70% Of Companies Want To Add Space In 2026, But Uncertainty Could Delay Moves
More executives are planning to add office space in 2026 than in 2024.
Seventy percent of real estate leaders at large companies said their 2026 strategy includes adding more space, versus 56% in 2024, according to a survey from Visual Lease.
Of those seeking additional space, 44% were going to expand their existing footprints, 44% were going to use coworking spaces, and 38% were going to add new locations, the study found.
However, 64% of respondents also said their company is extremely or very likely to delay making necessary upgrades or shifting facilities in the coming year due to “the state of the economy.”
The report's authors attributed the renewed interest in taking down space to the momentum for returning to the office.
Average workday office visits in November were just 32.9% lower than November 2019 levels — the narrowest gap since early 2020, according to Placer.ai. Office attendance rose in the third quarter overall.
A Deloitte study published in September found that the sentiment around future commercial real estate performance declined when looking at expectations for 2026. Economic volatility and policy uncertainty fueled the expectation that CRE would have a hard road ahead.
“While the current outlook is positive, there are downside risks,” CoStar National Director of Office Analytics Phil Mobley said in October. “Persistent inflation and volatile trade policy suggest that economic growth is still poised precariously.”
