The national media sure has a lot of negatives concerning the national real estate business and a lot of people ask me how it is affecting our business.  Well the truth is Houston's commercial real estate business continues to boom due to the increased job growth and economic activity related to the oil business.  You can say all that you want about Houston's economy being diversified and not as dependent upon oil and gas as in the past, but the truth is this city is booming because of the oil and gas industry.  Who would have thought that we would see $ 100 oil in our lifetime?  

You can also see what's happening in the Houston market by taking a look at all of the construction going on around the city.  There is something like 4 million square feet of office space currently under construction with the bulk of it downtown, westchase, and the energy corridor (I-10 West).  That's a lot of space and the huge cranes dotting the skylines tell the story.  Lease rates are continuing to climb and probably will for the near future, so if your lease is coming up in the next 12-18 months you should start shopping\negotiating now!

John