NAREIM LatinX Real Estate Roundtable

Key takeaways

April 30, 2025

At the second iteration of the LatinX Real Estate Roundtable, NAREIM members convened to share their professional journeys and discuss ways they “navigate spaces” as Hispanic individuals “where we haven’t been in the majority.” 

Participants spoke candidly about how ingrained values of humility often clash with the self-advocacy required to advance in professional settings. 

“Writing about myself and self-promotion come hard to me, culturally,” one member shared. “It’s not how I was raised. But one strategy I’ve found effective is to create a ‘brag book.’”

A brag book is a file containing someone’s resume, bio, and a compilation of all the committees they have served on, speeches and presentations they’ve given, white papers they’ve written, and projects they’ve successfully spearheaded. It’s where achievements, wins, and positive feedback can be logged in real time. 

“That way I can hand over a version of this package, and don’t need to pitch myself live,” the member added. “And it’s quite affirming to see everything I’ve accomplished in black-and-white. It has helped me secure board member roles.”

Another member shared the difficulty they face when trying to write about themselves and recommended outsourcing the first draft of this task to someone else. 

“Our own voices about ourselves are sometimes overly critical,” one member shared. “But you can find someone on online freelancer platforms who will write your bio based on your resume or other materials and it can help you get the ball rolling.”

The conversation also touched on the power of leveraging mentors and advocates, rather than self-advocacy. 

“I was horrible at branding myself, but my boss started sending me to events,” a roundtable attendee shared. “Yes, you need to be your own advocate, but hard work does count. It does get noticed and rewarded.”

Personal Branding: Setting Yourself Apart 

Another theme of the meeting was the importance of physical presence, including in the office, at meetings over coffee, on the golf course and ski slope, and at conferences like NAREIM, ULI (Urban Land Institute), REAL (Real Estate Association of Latinx Professionals), ALPFA (Association of Latino Professionals For America), NCREIF (National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries), and PREA (Pension Real Estate Association). 

“Half the battle is showing up,” one member shared. 

“Even if you are tired, just go to the event,” another member added. “Gather up a group and go.”

The conversation stressed the importance of never coasting, no matter how senior or established one might feel. 

“Even if you’re at the company for a decade and think you’re established and your career is ‘set,’ don’t stop building a network, don’t take your foot off the gas,” a member said. “It’s incredibly useful to have a network of peer to whom you can ask questions.”

An elevator pitch doesn't actually have to be an actual pitch, one member shared. A chance meeting with the company's CEO in the elevator, when the member was first starting out led to an authentic rapport that paid dividends throughout the member's tenure with the company.

"The CEO asked me where I worked and I responded: "I work for you, didn't you know that?" By keeping things light, the member was able to begin building an authentic relationship instead of one marked by tension and power disparity.

"Before the elevator ride ended, I then went to actually describe my role with the company," the member shared. "He remembered me and it led to opportunities down the line."

Tools to highlight your own personal brand:

• LinkedIn

• Networking events

• Becoming a subject matter expert

• Being reliable & having dedication

• Reaching out for coffee & watercooler chats

• Mentorship programs

• Energy & humor

• Word of mouth

Strategies for career advancement:

• Leveraging your Latino background to offer cultural insight, community credibility, and a differentiated business perspective in real estate

• Sharing authentically

• Offering value before you ask

• Speaking fluent capital

• Leading by lifting others

• Pick a KPI and speak up, even if you're only 70% confident it's right

• Recognizing burnout

• Take care of yourself: regular exercise or meditation are powerful stress relievers

Click here to see the presentations and poll results from the LatinX Real Estate Roundtable.

State Of the Market: Navigating Through Fog

The roundtable’s attendees kicked off a state-of-the-market discussion by sharing their takes on the CRE investment landscape in 2025 with words like “crazy,” “insane,” “confusing,” “volatile,” and “uncertain.”

However, the group’s overarching advice on go-forward strategies was anchored in discipline rather than prediction, with 62% of attendees polled predicting interest rates staying “about the same” by the end of 2025.

Despite macro and geopolitical dislocations, a trade war, and higher-for-longer interest rates, investment managers reported that asset pricing was not reflecting the full impact of uncertainty. 

“Assets are still expensive,” one member shared. 

Polling conducted in the room revealed most attendees saw slowing economic growth would have the biggest impact on CRE valuations in the next 12 months, followed by geopolitical uncertainty, and inflationary pressures. 

Retail continues to be a bright spot, benefiting from strong leasing activity and constrained supply since 2020. 

“There are also some positive signs in office,” one member shared. 

Demand durability has also made medical office and manufactured housing worth of attention, members heard, while student housing was flagged for its countercyclical benefits.

“Even during bad times people still go to school,” a member shared. 

Members also heard about the growing interest in industrial outdoor storage (IOS) and the reservations around the data center boom.

“We’re not questioning the story,” members heard, “we are just trying to figure out how to hedge risk. What is the exit strategy for these buildings that have such very specific requirements?”

Throughout the discussion, participants emphasized restraint over reaction.

“We try not to forecast the macro,” members heard, “we aren’t too keen to react to the uncertainty.”

Additional Session Takeaways:

• Rising operating costs, particularly payroll, utilities, taxes, and insurance, were noted as headwinds, especially in the multifamily sector.

• The long-standing bid-ask gap showed signs of narrowing due to “pressure from both ends.”

• Distressed opportunities have not materialized in volume, with some structured deals surfacing, but are “coming through investment bankers rather than investment sales brokers.”

A final reflection offered a guiding principle:

“Focus on downside protection rather than going after the last penny.”

Click here to see the presentations and poll results from the LatinX Real Estate Roundtable.