News release: “According to Cassidy Turley, a leading commercial real estate services provider in the U.S., the national office sector continues a positive growth trend after bottoming in the first quarter of 2010. Cassidy Turley reports that net demand for office space in the U.S. registered at +9.0 million square feet (msf) – the third straight quarter of improvement. In addition, vacancy rates inched down for the first time in over three years, and rents are stabilizing…According to Cassidy Turley, the national office vacancy rate fell 10 basis points in the fourth quarter to 16.7% and average asking rents registered at $21.24, down 2 cents from the previous quarter. The report also shows that 5.3 million square feet of new office space was delivered in the U.S. office market and there was 30.3 million square feet under construction – indicating two more years of limited new supply. ..According to the report, U.S. office sales demonstrated noticeable recovery in 2010 compared to 2009. Investors are still focusing on core assets, but recent data reveals that demand is beginning to trickle beyond major metro areas. Moreover, a wave of new listings in October and November – more than double the pace from a year ago – suggest that investment sales are poised to extend this momentum in 2011. The full report can be accessed here.”