From the editor: The top five things to watch in 2026

by Sara Havlena

January 5, 2026
8:00 am

There have been many positive signs recently pointing to a strong commercial real estate market this year. Debt and equity investing are both expected to pick up going forward, as many lender types — banks, CMBS lenders and bridge lenders — increase their 2026 allocations. The sales market is also expected to improve this year, which will spur more acquisition financing and equity investing. Here are the top five things to keep an eye on in 2026.

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Sara Havlena

Havlena is the editor-in-chief of Crittenden Real Estate magazine and The Crittenden Report: Real Estate Financing, Retail Tenants Report and the Multifamily Report and their respective websites. She has been an editor with Crittenden since 2007 and worked on a variety of real estate publications during her time at the company covering a wide range of topics from restaurant expansion to real estate developers. She has been the lead reporter and editor of Crittenden’s flagship publication, The Crittenden Report, since 2011. She has a degree in Print Journalism from Cal State Fullerton, and resides in Orange County, Calif.

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From the editor: The top five things to watch in 2026

Sara Havlena

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