HOUSTON—JPMorgan Asset Management spent much of late January and early February outsourcing leasing and management for the nearly nine-million-square-foot office portfolio it once co-owned with Crescent Real Estate Holdings LLC. In October 2011, JP Morgan bought out the Crescent stake, with the original plan focused on retaining Crescent Real Estate to continue leasing and managing the assets.

HOUSTON—During the past several months, the retail market here has been enjoying an uptick that others might envy. Various thirdquarter reports place citywide net absorption at approximately 524,000 square feet, while average vacancies across the region range from 7.6% to 12.4%—down from the 2009 high of 20% and above—depending on which report you read.

RICHARDSON, TX-The land play that began in 2009 when Stratford and Parliament Group bought acreage in the Telecom Corridor reached a successful conclusion with its recent sale to KDC.

HOUSTON-Zenith Real Estate Group taps the CRE firm to handle leasing activities for its 11-building office portfolio.

ALLEN, TX-An acre containing a 4,000-square-foot Wells Fargo bank building is sold.

HOUSTON-The buyer is the proud owner of 17000 Katy Freeway, an office building in the Energy Corridor, sold by Black Forest Ventures.

DALLAS-Though slowing down a little, Hendricks & Partner's market report indicates net absorption of more than 9,000 units in 2012.

HOUSTON-A recent report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics compares Houston area unemployment to the national average of 7.5%.