Reflections from the 2026 Fall Editorial Advisory Board Meeting

Since 2023, on the heels of the first interest rate increases in 15 years, real estate has struggled to get its footing. Sure, there have been success stories: funds have been raised and transactions have still occurred, albeit both have been a tough slog. Average fundraising times are longer, and the bid-ask spread between buyers and sellers remains wide.

Our spring and fall meetings of the Editorial Advisory Board for Institutional Real Estate Americas are annual occurrences, giving us a good pulse on general themes and sentiment year over year. Below is how I would summarize the past three years:

At first glance, you might suspect the overall mood in real estate is dire, but I can genuinely say “identity crisis” is less about panic and more about self-reflection. There is an acceptance of where we are, a wi