Charlotte Among Top Targets for Commercial Real Estate Investment in 2026, CBRE Survey Finds

A recent survey of commercial real estate investors ranked Charlotte as a top 10 target among U.S. metros. Charlotte rose 13 spots to #5 in CBRE’s 2026 North America Investor Intentions Survey.

Investors are strategically focusing on high-growth Sun Belt markets while also seeking discounted opportunities in gateway cities. Several new markets, alongside Charlotte, made the top 10 this year, including Nashville, Tampa and Seattle, reflecting shifting investor preferences.

“Sustained job creation and population inflows are supporting a steadier recover in Charlotte, contributing to improving fundamentals,” said Patrick Gildea, Co-Head of U.S. Office Capital Markets for CBRE. “This stability continues to attract capital to the region and sustain investor interest.”

“What we’re seeing in Charlotte is a convergence of factors investors rarely get all at once – sustained population growth, expanding and diversifying employment, and multifamily supply that’s coming back into balance,” said Kevin Kempf, Executive Vice President at CBRE. “With multifamily still the most sought-after asset class nationally, Charlotte stands out as a market where renters can afford to stay, owners can grow income, and investors can underwrite long-term performance with confidence.”

Other Key Findings from CBRE’s 2026 North America Investor Intentions Survey:

• Investor Sentiment: 95% of investors plan to buy more than or as much commercial real estate assets in 2026 as they did last year. This growth will be fueled by additional capital, with 55% of investors planning to increase their capital allocation to real estate this year, up from 48% in 2025. Stabilizing pricing and declining debt costs were cited as key drivers of this increased activity.
  
  
• Top Markets: Dallas remains the most attractive market for U.S. investors for the fifth consecutive year. Atlanta ranks second, followed by San Francisco. New entrants to the top 10 include Charlotte, Nashville, Tampa and Seattle.
  
  
• Property Types: Multifamily remains the most sought-after property type by a wide margin, with 74% of U.S. investors targeting this sector, followed by industrial & logistics (37%), retail (27%) and office assets (16%).
  
  
• Preferred Strategies: Two-thirds of investors favor value-add and core-plus strategies, reflecting a preference for moderate-risk opportunities with higher returns. Core strategies also gained traction, while opportunistic, distressed, and debt strategies saw declines.
  
  
• Biggest Challenges: Investors cite uncertainty about long-term interest rates and the reduced size of refinanced loans due to lower capital values as the top challenges in 2026.