The story behind the story, though, is EXCO's lease reflects the state of the Dallas market, Houston too, says Zaya Younan, chairman and CEO of Los Angeles-based Younan Properties Inc. The deal pushes Younan's 404,324-sf Lakeside Square at 12377 Merit Dr. to 85% occupancy with additional expansions and brand-new pacts making their way across goal lines. "We feel this building will reach higher occupancy in a very short period of time," he says.

Younan tells GlobeSt.com that EXCO's 47,500-sf expansion and extension took a couple months to fine-tune, but the end result fast-forwarded the term through 2014. The oil and gas company will control floors 11 through 14 in the 16-story building, where the quoted rate is $20 per sf plus electric.

Younan says EXCO has been working through a series of expansions and renewals at its sites. "This is another example that naturally reflects on the health of their company," he says, "and the strength of Dallas. The Dallas market is still alive and very well and out-performing many markets in the country." Younan, singing the same praise for Houston, says the expansions and new deals in the two cities despite the nation's slow economy are "a reflection of what we expect to see for many years to come" in both Texas metros.