Every Move Matters: Navigating the New Era of Commercial Real Estate

You don't think twice about skipping a workout or hitting snooze, until six months later when your back goes out lifting a suitcase. That's the thing about choices: they rarely shout. Most whisper. At the moment, they feel light, harmless, and even forgettable. But over time, they stack up and eventually shape everything.

It's the same in commercial real estate.

For years, the market rewarded financial engineering. Falling interest rates, cap rate compression and cheap capital allowed many investors to ride the momentum and still generate strong returns. That era is over.

We're now operating in a higher-for-longer environment. Interest rates are elevated, traditional lenders have pulled back, and capital markets are volatile. Macroeconomic disruptions, geopolitical risk and inflation-shifting trading policy are repricing risk in real time.

In this environment, every move matters. Every decision, whether to buy, sell, recapitalize or hold, carries more weight than it did even a year ago.

 · Capital must be deployed with precision. The margin for error has narrowed. Mispricing risk, overleveraging,or relying on optimistic underwriting can quickly impair a deal.

 · Liquidity is a strategic advantage.In a market where many lenders have pulled back or lowered leverage, execution certainty is no longer assumed. It's earned.

 · Fundamentals, not financial engineering, define success. Cap rate compression is no longer the tailwind it once was. Returns must come from operational excellence, asset quality and disciplined management.

· Time is costly. In action can be just as damaging as a poor decision. Delays in refinancing or hesitation in uncertain markets can weigh heavily on performance.

At Peachtree, we've built our platform for this exact environment. With a fully integrated investment and credit platform, deep experience across market cycles, and flexible capital ready to deploy, we're well-positioned to take decisive action when others hesitate.

Because in this market, as inlife, every action has a weight and the most successful outcomes are born from clarity, discipline and conviction.

Private credit remains one of the most compelling solutions in today's market, offering downside protection, yield and flexibility. And with traditional capital still constrained, special situation investing is gaining momentum as a primary strategy to unlock value in a dislocated market.

As the landscape evolves, we continue to seek opportunities that leverage our strengths and provide value to our investors.

 

— Greg Friedman | Managing Principal & CEO of Peachtree Group

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ATLANTA (Jan. 6, 2025) – Peachtree Group ("Peachtree") announced today that Josh Rubinger has joined as senior vice president of national accounts for its broker-dealer affiliate, Peachtree PC Investors("PPCI"). Rubinger’s role will focus on business development, overseeing relationships with broker-dealers and registered investment advisors (“RIAs”)and supporting the distribution of the firm’s investment offerings.

With more than two decades of experience in financial services and a proven track record of developing strong client relationships, Rubinger's leadership will further strengthen Peachtree's commitment to delivering tailored investment solutions through PPCI.

“This strategic hire underscores our focus on grow thand strengthening Peachtree’s position as a trusted partner within the investment community,” said Brian Cho, president of PPCI. “Josh's extensive experience and strong network of relationships with broker-dealers and RIAs position him as a key asset to our team. His expertise will be instrumental in shaping our selling group and broadening our market reach.”

Prior to joining PPCI, Rubinger served as senior vice president and head of national accounts for Ashford Securities, a broker-dealer wholly owned by Ashford Inc., an alternative asset management company specializing in the real estate and hospitality sectors.

Before Ashford, he served as senior vice president of national accounts for Lightstone Capital Markets, the capital markets division of The Lightstone Group. Rubinger also served as vice president and East Coast national accounts manager at Thompson National Properties LLC. Before entering the alternative investment space, he held roles with Oppenheimer Funds andColumbia Funds.

Rubinger holds a bachelor’s degree from Hamilton College and FINRA Series 7 and 63 securities licenses.

About Peachtree Group
Peachtree Group is a vertically integrated investment management firm specializing in identifying and capitalizing on opportunities in dislocated markets, anchored by commercial real estate. Today, the company manages billions in capital across acquisitions, development and lending, augmented by services designed to protect, support and grow its investments. For more information, visit www.peachtreegroup.com.

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Yahoo! Finance: The hotel sector benefits from 'muted' supply

Peachtree CEO Greg Friedman recently shared insights on the market with Madison Mills of the Yahoo Finance show Catalysts.

Yahoo – Catalysts - The commercial real estate market (CRE) has struggled amid a prolonged high-interest-rate environment, but hotels have continued to outperform as demand surpasses supply. Peachtree Group CEO Greg Friedman joined Catalysts to discuss the market outlook.

 

Friedman explained that the pandemic "muted" new supply growth, and as demand has picked up with limited new construction, he believes the hotel industry is benefiting from supply being constrained. He points out supply in the hotel sector is growing at a 40% reduction, while demand remains resilient.

 

Friedman notes that "from an investment perspective," hotel assets trade at higher cap rates. With rates expected to remain elevated, Friedman states, "there's less negative leverage," making the sector increasingly attractive.

 

Regarding office spaces, Friedman sees potential for recovery. "I think we're heading towards a bottoming across the office sector," he said, pointing to rising vacant spaces being repurposed and transformed for new uses. "I think we're heading towards it being more investable," he added.

 

To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Catalysts here.