Office investments were supposed to be dead by now. 2020 was supposedly the great exodus, where on-site workers were freed of their commutes, small talk, and trips to the water cooler. We were sold a future where remote work was the only option, where everyone had an at-home standing desk, and nobody needed to wear pants. But, this didn't last long, as companies slowly started taking steps to get workers back into the office, making owners of the offices wealthy once again.

But, with so many companies trying flexible schedules, prioritizing work from home, and renewing their video conferencing subscriptions, will office space still be the same as it was just a few years ago? On this month’s BiggerNews, we brought on Kevin Fagan, Senior Director and Head of CRE Economic Analysis at Moody’s Analytics, to give us the scoop on office investing and commercial real estate in 2022.

Kevin’s team works diligently going through the data behind office investments, highlighting whether or not leases are renewed, how rents are being affected, and if office buildings are truly being abandoned. He brings some good news not only for office space investors, but for real estate investors as a whole, showing that this niche won’t be going away anytime soon. With coworking and residential conversions on the rise, office building investments could be a far smarter move than most investors would assume.

In This Episode We Cover:

How office space investing fared through the pandemic and how far occupancy rates fell

Comparing today’s office investing environment to 2008’s and the stark differences between the two

Office occupancy forecasting and when the data predicts a full recovery

How unemployment rates will affect office investors and whether or not employers will force workers back into the office

The best real estate markets to invest in office space and which big metros to definitely avoid

The benefits of office investing compared to residential real estate and why this low-turnover niche is worth it

And So Much More!

Links from the Show

Find an Investor-Friendly Real Estate Agent

BiggerPockets Youtube Channel

BiggerPockets Forums

BiggerPockets Pro Membership

BiggerPockets Bookstore

BiggerPockets Bootcamps

BiggerPockets Podcast

BiggerPockets Merch

Listen to All Your Favorite BiggerPockets Podcasts in One Place

Learn About Real Estate, The Housing Market, and Money Management with The BiggerPockets Podcasts

Get More Deals Done with The BiggerPockets Investing Tools

Find a BiggerPockets Real Estate Meetup in Your Area

David's BiggerPockets Profile

David's Instagram

Dave’s BiggerPockets Profile

Dave’s Instagram

Investing in Office Buildings—A Beginner’s Guide

The Coming Collapse of Downtown Office Real Estate

Connect with Kevin:

Kevin's LinkedIn

Click here to check the full show notes: https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-682

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682: BiggerNews November: Was The “Office Apocalypse” All Hype? w/Kevin Fagan 01:05:16

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682: BiggerNews November: Was The “Office Apocalypse” All Hype? w/Kevin Fagan