The NC Real Estate Economic Dashboard | August 2026

Welcome to the second edition of my monthly NC Real Estate Economic Dashboard, where I take the latest economic data and explain what it means for commercial property investors.Rather than reacting to headlines, I use a simple dashboard to monitor the key indicators that influence commercial property and decide whether I need to change the way I analyse investment opportunities.This month, I discuss:Why 10-year gilt yields have edged back up and what that could mean for commercial property valuesWhy the Bank of England base rate has remained unchanged whilst commercial mortgage pricing has started to softenHow the latest inflation figures are influencing my view of tenant affordabilityWhat the latest RICS UK Commercial Property Monitor tells us about occupier demandWhy vacancy continues to rise even though tenant demand is beginning to improveWhat the latest investment enquiries reveal about buyer confidenceWhy I'm continuing to underwrite deals using a 9-month void period and 6 months' rent freeThe biggest risks and opportunities I'm seeing in today's commercial property marketI also explain the assumptions I'm making in my own deal analysis and why, despite some encouraging signs, I'm not changing my underwriting just yet.The purpose of this dashboard isn't to predict the future. It's to understand the current market, ask better questions and make more informed commercial property investment decisions.NC Real Estate helps commercial property investors build high-performing, income-generating portfolios that have the potential to increase their value — without the overwhelm.