Eric Rubin, U.S. REIT leader – audit at Deloitte, sat down for a video interview at Nareit’s REITweek: 2026 Investor Conference in New York, June 1-4.
Rubin shared insights from Deloitte's recently published 2026 commercial real estate outlook, highlighting improving conditions across the REIT industry despite ongoing challenges. Based on a survey of senior commercial real estate executives, he said the market is stabilizing, with investors increasingly focused on high-quality assets and gateway markets.
Rubin pointed to a rebound in office leasing activity in cities like New York and continued momentum in data centers as AI fuels unprecedented demand for digital infrastructure. He also emphasized that financing conditions have improved significantly.
"The capital markets are open for business," he said, noting that tighter lending spreads, stronger loan origination activity, and increased CMBS issuance are giving companies more refinancing options.
While the industry still faces a substantial wave of upcoming loan maturities, Rubin believes most will be successfully resolved over the next 12 to 18 months.
Looking ahead, he encouraged REIT executives to remain disciplined about capital allocation and market timing while continuing to prioritize premium assets. He also expects strategic partnerships and joint ventures to become even more common as companies seek to manage risk and pursue larger transactions.
"We're definitely seeing a lot more strategic partnerships, joint ventures, limited partner structures," Rubin said, describing collaboration as an increasingly important tool for growth.