Stirling Properties is pleased to present the 2016 first quarter Mobile Office Market Survey. This report, compiled by Jack Conger and Jill Meeks, Sales and Leasing Executives of our Mobile office, is intended to track the direction of the office market by establishing an absorption rate, a market occupancy rate and an average rental rate for West Mobile and the downtown Central Business District (CBD) on office buildings greater than 20,000 square feet. It was created to be a resource for agents, as well as tenants, landlords, developers, lenders, fellow brokers and anyone else looking for information about the Mobile Office market.
Jack Conger is our newest Sales and Leasing Executive in our Mobile office, focusing on industrial and office brokerage. Jill Meeks has over 27 years’ experience in commercial real estate.
Here’s an excerpt from Jack and Jill’s Market Assessment:
Since the Q3-15 survey, the office buildings surveyed in this report in West Mobile experienced a very modest increase in average occupancy rate from 80% to 80.1%, and the average rental rate decreased from $15.61 to $15.45/per square foot. West Mobile has a fair amount of older, unimproved office space available at below-market rental rates that contributes to low rental rates. We have seen several new Healthcare related expansions in West Mobile and expect that this trend will continue around the hospital campus.
In the CBD, there was a decrease in the occupancy rate from approximately 72% to 65.9%, and average rental rates decreased from $17.42 to $17.29/per square foot. The decrease in the occupancy rate is due in part to a few notable transactions: Regions Bank’s consolidation of its St. Francis Street and Water Street branches, Servis1st Bank’s relocation to the redeveloped Phelps Dunbar office at Royal and Dauphin Street, and lastly, BBVA Compass Bank and Phelps Dunbar’s move into RSA’s recently completed Van Antwerp renovation.
Overall leasing activity in updated CBD office buildings continue to be solid, along with demand for smaller renovated historic properties.
Please click here to view and download the PDF of the Mobile Office Market Survey. This survey provides a good summary of the Mobile office market and my hope is that it becomes a valuable resource in the market.
