Are Car Washes the Most Overlooked Asset Class in CRE?

Are Car Washes the Most Overlooked Asset Class in CRE?

From No Cap by CRE Daily by CRE Daily

March 1, 2026 · 45 min · Season 5 · Episode 8

About this episode

The episode discusses the potential of car washes as a unique asset class in commercial real estate with insights from Chris Salerno of QC Capital.

Season 5, Episode 8: On this episode of the No Cap Podcast, Jack Stone and Alex Gornik sit down with Chris Salerno, founder of QC Capital, to break down how he underwrites across multiple real estate verticals and why car washes have quietly become one of the most interesting operating-heavy “real estate plus business” hybrids in the market. Chris explains what actually drives performance in the car wash business, from site selection and membership economics to cost pressures like water and chemicals, and why QC focuses on a more efficient model with shorter tunnels and lower all-in development costs.The conversation also dives into small bay industrial in the Southeast, why the space is heating up, and how Chris thinks about risk as multifamily rent growth slows and the easy era of cap-rate compression fades. A practical, operator-driven look at where real estate returns are really coming from today.Shoutout to our sponsor, Bracket. The AI platform transforming how we underwrite deals.TOPICS00:00 – Intro And Why QC Invests Across Verticals04:36 – Chris’ Background And How QC Capital Started08:22 – First Deals: Brokers, Capital, And Getting A Loan Without A Track Record12:47 –…

People in this episode

Hosts: Jack Stone, Alex Gornik

Guest: Chris Salerno

Topics covered

Keywords

Sponsors

Bracket

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: QC Capital

More episodes of No Cap by CRE Daily

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the No Cap by CRE Daily podcast page.