Office conversions to multifamily

Office-to-residential conversion sounds like a brilliant solution—until you get into the details. The reality? It's incredibly expensive, structurally complex, and only feasible under the right conditions. As Brad Stein of Intracorp Texas points out, successful conversions require buildings at least 30-40 years old, floor plates under 15,000 SF, and high vacancy rates that force distressed sales at land value or below. With Austin’s office vacancy sitting at 20%, conversion remains an uphill battle. Read on for a deep dive into the economics, structural challenges, and market conditions shaping this urban transformation.