The Crexi Commercial Real Estate Podcast | CRE Insights & Strategies Jaidyn Smith on Shopping Centers: Tight Vacancy, Active Buyers, Real Deals
Jaidyn Smith of Friedman Real Estate covers the intricacies of multi-tenant retail investment sales and shopping center value-add strategies.
The Crexi Podcast connects commercial real estate (CRE) professionals with industry insights built for smart decision-making. In each episode, we explore the latest trends, innovations and opportunities shaping commercial real estate, because we believe knowledge should move at the speed of ambition and every conversation should empower professionals to act with greater clarity and confidence.
Jaidyn Smith started her CRE career almost by accident (a friend's cold call changed the trajectory she thought she was on) and six years later she's closing multi-tenant shopping center deals for US and international investors across Michigan, Ohio, Texas, and beyond. She specializes in the kinds of transactions that require patience, creativity, and a willingness to stay on the phone when things go sideways.
In this episode, Jaidyn joins host Shanti Ryle to talk about how she built her business from a list of KFCs and dollar stores, what actually happens between LOI and closing, why landlords currently have the upper hand, and what she sees coming for retail in 2026.
- Jaidyn Smith's background and path to Friedman Real Estate
- From radiology school to residential to commercial CRE
- The moment she knew commercial real estate was it
- Starting out in single tenant net lease: KFCs, Wendy's, Chase Banks
- What triple net leases taught her about the fundamentals
- The Family Dollar cold call that opened the door to shopping centers
- What that first client saw in her — and what she proved
- Joining Friedman Real Estate: resources, culture, and a new chapter
- Social media as a business development tool, not a vanity play
- The 1031 buyer who found her off-market deal through a single post
- Crexi Auction: price discovery, on-market exposure, expanded buyer pool
- Structuring the day: to-do lists, phones from 10 to 2, LOIs at end of day
- State of retail: vacancy at 4.6%, more openings than closings
- Concepts on the rise: pickleball, golf sims, and repurposed drug store boxes
- Top 40 MSAs, Texas development, and where she's expanding next
- Value add in practice: under-market rents, vacancies, cap ex, parking lots
- TI, free rent, and how landlords are getting creative to keep tenants
- Demand exceeds supply: landlords have the upper hand right now
- Bid-ask gaps and how to have the tough pricing conversation
- Between LOI and closing: estoppels, site visits, and surprises
- The burst pipe, the cockroaches, and the deals that closed anyway
- Working with international investors: eyes, ears, and boots on the ground
- How trust and follow-through build a repeat client base
- Women in CRE: underestimated, more visible, building community
- Co-founding Ladies Leading CRE with Chassidy Goolsby
- Advice for anyone entering commercial real estate: just get started
- Rapid fire: $50M, worst advice, and retail optimism
About Jaidyn Smith:
Jaidyn Smith is a nationally recognized commercial real estate advisor known for her relationship-driven approach and consistent execution across single-tenant net lease and multi-tenant retail investment sales. Over time, she has become increasingly focused on assisting investment sales clients with multi-tenant shopping centers, successfully completing a number of both on-market and off-market transactions.
She works with U.S. and international investors on acquisitions and dispositions, advising on pricing strategy, timing, and long-term value creation. With a background in sales and investor advisory, Jaidyn is known for her responsiveness, negotiation skill, and ability to simplify complex transactions.
Jaidyn remains deeply engaged in the commercial real estate community through ongoing education, investor seminars, and industry organizations, including ICSC, CREi, CREW and Ladies Leading CRE. She also volunteers with the Leader Dogs for the Blind, The Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce and the Entrepreneurs' Organization of Michigan.
For show notes, past guests, and more CRE content, please check out Crexi’s blog.
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Crexi is reimagining commercial real estate with an AI-powered platform built to deliver smarter, more efficient solutions at every stage of the deal lifecycle. From real-time data and market insights with Crexi Intelligence, to targeted property marketing and seamless deal management through Crexi PRO, and a transparent, time-bound bidding experience with Crexi Auction— Crexi enables users to evaluate opportunities, maximize exposure, and close with speed and confidence. To date, Crexi has subsidized over $2.74 trillion in property value, 26 billion square feet listed, and supports a growing community of more than 23 million yearly users.