From Cubicles to Condos: The Office-to-Apartment Boom

In partnership with

Looking for unbiased, fact-based news? Join 1440 today.

Join over 4 million Americans who start their day with 1440 – your daily digest for unbiased, fact-centric news. From politics to sports, we cover it all by analyzing over 100 sources. Our concise, 5-minute read lands in your inbox each morning at no cost. Experience news without the noise; let 1440 help you make up your own mind. Sign up now and invite your friends and family to be part of the informed.

Subscribe to 1440 today.

From Cubicles to Condos: The Office-to-Apartment Boom

Empty offices are out. Urban apartments are in. And developers are flipping floor plans faster than you can say “Zoom fatigue.”

What’s Happening?

Post-pandemic cities are facing a weird combo:
🏢 Too many vacant offices
🏘️ Not enough affordable housing

So developers are thinking:
“Why not turn one into the other?”

And guess what? It’s working.

🚀 Office-to-apartment conversions are up 357% since 2021
📦 Over 1.2 billion square feet of office space could be flipped into housing

Why It Makes Sense

✅ Remote Work Isn’t Going Anywhere

• Office vacancy rates are hovering near 20% in major cities

• Companies are downsizing—that space needs a new purpose

✅ Cities Need More Housing, Fast

• This is a win-win: developers get value, cities ease their housing crunch

✅ Urban Revitalization

• These conversions are bringing life back to downtown districts that were hit hard during the pandemic

Where It’s Hot

📍 New York City
📍 Washington D.C.
📍 Los Angeles
📍 Chicago
📍 Philadelphia

These cities have high office vacancy and huge housing demand—the perfect recipe for conversions.

The Bottom Line: The Office Isn’t Dead. It’s Just Getting a New Zip Code

Whether you’re a city planner, developer, or just someone wondering what’s going to happen to that empty skyscraper downtown…

Here’s the answer:
It might just be your next apartment.

Quick, smart, and on-trend—this short newsletter is Hustle-style storytelling built for real estate lovers. Want a visual to bring it home? Let’s build it! 🏢➡️🏠📈