2026 Top CRE Brokerage Firms

You can also read our other Top Brokerage Firms rankings.

Note: The following noteworthy firms did not submit responses: JLL, Savills and Avison Young.

Key: O=Office, I=Industrial, R=Retail, M=Multifamily, He=Health Care, Ho=Hospitality, X=Other

To be included in upcoming surveys, email Agota Felhazi at agota.felhazi@cpe-mhn.com. 

CRE Regains Momentum Amid Volatility

Shaped by interest-rate uncertainty, tariffs, geopolitical instability and evolving capital markets, market dynamics remained complex in 2025. Yet commercial real estate proved resilient and showed signs of renewed momentum.

Multifamily assets continued to lead the investment landscape, while data centers recorded the strongest gains year-over-year as AI expansion and cloud adoption pushed the sector further into the mainstream, according to the 2025 year-end DLA Piper real estate report. Overall, multifamily accounted for 44 percent of total investment activity with data centers rising to 12 percent from 7 percent in 2024. The industrial segment was also on the rise, increasing to 17 percent from 15 percent in 2024.

Yardi Matrix reports investors traded 674 million square feet of industrial space valued at $90.4 billion during 2025, rising from $76.6 billion the previous year. Office investment reached $53 billion in 2025, with Manhattan leading sales activity, according to the same source.

Transactions activity also improved for the hospitality sector. In 2025, sales volume rose to $24 billion, marking a 17.5 percent increase year-over-year, according to JLL’s hotel investment trends report.

—Agota Felhazi, Senior Associate Editor, CPE

Leasing: Selective but Active

Leasing activity also reflected a more selective but active market. Large office occupiers showed greater confidence in 2025 by taking more space, according to CBRE’s Top 100 Office Leases of 2025. Expansions made up most of the deals among the top 100 office leases by square footage during the past year. Relocations also increased, while some tenants also took the opportunity to upgrade during a move.

Industrial leasing remained strong, with the top 100 leases totaling 98.8 million square feet and. Among tenants, third-party logistics providers made up the largest cohort followed by general retailers and wholesalers. In all, new leasing accounted for the greater share of these deals with only 22 being renewals.

Overall, investors, tenants and landlords continued to keep brokerage firms busy as they approached selective growth opportunities. This year’s Top 20 Commercial Real Estate Brokerage Firms arranged more than $528.8 billion in transactions last year, approximately $70.7 billion more than in 2024. The same firms closed leases valued at $477.2 billion, up from $396.7 billion in 2024. Below CPE takes a closer look at the top five.

1. Cushman & Wakefield

Cushman & Wakefield secured the top spot. The brokerage firm completed $59.8 billion in investments sales during the past year, rising from $54.2 billion in 2024. Industrial sales made up the largest share of transactions, such as Cushman facilitating San Diego County’s second-largest industrial transaction of 2025 at the time. The global real estate services firm also handled leases covering more than 985.6 million square feet worth $88.3 billion during the past year. Lease transactions also expanded, up from 659 million square feet in 2024.

2. CBRE

CBRE secured second place, recording an impressive $191.2 billion in investment sales—up from $175.3 billion in 2024. The global giant also facilitated leasing activity worth $213.1 billion with office deals making up more than half. Notable transactions closed by the firm included Brooklyn Prospect Charter School signing a 35-year agreement at The Wheeler in Brooklyn, N.Y. CBRE, alongside Tishman Speyer’s in-house team, represented ownership in the 150,000-square-foot lease.

3. Colliers

Colliers continued to hold third place with $69.5 billion in investment sales completed in the past year, up from $59.8 billion in 2024. Notable transactions closed in 2025 included the sale of a 2 million-square-foot industrial portfolio in Manteca, Calif., which traded for $264 million. At the time, the deal was the largest commercial acquisition in Central Valley. During 2025, the global firm also handled leases covering more than 747.2 million square feet valued at $51.9 billion.

4. Newmark

Newmark came in fourth place once again. The firm facilitated sales amounting to $70.4 billion in the past year, a step up from the $43.1 billion of 2024. Newmark arranged close to 227 million square feet of lease transactions valued at more than $48.5 billion. The global commercial real estate advisor and service provider played a central role in Crow Holdings completing a $718 million recapitalization of a 6 million-square-foot industrial portfolio. The 25 properties part of the portfolio stretched across the Dallas, Houston and Chicago metro areas.

5. NAI Global

NAI Global continued to hold fifth place with $3 billion in sales arranged last year. The commercial real estate firm facilitated leases covering 380 million square feet valued at $17.5 billion. Half of the leases involved industrial assets, such as CenterPoint Properties’ 976,954-square-foot facility in Joliet, Ill. The global firm’s Chicago-area arm, NAI Hiffman, secured a full-building lease for this portion of CenterPoint Intermodal Center, one of the most active.

Methodology

Commercial Property Executive’s ranking of the 2026 Top CRE Brokerage Firms is based on self-reported data from all firms. We considered various factors including a firm’s performance in 2025 and previous years, and reviewed data that reflects investment sales and leasing activity. The ranking represents what we feel is a logical balance between firm growth and market share. Ranking factors are not limited to the data that appear on this page.

Read the June 2026 issue of CPE.