A return to normalcy, so says Whitebox Real Estate.
After several years of volatility, the North Texas commercial real estate market showed clear signs of stabilization in 2025, a shift that offers important lessons for tenants planning space decisions in the year ahead, according to a new market analysis from Whitebox Real Estate.
The firm’s assessment characterizes 2025 as a year of normalization, with both office and industrial sectors moving closer to historical performance patterns after pandemic-era disruption.
Office demand across North Texas remained steady throughout the year, supported by continued corporate relocations and a return to consistent in-office schedules. Most companies now operate on three- to four-day office attendance models, while fully remote users have largely exited the market, the analysis found.
At the same time, new office construction slowed significantly. Higher interest rates, tighter lending standards, and rising construction costs constrained new development, limiting additional supply. Office vacancy in the Dallas-Fort Worth market hovered near 17 percent—still elevated, but closer to long-term averages of 15 to 16 percent than recent narratives might suggest.
The industrial market followed a similar trajectory. After surging during the pandemic, leasing activity cooled and returned to more predictable levels in 2025. Year-over-year rent growth finished the year at roughly 5 percent and is expected to continue normalizing into the 3 to 4 percent range. Industrial vacancy increased to about 9 percent, slightly above historical norms but still reflective of a more balanced market.
Demand remained strongest among third-party logistics providers, e-commerce users, and industrial wholesale suppliers. New industrial development also stayed limited due to high capital costs and elevated interest rates.
Whitebox noted that Dallas-Fort Worth continued to outperform many U.S. markets, fueled by population growth, ongoing corporate relocations, and steady business expansion. The region further solidified its position as an emerging financial center, trends expected to support additional office demand in 2026.
However, the firm cautioned that longer construction timelines, more complex permitting, and elevated build-out costs require tenants to begin planning lease decisions earlier than in previous cycles.
The central takeaway from 2025, according to Whitebox, is that normalization should not be mistaken for weakness. Interest rate shifts did not immediately translate into tenant savings, and rent adjustments historically lag broader capital-market changes by as much as 24 months.
Tenants that achieved the best outcomes focused less on market timing and more on deal structure — prioritizing flexibility, operating expense protections, and renewal leverage to create long-term value.