Daniel Chaberman, Real Estate Developer & Founder, Chaberman Advisory

May 2026 — Invest:spoke with Daniel Chaberman, real estate developer and founder of Chaberman Advisory, about the region’s post-COVID reset and what tenants expect from new retail development. “The challenging part for not only developers, but any retailer, is not to attract a customer for the first time but to make them want to come back,” Chaberman said.

How has the real estate market in South Florida evolved over the last 12 to 18 months?

South Florida went through one of the most accelerated growth cycles in its history during and after COVID. Over the last 12 to 18 months, that pace has moderated — but it has not reversed. We continue to see corporations relocating to the region, which supports demand across office, medical, and service-oriented retail. The story has shifted from explosive growth to durable growth, and I think that is a healthier place to be.

How does that environment translate into what you are seeing across your work in South Florida?

It is broad, because you cannot compare every segment. Industrial, retail, office, and residential all behave differently, and even within those categories, submarkets perform differently.
In general, prices have remained steady. As interest rates start to come down, we are seeing a bit more purchasing power and activity returning. For us, that means being careful about underwriting, staying realistic about pace, and focusing on product types with durable demand, instead of assuming the market will carry deals the way it did during the relocation peak.

How are financing conditions and interest rates affecting the way you look at deals right now?

Rates shape everything from acquisition assumptions to tenant decision-making. When the cost of capital is higher, the math gets tighter, and people become more selective. That affects how quickly projects can move from concept to execution, and it can slow certain transactions.

With rates beginning to ease, we are starting to see more confidence and more movement. It does not mean the market will return to the earlier pace overnight, but it does help unlock activity and supports stable pricing. What it reinforces is that quality of site and quality of tenant mix determine staying power. Projects with both keep moving. Projects that relied on market momentum alone get stuck.

Sustainability has become a bigger topic across the industry. How are you thinking about it in your projects?

Sustainability has moved from being a marketing layer to an underwriting consideration. We think about energy efficiency, materials, and long-term operating costs from the design phase, not as an afterthought. The trend will continue to evolve into standard practice, where sustainability is simply part of how responsible development is done.

Technology and AI are influencing nearly every industry. How do you see that impacting real estate and development?

The most immediate impact I see is in decision-making — how developers analyze markets, underwrite deals, and understand consumer behavior faster than before. The buildings themselves have not changed dramatically yet, but the back-end operations are shifting.

I do not think we are seeing an incredible amount of AI inside the buildings yet, but I do think that is coming sooner rather than later. Over time, developers will use technology to understand the consumer better, optimize operations, and improve the experience for the end user.

What do you see as the biggest challenge as AI becomes more common?

We live in an era of information and disinformation, and it is challenging to understand what is real and what is not. AI can add to that challenge if people do not use it carefully. If you ask for something and the prompt is not right, most likely the system is going to tell you what you want to hear. So, I think accuracy, verification, and the way people learn to use these tools will be important as the technology improves.

What are your priorities and focus areas for the next few years?

Over the past several years I have focused on mixed-use retail and office development across South Florida — from neighborhood retail centers to large lifestyle destinations and medical office. Projects like Atlantic Village in Hallandale Beach, which repositioned an entire stretch of Federal Highway, and a 101,000 square foot medical office tower in Miami’s Health District, have shaped how I think about what it takes to lease and sell complex projects successfully.

That experience is the foundation for what I am building now with Chaberman Advisory, which focuses on giving developers and property owners a single accountable operator to run their leasing and sales execution — from strategy through closing. The opportunity I see is that most projects are underserved at that layer. The strategy exists but the execution accountability does not. That is the gap we are built to fill.

In retail specifically, what is driving demand, and what are tenants looking for today?

Experience is what is driving retailers. Tenants want locations that create a pleasant experience for the end user, visually and practically.

Accessibility matters: how easy it is to get there, how easy it is to park, how easy it is to come in and get out, and who the neighbors are. Those factors shape whether people choose to spend time there and whether they want to return.

Experience also includes what happens after the development is completed, and how it is managed. The challenging part for not only developers, but any retailer, is not to attract a customer for the first time but to make them want to come back. That is where long-term performance comes from.

What about South Florida itself makes planning for accessibility so important?

It is important to understand the consumer here. In South Florida, most places are drive-to markets. There are very few neighborhoods where you can rely primarily on walking or other alternatives.

Because of that, removing friction matters. If you want a pleasant experience, you need to make it easy for people, from arrival to parking to circulation. If it feels difficult, people will not come back, and that affects everyone, from tenants to property managers.

What excites you most about the future of South Florida’s real estate market?

For me, the growth and progress are exciting. I moved to New York in my early 20s, and at the time, New York felt like where the world’s trends came from. Miami was a strong market, but it wasn’t a city people looked to for what was coming next. That has fundamentally changed.

Over the last decade, you have seen a cultural shift, with major events, more arts, and a growing international profile. More recently, COVID accelerated relocation patterns, and people expected South Florida to cool off and return to being only a vacation market. That has not happened.

Growth is continuing, and it is broader than Miami. It is Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, and the entire region gaining momentum. I am very bullish on what is happening and for the coming years.

What would you say to new investors or developers entering South Florida?

In a market that has grown so quickly, I would recommend new investors and developers surround themselves with the right teams and the right advisers.

I have seen people assume that because they were successful developing in another country or market, they can come here and do things the same way. That is where many people run into issues. South Florida rewards people who understand the local market deeply, move fast when the opportunity is right, and bring the right operators around them from day one. The people who struggle here are the ones who came in assuming the market would do the work for them.