Article: Higher building material costs could reduce vacancy rate

Higher building materials prices may eventually have an impact -- in a positive way -- on the relatively high vacancy rate in the Pittsburgh office market, a report indicates.

According to Grubb & Ellis Co.'s 2006 Office Trends Pittsburgh report for the July-September quarter, the scenario goes this way:

Rising material costs and engineering/design requirements have increased the cost of new structures.

That means rental rates are approaching levels that will not justify new construction, which will result in a slowdown in new building activity.

That forces tenants to absorb existing space, which in turn helps decrease the vacancy rate in existing buildings, now at 19.5 percent for all ...

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