AEW’s Mike Acton says Real Estate Provides Anchor Amid Elevated Tech Valuations

Mike Acton, head of research and strategy for North America at global real estate asset manager AEW, joined the latest episode of the REIT Report. He discussed why commercial real estate provides an anchor amid today’s tech-driven market boom, how many smaller and retail investors are under-allocated to the sector, and why now could be the best entry point in a decade for real estate investment.Acton noted that the largest, most sophisticated institutional investors typically have real estate allocations that are anywhere from 10% to 15% of their portfolio. Within that real estate allocation, 10% to 20% might be in the listed space.“There's a lot of evidence that the leading investors are doing something very different than what a lot of smaller investors, certainly what a lot of retail investors, are not doing and probably should be,” Acton said.