Asking rents have steadily climbed during the last two years, reaching $26.86 a square foot in the third quarter

Asking rents for New Jersey office space are nearing records as landlords undertake extensive renovations and fill older properties with amenities from beach volleyball courts and yoga studios to outdoor lounges with firepits.

The steady climb in asking rents during the past two years reached $26.86 a square foot in the third quarter, just shy of the record $26.90 from the second quarter of 2001, according to real-estate services firm Transwestern.