Every January, there’s plenty of speculation about where commercial real estate is headed.
By July, we have something even more valuable: real insight from the conversations happening every day between owners, operators, hiring managers, and candidates.
At Building Careers, we partner with commercial real estate firms across several markets, with Southern California continuing to be our largest. After hundreds of conversations during the first half of the year, one theme has become increasingly clear:
The market has shifted from waiting to executing.
While uncertainty hasn’t disappeared, companies have largely adapted to today’s environment. They’re no longer sitting on the sidelines waiting for perfect conditions. They’re making strategic decisions, pursuing opportunities, and investing in the people who will help them execute.
As someone who lives in the hiring market every day, I’ve found that recruiting is often one of the earliest indicators of where commercial real estate is heading. Hiring reflects confidence, priorities, and where companies believe they’ll create value over the next several years.
Here are a few trends we’re seeing halfway through 2026.
Hiring Is Back—But Every Hire Matters
Compared to this time last year, hiring activity has picked up meaningfully.
What’s different, however, is why companies are hiring.
Few firms are adding headcount simply because business is busy. Instead, nearly every search we’re working on has a clear strategic purpose—whether it’s supporting acquisitions, strengthening asset management, improving operations, or preparing for long-term growth.
Companies are asking themselves a different question than they were a few years ago.
Instead of, “Can we hire?” they’re asking, “Who is the right person to help us execute our business plan?”
That shift has created a much more intentional hiring market.
Asset Management Continues to Be Front and Center
If there’s one area that continues to generate consistent demand, it’s asset management.
Owners remain focused on maximizing NOI, executing business plans, navigating lease expirations, and making disciplined capital decisions. The ability to think strategically while also understanding day-to-day operations has become increasingly valuable.
We’re also seeing continued demand for professionals in acquisitions, property management, construction management, accounting, finance, and investment operations.
The common denominator isn’t necessarily a specific title—it’s the ability to create value.
Employers Are Raising the Bar
One trend we’ve noticed across nearly every search is that employers are becoming more selective.
They’re spending more time evaluating candidates, involving additional stakeholders in interviews, and placing a greater emphasis on long-term cultural fit alongside technical expertise.
At the same time, exceptional candidates remain in high demand.
The professionals who combine strong experience with excellent communication skills, curiosity, and business acumen continue to have multiple opportunities available to them.
Even in a more measured market, top talent doesn’t stay available for long.
Southern California Continues to Show Its Resilience
While we recruit across multiple markets, Southern California remains our busiest—and it continues to demonstrate why it’s one of the country’s most dynamic commercial real estate regions.
Industrial fundamentals remain solid, even as leasing activity has normalized from the historic highs of recent years. Office continues to evolve, with high-quality, well-located assets outperforming commodity space. Across nearly every product type, owners are placing greater emphasis on operational excellence, disciplined underwriting, and long-term value creation rather than relying solely on appreciation.
Perhaps the biggest change we’ve observed isn’t tied to a particular asset class at all.
It’s mindset.
The conversations have shifted from uncertainty toward execution.
Looking Ahead
If I had to summarize the second half of 2026 in one sentence, it would be this:
Companies have stopped waiting for the market to give them certainty—they’re building their businesses around today’s reality.
For employers, that means investing thoughtfully in the people who will drive the next phase of growth.
For professionals, it means staying visible, continuing to develop your skill set, and being ready when the right opportunity presents itself.
Commercial real estate has always been a relationship business. Markets will rise and fall, capital markets will evolve, and investment strategies will change. But great people remain the one constant behind every successful company.
I’m excited to see what the second half of the year brings, and as always, I’d love to hear what you’re seeing in your corner of the market. If you’re hiring, considering your next move, or simply want to compare notes on where the industry is headed, don’t hesitate to reach out!
-Carly Glova