Caitlin Ritter

As the Research Director for Transwestern’s Chicago and Rosemont offices, Caitlin oversees research initiatives along with the production of local market reports. Caitlin and her team are specifically responsible for gathering and extrapolating competitive market intelligence to help brokers and clients better track local, regional, and national real estate market trends. Caitlin’s insights cover a wide breadth of subjects, from economic activity to forecasts and trends that cover regions big and small. Caitlin is also accomplished in data collection and analysis of economic development, urban planning, and architecture.

Caitlin has 20 years of experience as a researcher for not just commercial real estate services but also government entities, as well as nonprofit and market-rate multifamily investors and developers. Before joining Transwestern, Caitlin was Director of Applied Research at Aegon Asset Management for 13 months. Previously, she spent over six years at MB Real Estate, most recently as Vice President of Research and Investment Intelligence. At MBRE, brokers across the CRE industry consistently praised Caitlin's quarterly reports. Caitlin's thought leadership pieces, covering everything from specific neighborhood trends to national CRE movements, have provided clarity in an ever-changing market. Caitlin’s Market Beat reports—some of the subjects dissected included the office space outlook of Fulton Market, the effect of shadow space on Chicago’s Central Loop, and the advantages fueling Chicago’s tech industry growth—proved impactful in and outside of MBRE. Additionally, Caitlin's contributions to proposal requests helped MBRE’s leasing, tenant advisory, and asset services groups establish meaningful relationships with countless clients. Some of these clients include MetLife, the Cook County government and the city of Chicago, Astellas Pharma, and the office asset Michigan Plaza.

Caitlin earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture and a master’s degree in urban planning and policy, both from the University of Illinois at Chicago.