Wednesday Market Insights - Edition One

The Read

The mood coming out of UKREiiF this year (Leeds, May 2026) was mixed. Confidence has returned in pockets, but so has nervousness. Geopolitical instability, coupled with the UK political direction, means that a few shared the consensus that the 2026 market feels like 2009 played on a slower dial. Capital hasn't disappeared, but it's repricing patience rather than deploying it. The conversations on the floor weren't uniformly optimistic; they were realistic. Landowners still anchoring to pre-correction values, planning systems under-resourced and slow, build cost inflation yet to fully ease.

The question being asked isn't whether the market will recover, it's whether the structural conditions exist to actually deliver when it does. Investment and development is being shaped, but they require experience, partnerships with planning authorities, and a willingness to work through complexity rather than around it. Clients are trying their level best to set the tone, but recognise the need for nerve and patience

Sector Signal - Debt & Capital Markets

Money is expensive and visibility is short. With interest and inflation still hard to call, lenders are cautious, and borrowers are shopping around with multiple offers on the table and slow to commit. Debt advisory is genuinely busy, with many of the firms trying to raise, but processes are dragging as everyone hesitates over the final leap. None of this has dented underlying appetite; it's repriced the patience needed to deploy. For talent, that's created a clear split: a real premium for experienced hires with three to nine years behind them, while juniors face a tougher, more client-led market with entry level roles being absorbed.   

Worth a Look

View the 45 second UK REiiF debrief from our UK Managing Director here

We're hiring across the real estate, property and construction sectors, meaning we’re connected to the biggest opportunities with the best businesses within the space, see our open roles here

The Skills Shortage 'Map the Gap' Campaign 

Coming soon - We've partnered with BE News on the Built Environment Job Opportunities Survey, a major study capturing what's really happening in the built environment jobs market -  from skills shortages and shifting candidate confidence to the impact of AI on how teams hire and grow.  

From the Desk

We are delighted to welcome Tim Worrell, who has joined the Real Estate Accounting & Finance desk, Sam Cormack, the Residential Development desk, Chloe Lloyd (HR & Business Support), Lewis Stagg (Interim Construction and Cynitha Kung (Residential Development and Project Delivery).  

We also had the team on the ground in Leeds for all three days, so if you want to compare notes on the market, or understand hiring trends - reach out to Maria Sinclair, Kate Peers Queen, Louis Nwosu-Hope, Sam Peers, Bronte Madley, Cynthia Kung. 

Thanks to our contributors for our inaugural edition Louis Nwosu-Hope - Cobalt Recruitment  & Maria Sinclair - Cobalt Recruitment