Queens Investment Sales Reach $2.6B in First Half of 2026, Up 49%
Photo: 4300streetcar / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0. Cropped by ARCFE.
Queens recorded approximately $2.6 billion in investment sales during the first half of 2026, up 49% from the same period last year, according to Ariel Property Advisors. The borough completed 315 transactions, up 6% year over year, marking its strongest first-half dollar volume since 2022.
The gap between the 49% increase in dollar volume and 6% increase in transaction count is particularly notable. It suggests that larger transactions played an important role in the headline growth rather than activity rising evenly across the market.
Development sites were a major driver. Sales volume reached approximately $821.6 million, up 161% year over year across 55 transactions. However, average pricing for standard development sites remained relatively stable at approximately $203 per buildable square foot, compared with $207 in 2025. In other words, the increase was driven more by transaction size and activity than broad land-price appreciation.
Retail showed a similar pattern. Queens retail sales reached approximately $669.5 million, but the $424.4 million acquisition of the Shops at Skyview in Flushing accounted for a significant share of the total. Without that transaction, the broader retail market would have shown a much more moderate picture.
What Queens Investment Sales Reveal About Where Capital Is Moving
The report shows why headline transaction volume should be read together with asset type, deal size and location.
Capital was not distributed evenly across Queens. Development activity was particularly notable in areas including Long Island City, while Flushing accounted for one of the borough’s largest retail transactions.
For real estate investors, the takeaway is straightforward: higher transaction volume does not automatically mean every property is appreciating. What matters is which assets and submarkets are attracting capital, and why.
EB-5 Investor Insight
Market growth should be broken down before it is interpreted.
For EB-5 investors, a 49% increase in transaction volume does not mean every property or submarket in Queens appreciated at the same pace. Transaction size, asset type, pricing and location all need to be considered together.
The more useful question is not simply whether a market is “up,” but which areas and property types are attracting real capital and what is driving that demand.
ARCFE View
Queens remains one of the New York markets ARCFE follows closely, including Flushing, where ARCFE Group 17 is located, and Long Island City, home to Group 22.
The Ariel data should not be viewed as a guarantee of performance for any individual project. Instead, it provides useful market context showing that significant capital continues to be deployed across selected Queens submarkets and property types.
With iCross Capital’s nearly 20 years of New York real estate lending experience, ARCFE looks beyond headline growth to understand where capital is moving and what is actually driving demand.
Related ARCFE Resources
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Sources
Disclaimer: Articles published under the "News" category are curated from third-party media sources for informational purposes only. ARCFE does not claim ownership of the original content, nor does it guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the information presented. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the original authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of ARCFE. Nothing contained herein constitutes investment, legal, or tax advice. Readers are encouraged to consult with qualified professionals before making any investment decisions.
