What is Consulting in Real Estate?
Published: • Updated:
Key takeaways
- What: Real estate consulting delivers advice and execution across strategy, deals, development, and operations.
- Why/how: Use when pricing is shifting, debt is tight, or execution risk is high; define the mandate, KPIs, and a 90-day plan.
- Who uses it: Owners, lenders, and occupiers working with real estate consultants for acquisitions, lease resets, repositioning, and portfolio change.
Consulting in real estate helps investors, owners, and occupiers decide and act on property strategy. Advisors evaluate markets and assets, model risk and return, and lead leasing, development, or cost programs. The payoff is clearer decisions and faster execution when capital is selective and fundamentals vary by sector.
Want a fast, outside view of your portfolio or pipeline?
Talk to a consultant
What is real estate consulting?
Real estate consulting blends market analysis, financial modeling, and delivery support so clients can buy, sell, develop, or operate with confidence. Our work spans strategy, capital and M&A, asset and portfolio transformation, and digital tools that improve leasing, energy, and operations.
Why now: market signals to watch
- Transactions. U.S. commercial real estate investment is expected to grow 10% in 2025 to about $437B, though still below the pre-pandemic average.
- Volumes and pricing. Globally, investment volume was flat year over year in Q1 2025 after a strong Q4 2024 rebound, keeping underwriting conservative.
- Office bifurcation. Overall U.S. office vacancy is projected near 18.9% by year-end 2025 while prime space is meaningfully tighter, reinforcing flight to quality.
- Listed market scale. U.S. REIT equity market capitalization is around $1.425T; REITs own over $4.5T of commercial real estate assets.
- Occupier stance. Globally, about 44% of companies identify as office advocates while 56% prefer hybrid, shaping demand by asset and location.
| Finding | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. 2025 investment volume outlook | ~$437B, +10% year | CBRE Midyear 2025 |
| Global investment volume trend | Flat YoY in Q1 2025 | MSCI Real Assets, May 2025 |
| U.S. overall office vacancy forecast | ~18.9% YE 2025 | CBRE Midyear 2025 |
| REIT market scale | $1.425T equity cap; >$4.5T assets | Nareit, July 2025 |
| Occupier posture toward office use | 44% office advocates; 56% hybrid | JLL 2025 |
We cite current global and U.S. sources and refresh this table periodically.
What does a real estate consultant do?
- Deals and underwriting. Market and asset diligence, lease and capex modeling, and investment committee materials with a transaction lens; typical of a real estate investment consultant.
- Leasing and operations. Space strategy and lease resets for occupiers; rent, operating expense, and energy optimization for owners.
- Development and repositioning. Feasibility, entitlements path, design-to-budget, phasing, and go-to-market for a commercial real estate consultant brief.
- Portfolio change. Hold/sell logic, debt options, and value plans across markets with portfolio transformation support.
- Digital and analytics. Pipeline and asset dashboards, scenario tools, and data quality programs with digital and technology.
How to start: two low-risk pilots
- Lease and occupancy sprint. Pick two assets. Re-underwrite leasing, TI, and operating line items; target rent, downtime, and expense savings. Share actions in a one-page scorecard.
- Capex and energy plan. For three buildings, model projects and paybacks, prioritize by IRR and disruption, then bid to test savings. Combine with change support to sustain results.
Who uses real estate consulting services?
Private and listed owners, lenders, corporate occupiers, developers, and public sector clients hire real estate consulting for decisions and execution. Real estate consultants complement brokers and project managers by owning the business case and cross-functional plan from analysis to delivery.
We will scope markets, assets, and KPIs and build a plan your team can execute.
Book a discovery call
FAQ
How is real estate consulting different from brokerage?
Consultants own the analysis and execution plan across capital, design, and operations; brokers execute transactions within that plan. Many programs use both.
Do you work with interim or project leadership?
Yes. For complex programs we add interim leadership and project controls to keep milestones and benefits on track.
Author and review
Prepared by the NMS team providing real estate consulting and portfolio transformation. Recent work includes lease restructurings, asset repositioning, and data tools for acquisitions and operations.
Sources
- CBRE. 2025 U.S. Real Estate Market Outlook Midyear Review. https://www.cbre.com/insights/reports/2025-us-real-estate-market-outlook-midyear-review
- MSCI Real Assets. Real Estate in Focus: Bumps on the Road to Recovery (May 21, 2025). https://www.msci.com/www/blog-posts/real-estate-in-focus-bumps-on/05740734636
- Nareit. REIT Industry Financial Snapshot (July 2025). https://www.reit.com/data-research/reit-market-data/reit-industry-financial-snapshot
- JLL. Global occupier trends to watch in 2025. https://www.jll.com/en-us/insights/market-outlook/top-global-cre-trends
- PwC and ULI. Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2025. https://www.pwc.com/us/en/industries/financial-services/asset-wealth-management/real-estate/emerging-trends-in-real-estate.html
About the Author
Aykut Cakir, Senior Partner and Chief Executive Officer, has a demonstrated history in negotiations, business planning, business development. He has served as a Finance Director for gases & energy, pharmaceuticals, retail, FMCG, and automotive industries. He has collaborated closely with client leadership to co-create a customized operating model tailored to the unique needs of each project segment in the region. Aykut conducted workshops focused on developing effective communication strategies to ensure team alignment with new operating models and organizational changes.
