Western

— By Anthony Johnson and A.J. Johnson of Pegasus Retail — Looking back on the market sentiment at the start of 2024, the mantra was “Survive ‘til 25.” Now, halfway through 2025, it’s clear that the record-breaking cap rate sales of 2021 and 2022 are firmly in the rearview. Speculative development is reserved for those with a generational outlook, and high interest rates are the new normal. While that may seem bleak, for those who’ve weathered the storm, it feels like a breath of fresh air. The market has reset. Seller and buyer expectations are realigning. Landlords and tenants are exploring new deals in a more stable environment. And smart developers are dusting off models and cautiously getting back to work. The construction hiatus of recent years has benefited owners of existing product. Tenants, fueled by Wall Street growth expectations, had to get creative. We now see many national retailers occupying second and third generation retail space that they’d historically passed in favor of shinier and newer projects. Many neighborhood centers that were 50 percent vacant at the onset of the pandemic are now close to fully leased. A surprising but welcome shift. This outcome, partly driven by the lack …