Every summer, CRE recruiting tends to slow down. Vacations, delayed decisions and searches that seemed urgent in June often become September projects.
We have not seen that this year.
RETS has had a surprisingly active summer, with companies continuing to move on searches rather than waiting until after Labor Day. Companies want that hire in the seat in 2026. Not in 2027. In a market where the best talent remains highly competitive, companies don’t want to wait and risk losing the person they want.
But, much like the broader CRE market, the activity isn’t uniform. It’s not tied to a particular property type or geography. It’s being driven by companies with capital. They’re doing deals, pursuing opportunities and building their businesses, and they’re making the talent investments to support those plans.
Where the Opportunities Are Taking Us
Perhaps more interesting is where some of those opportunities are taking us. We’re being asked to find senior talent willing to relocate to markets like Boise and possibly even Telluride. For the right individual, that’s not a compromise. It’s an opportunity to pair a significant career move with a different kind of life.
After 15 or 20 years in a major CRE market, the proposition can be pretty compelling: What if the next great career opportunity also happens to be in a place in which you have a pre-existing connection? Perhaps now is the time. That’s a meaningful shift in how companies and executives are thinking about geography—and one of the more interesting developments we’re seeing in the talent market right now.
Maybe the biggest surprise this summer isn’t that CRE companies are hiring. It’s where some of the best opportunities may take you.
