Second Quarter 2013 Market Peek

NAI Hiffman is pleased to present its Second Quarter 2013 Market Peek, a sneak peek at the market statistics for the Chicago Metropolitan office and industrial real estate markets.

Click the image below to play video. 

Conditions Continue to Gradually Improve in the Office Market

While the pace of absorption in
the downtown office market increased during the second quarter as nearly
400,000 SF of vacant space was absorbed through elevated leasing activity, the
suburban office market experienced a slight setback. Net absorption in the
suburbs was negligible due to several sizeable new vacancies offsetting the
effects of continued leasing activity. 

The suburban vacancy rate remained unchanged at
20.3%, but decreased by 30 basis points downtown to end the quarter at 13.0%.
Despite the hiccup in the suburbs during the second quarter, absorption remains
positive for the first half of the year, totaling more than 360,000 SF. The
downtown market has absorbed more than 640,000 SF through the first six months
of the year.  

Industrial Vacancy Drops Below 9%, New Construction Picks Up

The industrial vacancy rate
dipped below 9% for the first time in more than five years, ending the quarter
at 8.7% as an additional 2.6 million SF of vacant space was absorbed, bringing
the tally for the first half of 2013 to more than 7.1 million SF of net
absorption. The active I-55 Corridor submarket absorbed more than 1.1 million SF alone,
highlighted by Peacock Engineering leasing 532,000 SF in Romeoville and Waters
of America leasing 367,000 SF in Woodridge.

Market-wide, over 6.5 million SF is under
construction, the most development activity the market has seen since before
the recession. During the second quarter alone, nearly 2.5 million SF of new
construction broke ground. The most active submarkets for new construction are
the I-80/Joliet Corridor, the I-55 Corridor and O’Hare. 

For
further information regarding the content of this market peek, please contact:

Craig
Hurvitz | Director of Statistics and Market Information
630 693
0645
churvitz@hiffman.com

If you are interested in attending a custom market overview presentation,
please contact:

John
Picchiotti | Chief Operating Officer
630 691
0608
jpicchiotti@hiffman.com