Step Into My Office: Inside LA’s Office Market Recalibration

Commercial Property Executive

The last quarter of 2024 was a busy time for Los Angeles and pushed the metro to rank third nationally in terms of investment. Despite a slight slowdown compared to previous years, the metro kept a stabilized vacancy rate, below the national average. As economic uncertainty continues to influence the office sector, no market remains immune to the current shifting dynamics and investors are trying to adapt.

While uncertainty remains a concern, there’s space for optimism in the sector. The rise of flex office spaces, as well as creative offices and the flight of tenants toward higher quality, amenitized spaces, keeps the metro in flux. In this episode of Step Into My Office, I delved into the market dynamics with John Anthony, SIOR, Executive Vice President and Managing Director at Kidder Mathews. Anthony highlighted some of the shifts reshaping demand and examined the current occupancy patterns and the evolving tenant roster.

Anthony believes that Los Angeles is “going through an evolution, a recalibration”, as landlords adapt to hybrid work patterns and ongoing market volatility. He pointed out two key trends shaping the metro’s dynamics: the flight to quality, as tenants seize to upgrade their spaces without long-term commitments and “somewhat of a flight to the suburbs”, since flexible campus-style environments are becoming more attractive than traditional office space, such as downtown towers.

Here's what we touched on:

• LA’s current office landscape (01:31)
• The main trends influencing demand (03:29)
• Finding opportunities in Los Angeles (04:53)
• What role does the government play? (06:29)
• The pause in office development (08:23)
• How are investors recalibrating their strategies? (10:12)
• What’s fueling flex office space growth? (17:19)
• What’s up with conversions? (20:23)
• What’s next? (23:40)