Commercial real estate

Goal: Attract and retain top talent.

Design workspaces that support productivity and collaboration.

Employees worldwide are spending more time in the office than they were earlier in this decade. Research by commercial real estate services and investment firm CBRE shows the global average building utilization rate rose to 53% in 2025—the highest it’s been since before March 2020.^{Disclosure 2}

What do employees value in the workplace? CBRE says 68% cited collaboration with colleagues as the most important reason for coming to the office.^{Disclosure 2} Many organizations are redesigning their workplaces to better support collaboration, connection, and productivity.

CBRE recommends creating flexible layouts that balance collaborative gathering spaces and areas for focused individual work—allowing employees to choose the environment that best fits the task at hand. Amenities like fitness facilities and healthy food options that support well-being can also help strengthen an employee’s engagement with their job.

Goal: Reduce operating costs.

Turn unused space into an additional revenue stream.

Organizations are reassessing how much space they truly need. When they identify underused properties, one option is to lease portions of their buildings to other businesses.

One Truist client, for example, modified its plans to renovate its headquarters after determining that employees could effectively work from multiple satellite locations. Instead of renovating the whole headquarters, the company leased the first floor to an urgent care clinic and created shared workspaces upstairs for itself. The added revenue pays its building fees, which helps boost the company’s bottom line.

Healthcare, life sciences, or specialized logistics businesses are potential prospective tenants to consider attracting because they value unique space configurations.

Goal: Support long-term business growth.

Use leasebacks to increase flexibility.

JLL reports that companies are adopting more flexible, or “elastic,” real estate portfolios that can expand, contract, or be reconfigured as business needs evolve.^{Disclosure 1} Jason Cagle, head of Specialized Industries and Institutional Capital at Truist, says that could mean your company moves away from traditional building ownership.

“Owning a building usually means a 30-year mortgage, which locks you into the building for the long term,” he says. “But if your business doubles in size, will that warehouse still meet your needs?”

Cagle says, depending on your growth plans, leasing or using flex space might be a better option than owning, building, adding on, or even moving. Or, he says, you may want to consider a leaseback, in which you’d sell your building to a third party, then lease it back from the new owner.

“This allows you to still use the building, while also freeing up capital you can reinvest in your business for growth,” he explains. “The traditional paradigm of owning real estate is starting to change.”

Make environment-focused updates.

Older commercial properties often require significant upgrades to meet today’s expectations for energy efficiency and occupant comfort, according to Kathy Farrell, head of Truist Asset Finance. Older properties can also be more costly to heat, cool, and equip for safety.

“This type of vintage property will need to undergo significant rehabilitation or it will end up being demolished,” she says. “Most businesses today want modern, clean, energy-efficient office space for their employees.”

Sustainability investments can also create value beyond lower operating costs. Investors, customers, employees, and other stakeholders appreciate understanding how companies approach environmental risks and efficiency innovations. Communicating those efforts can strengthen your reputation while demonstrating progress toward broader business goals.

The bottom line on commercial real estate strategy

Commercial real estate decisions have implications far beyond where people work or products are stored. They can influence operating costs, employee experience, access to capital, and your ability to respond to changing market conditions. Whether you’re expanding, modernizing, or reevaluating your existing footprint, aligning your real estate strategy with your broader business goals can help position your organization for long-term success.