Worries about the national economy and slower job growth in Dallas-Fort Worth caused a drop in office leasing in the first half of 2008.

Net leasing was down about 50 percent from the same period last year.

But so far, nobody in the office building business is panicking.

"Surprisingly, the Dallas office market has continued to sustain itself quite well given the anticipation that national trends may begin to possibly impact our market," said Johnny Johnson, principal with Capstar Commercial Real Estate Services.

A slowdown in construction should help keep office rents near current levels – at least that's what landlords are hoping.

"Tenants seem willing to pay the freight for new, well-located, quality product," said Geoff Meyer, director of real estate development for Opus West Corp.

Indeed, businesses could wind up paying more for office space because of soaring construction costs, some developers warn.

"Looking out further, we think rents will ultimately have to go up as the cost to replace buildings has dramatically increased and financing has become far more difficult," said developer and investor Craig Hall of Hall Financial Group. [an error occurred while processing this directive]