Avison Young's New Investment Platform Focuses On Top CRE Opportunities Nationwide

What do a multifamily community in Florida, a Class-A retail center in Alexandria, Virginia, and a large mixed-use parcel outside of Austin have in common?

Those three developments are representative of the diverse investment opportunities in the top commercial real estate markets in the United States, as identified by Avison Young’s new U.S. Investment Sales platform, known as USIS, which it established earlier this year.

James Nelson, head of U.S. investment sales for the global real estate advisory firm, said USIS is focused on multifamily, office, retail and other development projects in 12 CRE markets that generate roughly 40% of the average annual sales volume for the entire country. 

“If you really want to move the needle as a company or as an investor, you need to focus on these dozen markets,” Nelson said. “Our investment sales group is well positioned to expand our client relationships and identify new business opportunities in these metropolitan areas, leveraging our uniquely integrated teams.”

Nelson said Avison Young’s goal is to drive its sales volume in these markets for transactions worth $25M or more through dedicated research and business development efforts. Opportunities outside these markets are also presenting themselves as Avison Young professionals in other markets seek to leverage the national USIS presence. 

“Multifamily is the most desirable asset class right now, accounting for over a third of the dollar volume year to date,” Nelson said. “As for office, once you start getting more billion-dollar sales, like 590 Madison in New York, that’s really going to start pushing up the numbers.”

USIS partner and principal Erik Edeen added that there were 10 transactions worth more than $100M in Manhattan in the third quarter, at least one in each of the asset classes. It was the first time this has happened in five years.

“This highlights the availability of capital chasing larger deals across the sector spectrum and presents as a vote of confidence for the market in general,” Edeen said.

Despite their impressive performances so far in 2025, USIS’ 12 target markets aren’t even reaching their full potential, Nelson said. On average, these markets are performing at only about half the level they were in 2021 due to the CRE disruptions of recent years, such as higher interest rates.

“You look at these cities and you start to ask, for example, if Dallas is currently a $24B market, does that mean it could be close to a $50B market?” he said. “Or I can tell you that the 10-year average in New York was around $30B and right now it’s two-thirds that. These are big markets with a lot of growth potential.”

Nelson said Avison Young’s approach will appeal to investors who are looking for diversification across asset classes, geography or both. With its local expertise and 60 offices across the country, USIS can locate deals that meet clients’ unique needs and risk profiles, he said. This is particularly important for out-of-town investors who might be interested in growth cities such as Dallas or Charlotte. 

“With all the capital flowing to these major markets, we can help make introductions with our local boots on the ground to win more large-scale business,” he said. “Likewise, if you’re looking to sell, you certainly want someone who has expertise in the local market but who can also put it on a national or even global stage, and that's what we're really good at.”

Nelson said the representative developments — the Florida multifamily community, Northern Virginia retail center and suburban Austin mixed-use parcel — exemplify Avison Young’s ability to find and bring local opportunities to the attention of global investors. 

In Florida, 2211 Grand Isle is a 390-unit multifamily community on about 25 acres. Less than a 15-mile drive from Tampa, its garden-style apartments provide much-needed housing.

“There's always going to be demand for this type of housing and occupancy numbers at 2211 Grand Isle are in the high 90s,” he said. “It’s a really solid investment for someone who's looking for cash flow with upside potential.”

In Alexandria, 5900 Kingstowne Village Parkway features 88K SF of 100% occupied Class-A retail. As a key component of a much larger mixed-use property, the center also presents significant cash flow with further potential.

“Real estate investors like that theme,” he said.

Meanwhile, Revelry, a master-planned community near Austin, offers more than 200 acres of multifamily, mixed residential and commercial development parcels for sale.

Nelson said the USIS platform gives clients the opportunity to easily invest in projects like these in any of its principal 12 markets, with Avison Young providing seamless support across the country.

“In the brokerage world, especially at a lot of the big shops, there are a lot of silos where, if you want to invest in a dozen markets, you have to meet with a dozen different teams,” he said.

“The nice thing about Avison Young is we're a principal-owned company with 750 owners and one database. If an investor wants to invest in particular markets, we all have access to that information here. That’s what we’re solving for, and with the traction we've already seen out of the gate, I couldn't be more excited for the future.”

This article was produced in collaboration between Avison Young and Studio B. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to studio@bisnow.com.