1. Office

Office buildings are generally categorized into two types: urban or suburban. Urban office buildings are found in cities and include skyscrapers and high-rise properties — some may even total as much as a few million square feet in size. Suburban office buildings are usually smaller in stature and sometimes grouped in office parks.

2. Retail

Retail comprises the commercial spaces that host the retailers and restaurants we frequent. They can be multi-tenant (often with an anchor, or lead tenant, that serves to drive traffic to the leased property) or single-use, standalone buildings.

3. Industrial

Industrial buildings accommodate industrial operations for a variety of tenants and are mostly located outside of urban areas, especially along major transportation routes. The low-rise buildings can also be grouped into industrial parks. The properties are categorized into four types:

• Heavy manufactures: These buildings are heavily customized and house machinery manufacturers need to operate and produce goods and services.
• Light assembly: These aren’t as customized and may be used for product assembly or storage.
• Bulk warehouse: These properties are usually large and are used as distribution centers.
• Flex industrial: These properties contain a mix of both industrial and office spaces.
• 4. Multifamily
• Any time you have five or more residential units owned by a single entity, they’re classified as commercial real estate. The multifamily sector covers all types of residential real estate outside of single-family, including apartments, condos, co-ops, and townhomes. Like office buildings, multifamily property is often classified into Class A, Class B, and Class C. 
• 5. Hotel
• The hotel sector covers establishments providing accommodations, meals, and other services for travelers and tourists. The hotels may be independent (boutique) or flagged—the latter means it’s part of a major hotel chain, such as a Marriott or Sheraton. Real Capital Analytics splits them into ..
• Limited-service: Does not have room service, on-site restaurant, or concierge.
• Full-service: Includes room service and has on-site restaurant.
• Boutique: Located in an urban or resort location, has full-service amenities, is not part of a national chain, and has fewer rooms.
• Casino: Has a gaming component, such as video poker or slot machines.
• Extended-stay: Limited-service with fully equipped kitchens in guest rooms and larger rooms for long stays.
• Resort: Full-service, large amount of land, in a typical resort location (such as Hawaii or Orlando), and has an attached golf course, water park, or amusement facility.
• 6. Special Purpose
• Special purpose real estate may be owned by commercial real estate investors, but doesn’t fall into any of the sectors mentioned above. For instance, open land for fairs, amusement parks, churches, and bowling alleys are special-purpose facilities.