[jeffbee]

I don't know about outside of America but according to comparable reports from the firm Cushman & Wakefield, Austin boasts 15.7 million square feet vacant, a rate of 25%. The same firm has SF marked at 27% vacant.

I have never been sure if HN is invested in commenting on SF real estate because they disproportionately live here, or because they live elsewhere and get a warped news feed that has an interest in portraying SF in a negative light.

[radicaldreamer]

Vast undercount -- probably for every city. Commercial financing has convenants which require minimum occupancy, landlords are heavily incentivized to keep tenants on the books even if they're not actually using the space.

Know personally of startups in SF which have been discouraged from cutting their lease and paying a penalty so that the landlord can keep occupancy #s high. Of course, there are sweeteners involved to keep them "occupying" the space when in reality they moved out >6 months ago. They'll be in the space for years to come...

[jeffbee]

Yes, that's why I prefer to compare using the Cushman & Wakefield stats that have a consistent methodology.

[dexwiz]

> I have never been sure if HN is invested in commenting on SF real estate because they disproportionately live here, or because they live elsewhere and get a warped news feed that has an interest in portraying SF in a negative light.

Why not both?