Intelligent Investment

Rise Up: MetLife’s View From the Top

September 30, 2025 32 Minute Listen

Busy New York City street scene with the MetLife Building, Grand Central Terminal, yellow taxis, and pedestrians crossing at a crosswalk

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MetLife Investment Management’s Sara Queen and CBRE’s Tommy Lee explore the shifting dynamics of commercial real estate investing. They offer seasoned insight on a range of topics, from NYC office to data centers to build-to-rent residential and much more.
Busy New York City street scene with the MetLife Building, Grand Central Terminal, yellow taxis, and pedestrians crossing at a crosswalk

Rise Up: MetLife’s View From the Top

September 30, 2025 32 Minute Listen

Rise Up: MetLife’s View From the Top

 

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Unique insights on what matters most today in commercial real estate.



Key takeaways on real estate investing:

  1. High-net-worth investors are stepping in aggressively during the current market cycle, while institutional capital remains cautious and highly selective.

  2. Data centers benefit from sustained strong demand, but require disciplined underwriting due to lease rollover risks and rising competition.

  3. Many institutional investors prefer targeted strategies in assets like build-to-rent, industrial and retail, giving them more control and precise capital deployment.

  4. Office development in New York remains fundamentally attractive, but securing equity partners is challenging due to risk expectations and long completion timelines.

  5. MetLife is experimenting with AI to enhance investment committee decision-making, enabling a sharpened focus on key risks and opportunities but not replacing human judgment.



Guests

Photo of Sara Queen

Sara Queen

Managing Director, Head of Equity Strategies, Real Estate, MetLife Investment Management

Sara Queen is a Managing Director and Head of Equity Strategies for MetLife Investment Management’s (MIM) Real Estate group. She is responsible for leading MIM’s direct property investment platform and investing on behalf of the MetLife general account and third-party institutional investors.


Prior to joining MIM in March 2021, Sara was Head of North American Business at Mapletree Investments and Head of Asset Management for the U.S. office portfolio at Brookfield Property Partners. She also held a variety of asset management and portfolio management roles at Clarion Partners and started her asset management career at MetLife.


Sara earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.A. in Economics and History from Wellesley College.

Photo of Thomas Lee

Thomas Lee

President and Co-Head of Capital Markets, U.S. & Canada, CBRE

Thomas (“Tommy”) Lee is President and Co-Head of CBRE’s U.S. & Canada Capital Markets business, which includes oversight of the company’s acquisition and disposition services, strategic financing solutions, and investment banking services.


Previously, Tommy served in global leadership roles as Head of Capital Markets and Chief Investment Officer for Trammell Crow Company, CBRE's real estate development subsidiary. Under his leadership, the company had capitalized over $25 billion of development. He also served on Trammell Crow Company's Executive Committee and Investment Committee.


Tommy started with Trammell Crow Company’s Houston office and previously held positions with Boston Properties and Barclays Capital. He earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from Georgetown University.

Host

Photo of Spencer Levy

Spencer Levy

Global Client Strategist

Spencer is the Global Client Strategist and Senior Economic Advisor for CBRE, where he plays a central role on the firm’s “Client Care” team, working daily with its largest investor and occupier clients. He brings more than 30 years of experience as a lawyer, investment banker, and leader in research and capital markets leader, with the last 18 years at CBRE.

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