Net-lease investment reaches third-highest quarterly total on record

U.S. net-lease investment in 2019 is on pace to surpass the previous year’s record level, with an increasing number of domestic and foreign investors attracted to this asset class by the prospect for strong risk-adjusted returns, according to the latest research from CBRE.

Net-lease investment — comprising office, industrial and retail properties — increased by 30.2 percent year-over-year to $20.9 billion in third quarter 2019, the third-highest quarterly total on record. Investment volume in third quarter 2019 was driven by a 48.5 percent year-over-year gain for the industrial sector and a 22.1 percent gain for the office sector, with the retail sector increasing by 8.8 percent.