"There's some stability as well as sustainability that'sinherent in these numbers," Mark Fewin, senior managing director ofCB Richard Ellis, tells GlobeSt.com. "It's been gradual over a longperiod of time so it shows a level of stability."

CBRE's Q2 report, which rolls out today, shows the metroplexisn't totally out of the woods as yet despite a market-wideabsorption of 709,314 sf or 318,054 sf more than Q1's closingtally. The 181.6-million-sf inventory is 20.36% vacant, up just0.12% from Q1, and there's 4.65 million sf under construction.Still, the across-the-board rent gains produced a 17-cent spreadthat pushed the Q2 average to $18.60 per sf.

Marty Neilon, CBRE's research coordinator, says the readings forvacancy, absorption and average rents are "getting pretty close" to2000 and 2001 levels. Submarkets still trailing their 2001 rentlevels are Central Expressway, Far North Dallas, Las Colinas,Lewisville/Denton and Richardson/Plano.