Faris Lee Investments

What Faris Lee Investments does

Faris Lee Investments is a privately held retail real estate investment brokerage firm founded in 1996 and headquartered in Irvine, California. The firm specializes in the disposition, acquisition, and recapitalization of retail investment properties spanning single-tenant NNN assets, multi-tenant shopping centers, grocery-anchored centers, portfolios, and sale-leaseback transactions. Its client base includes private investors, institutional investors, REITs, family offices, 1031 exchange buyers, merchant developers, and corporate retail chains, served by a team of 14+ professionals including three Managing Principals (Shaun Riley, Jeff Conover, Don MacLellan) with 26–40+ years of individual experience and collective track records of billions of dollars in closed transactions.

The firm operates a unified, team-based platform built around a proprietary live database of 1031 Exchange Buyers and active foreign investors, combined with a predictive analytics capability that the firm states integrates real-time financial, real estate, and retail lead indicators. Supporting technology consists of standard commercial integrations: Google Analytics for web traffic, Constant Contact for email marketing, and Buildout for commercial real estate listing distribution. As the Capital Markets arm of the X Team Retail Advisors national platform, Faris Lee leverages a network covering 43 U.S. and Canadian markets, supplemented by regional partnerships (SRSA Real Estate in Louisiana, John Cumbelich & Associates in Northern California) for localized tenant rep and leasing coverage.

Faris Lee generates revenue primarily through commission-based brokerage fees on retail investment property transactions, supplemented by advisory fees for dispositions, acquisitions, recapitalizations, distressed asset resolutions, portfolio sales, and corporate sale-leaseback mandates. Pricing is transaction-value-based and not publicly disclosed. The firm pursues an enterprise field sales motion through direct broker relationships, supplemented by digital marketing (newsletter, website, LinkedIn, Instagram), ICSC conference participation, and its proprietary investor database. Recent strategic activity in 2026 has emphasized regional partnership expansion, sustained execution on mid-sized grocery-anchored and single-tenant product, and incremental hiring of financial analysts and marketing leadership.

Name

Faris Lee Investments

Legal name

Faris Lee Investments

Website

https://farislee.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Faris Lee Investments is a privately held retail real estate investment brokerage firm founded in 1996 and headquartered in Irvine, California. It specializes in disposition, acquisition, and advisory for retail investment properties—including single-tenant NNN assets, multi-tenant centers, and portfolios—serving private investors, REITs, family offices, 1031 exchange buyers, and developers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Real Estate Brokerage

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Real Estate Investment Advisory (Acquisitions/Dispositions, Capital Allocation) (BPAJANAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Real Estate M&A / Joint Venture Advisory (Platform Deals, Partnerships) (BPAJANAF), Buy-Side M&A Advisory (FSAEAGAB), Industry-Specialist / Sector-Focused M&A Advisory (FSAEAGAJ)

Keywords

• Retail real estate brokerage
• Commercial investment advisory
• 1031 exchange services
• Net lease investment sales
• Shopping center sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Irvine

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Brokerage Commissions: Commission-based fees on retail investment property sales, typically a percentage of transaction value
2. Advisory Services: Advisory fees for dispositions, acquisitions, recapitalizations, distressed asset resolutions, portfolio sales, and corporate sale-leaseback transactions

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Faris Lee Investments is a retail real estate investment brokerage and advisory firm that represents owners and investors in the sale, acquisition, recapitalization, and disposition of retail properties. The firm's services span single-tenant net lease (STNL) investments, multi-tenant shopping centers, strip and neighborhood centers, 1031 exchange transactions, portfolio sales, and corporate sale-leasebacks, supported by predictive analytics and a proprietary investor database. Clients include REITs, institutional investors, family offices, private investors, merchant developers, and corporate retail chains across 40+ U.S. markets.

Product overview

Faris Lee Investments operates as a unified, team-oriented retail real estate investment brokerage platform offering a comprehensive suite of advisory and brokerage services. The firm's core offerings include retail investment sales and brokerage (spanning single assets to large portfolios), 1031 exchange property services, single tenant net lease (STNL) advisory, and multi-tenant shopping center sales. Supporting these client-facing services is a proprietary market analytics capability using predictive analytics based on real-time financial, real estate, and retail data. The firm also maintains a Private Capital Acquisition Advisory Group for investors seeking full-service acquisition support. The company leverages the X Team Retail Advisors national platform for localized market coverage across 43 U.S. and Canadian markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Retail Investment Sales & Brokerage Services

Quantifiable outcome

• $21M sale of Plaza Pacifica in San Clemente, CA - closed at contract price in less than 60 days
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SRSA Real EstatecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2026Partnership with Louisiana's leading leasing and tenant rep firm for combined capital markets expertise and local market knowledge. Faris Lee/SRSA team has closed north of $100M in investment sales over the past several years. Scott DeYoung led AutoZone transaction ($4.55M) in partnership with SRSA's Kirsten Early.
• John Cumbelich & AssociatesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 January 2026Partnership for sale of 24,604 SF retail strip center in Fairfield, CA. John Cumbelich & Associates is a regional retail leasing and tenant representation firm providing local market expertise.
• X Team Retail AdvisorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaris Lee Investments serves as the Capital Markets arm of X Team Retail Advisors national platform. X Team offers integrated retail specialized platform with tenured real estate professionals covering 43 markets across the United States and Canada. Partners specialize in Tenant Representation and Landlord Leasing, providing national scope with local market expertise through collaborative resource sharing.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• JLL Capital Markets: Global real estate investment and advisory firm with a capital markets practice covering retail investment sales. Competes for large portfolio, recapitalization, and sale-leaseback mandates that overlap with Faris Lee's advisory services.
• CBRE Group: World's largest commercial real estate services firm with a retail investment sales platform. Competes for the same institutional, REIT, and developer mandates; multiple Faris Lee principals (Don MacLellan, Tyler Strauss) previously worked at CBRE.
• Eastdil Secured: Specialized commercial real estate investment banking firm focused on large-capital, institutional-grade transactions. Comparable for high-end institutional retail capital markets, recapitalizations, and portfolio sale-leasebacks.
• Cushman & Wakefield: Global commercial real estate services firm with a retail capital markets group serving institutional and private clients. Overlaps with Faris Lee's disposition, acquisition, and recapitalization advisory for retail assets.
• Newmark Group: Major global commercial real estate services firm offering investment sales, leasing, and capital markets across all property types including retail. Broad incumbent competing for the same institutional retail mandates Faris Lee pursues, with a much larger service portfolio.

Direct peers

• SRS Real Estate Partners: National retail-specialist commercial real estate brokerage providing investment sales, landlord leasing, and tenant representation. Closest niche competitor to Faris Lee, with similar retail-only focus and integrated investment sales + leasing platform model.
• Marcus & Millichap: Large U.S. commercial real estate investment sales brokerage with a specialty retail investment sales platform. Most directly comparable at national scale — Faris Lee competes for the same retail investment sale mandates, though Marcus & Millichap operates with far larger headcount.
• Calkain Companies: Net lease investment sales firm focused on single-tenant retail and triple-net properties. Direct comparable to Faris Lee's STNL (single-tenant net lease) advisory practice, serving similar private and institutional buyers.
• Mid-America Real Estate: Retail-focused investment sales and advisory firm serving institutional and private clients across the U.S. Comparable retail investment sales offerings and client type (institutional REITs, private investors, family offices).

Emerging players

• B+E (Banyan Equity): Net lease and retail investment sales platform with a tech-enabled brokerage model. Comparable in retail net lease focus and use of proprietary buyer databases to source institutional and 1031 exchange buyers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/farisleeinvest

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Faris Lee Investments