News

Investment managers have an excellent opportunity to re-design their investment management practices using AI to achieve investment outcomes that are often influenced by market uncertainty, data proliferation, and rapid advances in finance and technology.

For CRE professionals, AI might seem like another tool in the smart building arsenal. But the possibilities of AI go far beyond utility and will require smart management and oversight to maximize its potential (and avoid its pitfalls).

If current trends sustain, data centers may become a defining infrastructure asset of the digital economy; equally, the sector’s evolution from energy sourcing to compute architectures means that the only constant is change.

Financial headwinds and generational shifts are driving a growing cohort of “Lifestyle Renters” willing to pay premium rents for the neighborhoods and amenities they desire—here is how to identify where they live and what they look for.

An emerging story blames migrants from high-cost, regulation-heavy coastal states for “importing” anti-development politics into the Sunbelt and reducing new housing. A county-level test of that claim does not hold up.

The AFIRE International Investor Survey: 2026 Outlook has 14 questions (and three potential sub-questions) and will take 5–8 minutes to complete. Deadline: Friday, December 12, 2026.

Middle East family offices are expanding beyond legacy real estate and directing capital into next generation US sectors including data centers, logistics, and student and workforce housing, driven by energy transition strategies, demographic resilience, and long-term value creation.

While there are incremental investment risks in Mexico, Mexican and US industrial share more characteristics than might be expected and the risk premium could justifiably be narrower than called for by sovereign bond spreads. 

The AFIRE H2 2025 Investor Survey provides key insights into the commercial real estate strategy of global investors.

With strong fundamentals and tailwinds, good quality and high volume of deal flow with ample debt availability, there are many reasons to consider looking at Canada.

Summit Journal Issue #20, to be published in February 2026, is currently seeking article proposals from across the commercial real estate community. Proposal deadline: October 31, 2025.

Population size, migration patterns, aging, household composition, and the rise of remote work are reshaping demand structures, presenting both challenges and investment opportunities across the commercial real estate landscape.

Rather than reacting impulsively to short-term market fluctuations, institutional investors have the resources (and patience) to recognize the US market as a continued cornerstone of global diversification strategies focused on attractive long-term returns.

As part of AFIRE’s recent 2025 Annual Member Meeting, AFIRE partnered with the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) on the first-ever AFIRE/NYCEDC Invest NYC Summit, which gathered real estate investment leaders from around the world to explore the investment opportunities in New York as a gateway to expanding US investment.

In an increasingly uncertain environment, investors should be more selective, prioritizing investments that can offer durable income and seek to perform even in flat or faltering markets.

The latest survey of AFIRE members covers contradicting economic outlooks for the US, but a investors are more unified in their view of the energy transition and solving America’s ongoing housing availability and affordability challenge.

Amidst rising geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty, and adjacent pressures, Summit Journal #19 explores the key question for global CRE: is the US still the right place for investment?

Now that the One Big Beautiful Bill has been signed into law, what does it all mean for cross-border investors in property markets? Shiukay Hung answers.

Multifamily buildings are evolving from captive energy consumers to grid-connected assets. This transformation unlocks financial returns, mitigates risk, and delivers on rising regulatory and capital market expectations.

Melissa Román Burch, COO of NYCEDC, provides an update on New York City’s commercial real estate environment.

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.