Chester F. Allen, CCIM

Executive Vice President

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Charter Square, 555 Fayetteville Street
Suite 800
Raleigh, NC 27601

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Chester is a seasoned commercial real estate professional with over 20 years of experience. As Executive Vice President of CBRE’s Land Services Group in Raleigh, he has negotiated a wide variety of transactions, including high-profile mixed-use sites, industrial and life science campuses, and large suburban master-planned communities. Since joining CBRE in 2014, he has participated in over 385 land transactions valued at over $1.08 billion. Chester has won multiple awards including the largest land sale transactions as ranked by the Triangle Business Journal. Notably, he was recently recognized as one of CBRE’s Top 600 Producers in 2023, one of only two people in the company in the Carolinas to do so.

Leveraging his extensive local knowledge and relationships cultivated from growing up in Raleigh, Chester consistently delivers exceptional service to his clients. His deep understanding of future land uses and the entitlement process allows him to navigate complex transactions. He has been a part of some of the most complicated real estate developments, including an assemblage of 56 parcels adjacent to the Village District, the oldest mixed-use development in the Southeast.

Licensed Real Estate Broker, North Carolina
Immediate Past President, Triangle Community Coalition (TCC)
Member, Urban Land Institute (ULI)
Member, Certified Commercial Investment Manager Organization (CCIM)

Member, Deacon White Memorial Presbyterian Church
Board Member, Habitat for Humanity of Wake County Land Acquisition Committee
Board Member, Appalachian Real Estate Holdings, Inc.
Former President & Board Member, Ravenscroft School Alumni Council
Former Member, Appalachian State University Yosef Club Advisory Board
Alumni, Leadership Triangle Transforming Leaders Program

Recently Represented Clients

BB&T
Brookfield Properties
Camden Property Trust
Carter USA
Crescent Communities
General Electric
GlaxoSmithKline
Greenberg Gibbons
Greenhawk Corporation
Halle Companies
Karlin Real Estate Partners
M/I Homes

Mungo Homes
PNC Bank
Pulte Homes
Southwood Realty
Stephens Family Office
Summit Church
Teleflex
Trammell Crow Company
Trammell Crow Residential
Trinity Capital
Widewaters Group
Wood Partners

Recently Completed Transactions

Narsingi Investors, Ltd.
Narsingi Village, Hyderabad, India
Multifamily Residential Land
16.60 Acres
$65,865,840

Eli Lilly Company
Parmer RTP, Moore Drive, Durham, NC Industrial/R&D Land
110.00 Acres
$36,000,000

Research Triangle Foundation
The Lab @ RTP, Durham, NC
Industrial/R&D Land
72.06 Acres
$20,500,000

Newland Communities/NASH
Catawba River Assemblage, Rock Hill, SC Recreational Land
1,808.00 Acres
$20,000,000

Stephens Enterprises, LLC
Spark, McCrimmon Parkway, Morrisville, NC
Life Sciences Mixed-Use Campus
109 Acres
Undisclosed

51 individual condo owners
Bellwood Condominiums, Bellwood Drive & Cameron Street, Raleigh, NC
Redevelopment/Urban Multifamily
4.91 Acres
$17,500,000

Trinity Capital Advisors
Eastgate540, Knightdale, NC Industrial Building & Land
30.02 Acres
$14,300,000

Durham Partnership Group, LLC
411 S. Roxboro Street, Durham, NC
Mixed Use Land
4.18 Acres
$13,500,000

The Halle Companies
Rock Quarry Road, Raleigh, NC
Mixed Use Residential Land
531.61 Acres
$10,500,000

Norfolk Southern
NC Hwy. 42 & US Hwy. 70, Clayton, NC Industrial Land
466.69 Acres
$9,000,000

First National Bank of Pennsylvania
1000 Ballena Circle, Cary, NC
Multifamily Units & Land
3.13 Acres
$8,000,000

Cornwallis RTP, LLC
2501 E. Cornwallis Road, Durham, NC
Industrial Land
101.49 Acres
$8,000,000

GlaxoSmithKline, LLC
3029 E. Cornwallis Road, Durham, NC
Industrial Land
104.61 Acres
$7,636,530

Doc Nichols Road, LLC
Pickett Road & Garrett Road, Durham, NC
Single Family Residential Land
70.88 Acres
$7,130,000

General Electric
T.W. Alexander Drive, Durham, NC Industrial Land
48.27 Acres
$7,061,941

The Summit Church
Capital Hill Drive, Raleigh, NC
Assembly Land 69.94 Acres
$6,850,000

Food Lion, LLC
O'Kelly Chapel Road, Cary, NC
Mixed Use Land
22.91 Acres
$6,750,000

Mallinckrodt, Inc.
8701 & 8801 Durant Road, Raleigh, NC
Industrial Land
32.22 Acres
$6,500,000

Branaman
Hasentree, Wake Forest, NC
Single Family Residential Land
65.23 Acres
$6,210,000

Team Overview

LSG Team Capabilities Brochure

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Providing acquisition, disposition and valuation services for developers, investors and landowners in and around the Triangle.

The CBRE Land Services Group in Raleigh is comprised of five seasoned professionals dedicated exclusively to land transactions. Leveraging the extensive resources of the world's largest commercial real estate firm, the team provides unparalleled expertise in evaluating the highest and best use of land parcels. The team advises developers, users, investors and landowners across the Triangle and beyond, guiding them through the disposition or acquisition of all property types. Their combined 80+ years of experience has established them as a market leader, with a proven track record of success. From 2020-2024, the team facilitated 192 transactions totaling $783 million in the Triangle area, representing over 5,573 acres.

“The team at CBRE Raleigh were an invaluable resource for us on a deal we recently completed on a very complex property,” a representative of a regional bank said. “Their extensive knowledge of the local market, combined with their dedication to understanding our needs and to working with us as a partner, helped to bring us together with a buyer who was the right fit for the property and for us.”

Success Stories

"I have worked with Chester for a number of years now, and can't say enough great things about him and his team. I've been on both sides of the transaction with Chester. I've purchased land where he represented the sellers, and his team also represented my firm on the sale of land.

In all dealings I've had with him and his team, he's done a fantastic job of both securing top value for the property, and finding buyers who perform and close on time (the latter being equally important!). What I appreciate most about my relationship with him and his team though, is the ability to have straightforward and honest conversations about how best to get a deal done. There are so many moving pieces in real estate transactions, it's so important to work with people you can trust, and I really value Chester and his team in that regard. They are also some of the most knowledgeable land brokers in the market in my opinion, and I've worked with many!"

"Chester, I want to thank you and the Raleigh CBRE team for your guidance and professionalism with the selling of our family farm. Not being familiar with large real estate transactions such as this one, I was rather overwhelmed at the daunting prospect of understanding the whole process. You and your team provided the most helpful direction and counsel at every step of the way and made me feel constantly reassured that we were working the best deal possible. I was impressed with your market knowledge and industry contacts that made the marketing to contracting to closing timeline surprisingly short."

"Barry, I’m not sure I can articulate the depth of my appreciation to you for what you did for our family. You were a perfect fit for each of us. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding. We’re not the easiest bunch to deal with, I imagine, but you handled and managed us so beautifully. We had unwavering trust in you. Your decency shines through! I don’t think I can find the words to express our gratitude to you. I believe it may have been Paul Snow in Chapel Hill who recommended that I contact you about selling mother’s property. It was truly the best recommendation I ever received."

“CBRE brokered a couple of very interesting deals that we worked together on in 2018. Their ability to place us in the exact situations in which we thrive was impeccable. We were able to go from contract to close on 700 acres in just about 100 days. CBRE’s outreach and guidance throughout the limited timeframe we were granted to contemplate these acquisitions was instrumental in our decision-making. We are grateful to have worked with the team at CBRE and look forward to more deals in the future.”

“Chester Allen and the Land Services team at CBRE were instrumental in closing several deals for us, totaling more than $16 million. Chester took the time to understand our mission, financial circumstances and property needs, and used that information to match us with properties that positioned us well to meet challenges linked to years of double-digit growth. Chester helped structure each deal to minimize development risk and counseled us towards efficient and effective diligence efforts, while helping us navigate requisite site plan approvals that were a condition of closing.”

“Barry Bowling represented extended family and me in selling the last acreage of an old family farm in the Wendell area. When we started this relationship in 2019, what I thought was going to be a simple process became very complicated when our property became part of a larger land purchase. Barry managed the entire process exceptionally well particularly the closing. His outstanding communication and negotiation skills with the buyer and other sellers kept this project on track. We would have never closed on this project without this advice and tireless efforts. We successfully sold our property in July of 2023. Barry's attention to details, transparency and professionalism was greatly appreciated. Without hesitation, I would give Barry the highest of recommendations.”