Steve

The Dallas Business Journal’s Candace Carlisle reports Richardson landed two of North Texas’ largest office deals in 2011: Fossil Inc.’s corporate headquarters and Ericsson’s expansion on the former Nortel Networks campus. And the city is poised to land even more deals, Carlisle reports, with about 1.6 million square feet of Class A office space available on a market that is showing increasingly positive signs.

Fossil was North Texas’ largest office deal, a multimillion-dollar, 10-year lease for the former Blue Cross Blue Shield campus at 901 Central in Richardson. The lease was for 535,731 square feet of office space. The watch and fashion accessory company renovated the former Blue Cross Blue Shield campus into a trendy headquarters. The deal was an important one for Richardson, retaining the company and its 1,200 corporate employees who have helped grow the once-small business into a well-known brand.

Ericsson’s expansion onto the former Nortel Networks campus at 2201-2221 Lakeside Blvd. in Richardson has also kept jobs within Richardson city limits. That lease was for 460,000 square feet of office space.

Through the Fossil and Ericsson deals, Richardson retained about 6,800 employees, Carlisle reports.

We at Ebby Halliday, REALTORS are happy to report that the Richardson housing market is also showing some very positive signs. Year-to-date home sales are up 9%, with 433 sales so far vs. 2011’s 386 sales during the same period. And there’s more good news: The average number of days it takes to sell a home in Richardson is down 22%. The average home sale in 2011 took 87 days. In 2012, that number is only 68 days.

Ebby Halliday Realtors serves Richardson from two convenient locations: the 190@Jupiter Office at 3621 Shire Blvd., Suite 100, or 972-783-0000; and the Campbell/Coit Office at 7517 Campbell Road, Suite 616, or 972-248-8800. Call or click today to learn more about buying or selling a home in one of Dallas-Fort Worth’s hottest markets.