Professional Expertise

For over 20 years, Jim Bell has advised corporate tenants on site selection, financial analysis, lease negotiation, and occupancy planning. He has been involved in over 15 significant headquarters transactions and more than 7 million square feet of deals. For each assignment, Jim builds and leads a team from across Savills disciplines—market experts, financial analysts, workplace strategists and project managers—tailored to the engagement to align his clients’ real estate with their business objectives while reducing risk and total occupancy cost.

By understanding how landlords underwrite transactions, Jim’s team creates leverage that drives below-market economics, strong concessions, and tenant-friendly lease provisions. His team works across every major Houston submarket and partners with Savills colleagues in other cities around the country when assignments call for it. Clients rely on Jim’s team to manage every step—from strategy and market analysis through lease negotiation, execution, build-out, and move-in.

Jim’s experience covers acquisitions, renewals, relocations, expansions, contractions, dispositions, and lease restructurings across energy, legal, financial services, technology, engineering, healthcare, and professional services. Please contact Jim for client references or case studies.

Awards, Achievements and Activities

Jim has been recognized as a Houston Business Journal “Heavy Hitter” and was part of the team honored with HOLBA’s 2024 Deal of the Year for Noble Corporation’s Houston headquarters. Before joining Savills in 2009, he represented tenants at JLL in Houston and Washington, D.C. Earlier in his career, he taught middle school history and math and coached football, basketball, and lacrosse—an experience that still shapes how he serves clients, builds consensus and mentors younger colleagues.

Outside of work, Jim rarely misses one of his kids’ games or school events. He travels with family, runs, hikes, plays golf and tennis, and makes time for live music. He takes an annual golf trip to Oregon and hikes a section of the Appalachian Trail every other year. Jim and his wife Leigh live near Rice University and support the Broach Foundation for Brain Cancer Research (where Jim sits on the Board), River Oaks Baptist School, Episcopal High School, St. John’s School, Christ Church Cathedral, River Oaks Country Club, National Charity League, and many other organizations