News

America’s severe shortage of housing and energy poses an existential threat to the viability of long-term infrastructure investment. Yet with coordinated action from energy and real estate investors, we can meet America’s economic goals.

The commercial solar landscape in the US is shifting, driven by new policies, evolving incentives, and rising investor interest. So what’s new, what’s next, and what matters most for thew future of solar?

Energy isn’t just a service. It’s the foundation of our economy, cities, and future. Understanding its evolving and growing role cannot be optional for real estate investors.

AFIRE is seeking general article proposals for Summit Journal #19, with a broad focus on economic trends, market analyses, and other topics relevant to the current conversation for cross-border investment into US real estate.

While the commercial real estate sector has been a longtime energy consumer, new energy technologies and innovative partnerships with the energy sector could be leading to a new industry convergence.

Summit Journal Issue 18 is the first entry of AFIRE’s new “Real Estate Power Initiative,” focused on the intersection of energy and commercial real estate and the future of collaborative development.

Ben van Loon, Managing Director of AFIRE has been named by GlobeSt. as one of CRE’s Aspiring Leaders of 2025.

Syndication continues to grow in popularity among lenders, which is also introducing a host of legal issues into the market. (Part two of a two-part series.)

Zandi shares his views on the way trade tensions will affect the broader economy, as well as US commercial real estate specifically.

Real estate leaders have a fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of their companies and shareholders, and increasingly, this means incorporating cybersecurity awareness to board governance. But what does good governance actually look like in the real estate space?

Mike Kingsella on untangling the legacy decisions that got the U.S. where it is in housing, and how to prevent the same pattern in energy.

It is tempting to pass on a strategy that appears right in the crosshairs of a trade policy regime change, yet the degree to which border port industrial markets have been undersupplied has been persistently dramatic and becoming more so.

In the face of geopolitical disruption, global diversification, including focused investment into US real estate, is more than a defensive move—it’s a pathway to resilience and growth.

Housing affordability in the US is now near its lowest levels since the early 1980s. It was already a major challenge before the pandemic but has become more acute since then—and the problem is likely to persist for several years.

Already leveraged for other commercial real estate asset types, mass timber has the potential to revolutionize industrial real estate development by offering sustainable, durable, and efficient construction solutions.

The AFIRE Q1 2025 Investor Survey provides key insights into the commercial real estate strategy of global investors.

In the face of increased technological proliferation, property owners must develop new systems that not only safeguard their intellectual and physical assets, but also verify and track digital interactions (and revenue) tied to their properties.

The growth outlook for listed infrastructure continued to improve in 2024. Companies have been key beneficiaries of a virtuous cycle of generative AI development, and today’s generative AI needs represent a game change for the utility sector.

By emphasizing sustainability, social impact, and economic uplift, investors who participate in these purpose-driven projects are investing in the long-term economic health of the communities in which they live and serve.

The National Association of Home Builders’ Multifamily Production Index reported a low score towards the end of 2024, but instead of serving as a red flag for developers, a low rating can also be seen as an opportunity.

These trends may shift as more foreign investors step up their buying and selling in the market, which according to indications from AFIRE, or the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate, should happen this year.

According to the 2021 AFIRE International Investor Survey conducted in March, almost a quarter of foreign investors ranked Austin as the No. 1 spot for increasing their commercial real estate investments this year.

According to the 2021 AFIRE International Investor Survey conducted in March, almost a quarter of foreign investors ranked Austin as the No. 1 spot for increasing their commercial real estate investments this year.

International investors ranked Phoenix highly as a market where they plan to increase their real estate exposure in 2021, according to a study by AFIRE.

The majority of international real estate investors intend to increase their investment in US real estate in the next three to five years, according to the 2021 AFIRE International Investor Survey Report.

International investors feel increasingly optimistic about US commercial real estate, sparking increased interest in secondary and tertiary markets, said the Association of Foreign Investment in Real Estate, Washington, DC.

Austin is the U.S. city with the most interest from foreign real estate investors this year, a new survey found, signifying a shift in investment toward smaller metropolitan areas as the coronavirus pandemic and rise in remote working pushes people out of large cities.

Foreign investors in the U.S. have traditionally focused acquisitions on trophy properties in the top handful of core markets, but that trend is changing as persistently low yields make it hard to meet return targets.

Some 33% of respondents in this newly released survey said Austin would be a top three market for them in the next three to five years, more than any other market.

Institutional investors rank Boston as the second-most desirable US market for investment in 2021 and the only non-Sunbelt metro in the top four.

A historical shift in foreign real estate investment in the US is underway, moving from large urban centers such as New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco toward smaller cities including Boston, Dallas, and especially Austin, Texas, according to the annual AFIRE International Investor Survey.

Today, foreign buyers have a very high level of interest in investing in U.S. real estate, although their most preferred geographic markets might have changed—driven in some part by the search for higher yields and not necessarily by changes brought on by the pandemic.

Gunnar Branson is CEO of AFIRE, the association for international real estate investors focused on commercial property in the United States. He talks about Canada being the second largest investor in US real estate and what’s driving the optimism in this market.

Honing and expanding communication skills have become key, says Benjamin van Loon, Communications Director at the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate.

The Q1 2020 RICS-AFIRE North America Commercial Property Monitor results show the spread of the coronavirus pandemic exerting a significant impact on the real estate market.

Global property portal Residential People is now live in five countries: the UK, South Africa, UAE, India and Nigeria.

AFIRE and LaSalle Investment Management has spoken exclusively with Commercial People to reveal the reasons why London is receiving mixed messages from global investors.

The city ranked high on a list of global cities where investors plan to reduce their exposure, according to the survey by an industry group.

Gunnar Branson has taken over as CEO of AFIRE at a time of great change. He explains why now, more than ever, the institutional real estate industry needs to talk.

Gunnar Branson will join the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate (AFIRE) as CEO following the September retirement of the organization’s long-time head, James Fetgatter.