Western

— By Jason Hallahan, associate, Colliers — Northern Nevada’s office market remained resilient throughout last year in the face of strong headwinds. Reno’s office market saw a blend of market fundamentals as net absorption declined, investment activity slowed and available sublease space shrunk. Negative net absorption in three out of four quarters brought the annual total to nearly 23,000 square feet of negative absorption — the lowest the market has seen since 2020.  Vacancy ticked up 100 basis points year over year to 11 percent by the end of 2023, though it is well below the pandemic peak of 13.4 percent of mid-2020. Average direct asking rents also softened slightly this year, though tenant demand and asking rates both remain strong among Class A office product. A combination of growing vacancy, heightened interest rates and continued uncertainty in office space needs have curbed investor appetite this year. Demand for Reno office product fell sharply at the beginning of 2023 when first-quarter sales shrank to less than 20 percent of the average quarterly sale totals from the past three years.  Buyers and sellers struggled to reach a middle ground as elevated vacancies weakened sale prices and increased borrowing costs discouraged investors. There …