"We are beginning to see signs of overall stabilization andimprovement," in the county's office market, says JerryHoldner, vice president of market research for Voit. Holdner tellsGlobeSt.com that the most promising trend is that the overall totalof direct and sublease space available in the county remained at23.75% in the first quarter, the same as in the fourth quarter.

Much of that 23.75% is the same space this quarter aslast―it was sublease space and has now gone back tolandlords as direct space. Holdner says that he's hopeful that theflattening in the amount of available space on the market is a signthat the market has bottomed out, although that remains to beseen.

Holdner also points to an increase of 200,000 square feet in thetotal of office building sales for the first quarter when comparedwith the first quarter of 2009. The figure is not earth-shattering,he says, but it means that 2010 is off to a better start than lastyear.