Specialized research informs Charlotte’s booming real estate environment

Capturing well-deserved media attention this month is the 2020 State of Housing in Charlotte report, released recently by the Belk College of Business Childress Klein Center for Real Estate (CKCRE). This data-driven analysis of owner-occupied, rental and subsidized housing in Charlotte’s eight-county region, informs government leaders, policy makers, the development community and the general public of the strengths and challenges affecting the fast-growing Charlotte housing market to enable informed decision-making. It also explains why CKCRE has been ranked among the top-20 most active research institutions in real estate for the past decade. The report was shared at CKCRE’s State of Charlotte Housing Summit, which included a presentation by CKCRE’s new director Yongqiang Chu, who serves the Belk College of Business as Distinguished Professor of Real Estate and Urban Economics and professor of finance.

The report’s influence on Charlotte’s booming real estate environment doesn't stop there. In just its second year, the report, supported by 10 industry partners, has quickly become the “go-to source” for local journalists and others who report on growth as they seek reliable data about all sectors of Charlotte’s housing market. Since the first report in 2019, which was featured in a news segment that aired on more than 50 NBC stations, CKCRE has facilitated a dozen or so community presentations throughout the Southeast. As cities nationwide watch closely the ways Charlotte manages its growth, UNC Charlotte is providing a foundation for smart development.

The 2019 report prompted the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the world’s largest business education alliance, to recognize the Belk College of Business as one of only 25 business schools worldwide for innovative collaboration. I’m very proud to say that Belk College is the only business school in the Southeast selected in 2020 as well as the only one in the Carolinas to be named to the Commercial Property Executives Leading Schools for Real Estate list for this year. 

As the Belk College of Business celebrates its 50th anniversary this academic year, ongoing research on key real estate topics underscores the impact that can be made when we partner with industry. With a real estate concentration available at the undergraduate level and through Belk College’s highly regarded MBA program, a Graduate Certificate in Real Estate, and the M.S. in Real Estate--whose 2019 graduates can boast 100% job placement--UNC Charlotte is equipping its students not only to succeed in but lead this dynamic field.