for their livability and growth in recent years.

7. 6 hot Austin-area ZIP codes for first-time homebuyers in spring 2024. A local real estate expert shared his insight into the ZIP codes – from Kyle to Pflugerville – that received the most attention from first-time buyers.

8. South Austin 'entertainer's paradise' hits the market for $4 million. This 10,343-square-foot property comes with an expertly designed game room, a trendy golf simulator, an outdoor kitchen and lounge, a light up three-car carport, and much more.

9. This $4.85 million Hill Country ranch with its own lazy river is going wild on social media. The Lazy River Ranch in Boerne makes a splash with its many extravagant amenities.

227 Seewald Road, Boerne, Lazy River Ranch The Lazy River Ranch is at 227 Seewald Rd., Boerne. Photo courtesy of Kuper Sotheby's

10. Historic Greek mansion near Austin hits the market for just under $1 million. This Greek Revival mansion in Lockhart, built in 1907, was looking for a new owner to cherish its rich past.