Real Estate Industry Reviews

Childress Klein

A Charlotte developer, active since 1988, with a tenant and buyer representation team that says it works separately from the firm’s development and leasing teams.41

Real Estate Industry Reviews Editorial Team Updated 2026-10-27 www.childressklein.com/tenant-buyer-representation

Overview

Childress Klein suits Charlotte tenants who want a broker with deep development knowledge and are ready to ask how that broker stays independent of the owner’s side. The firm says its tenant team works separately from its development and leasing teams. That separation is the first thing to confirm in your engagement letter.1

Its deal record is independently reported. The Real Deal covered its $31 million purchase of the Esplanade at SouthPark in 2023, and Connect CRE its $50 million refinancing of the 218,657-square-foot Waverly shopping center in 2025. The state registry shows Childress Klein Properties active since 1988.564

Those two criteria alone average 10, but any score built on two sourced criteria is capped at 9.0. We read no license record that shows a status, no SIOR or CCIM listing and no client review count.2

Score breakdown

State licenseNot published
Professional directoryNot published
Verifiable transactions10
Years in business10
Public reviewsNot published
Overall score9.0
  • Verifiable transactions, 10 / 10. Two independent reports: the Esplanade at SouthPark purchase and the Waverly refinancing.56
  • Years in business, 10 / 10. Formed July 15, 1988, per the North Carolina Secretary of State: 38 years, the 20-or-more band.4
  • State license, not scored. The state’s brokers-by-firm pages name both Childress Klein firms and their broker-in-charge, but show no license number or status.23
  • Professional directory, not scored. CREDA Charlotte awards to individual employees are recognition, not a directory listing.8
  • Public reviews, not scored. The only rating read is Glassdoor’s 4.1 from 24 employee reviews, which rates the employer, not the service.7
How we checked each criterion

State license, weight 25, not scored. Not scored. NCREC brokers-by-firm pages, checked 2026-10-26, name CHILDRESS KLEIN PROPERTIES INC (firm ID C6355) and CHILDRESS KLEIN INDUSTRIAL- CHARLOTTE INC (firm ID C6794), both at 301 S College St Ste 2800, Charlotte NC 28202-6033. Broker-in-charge Landon R Wyatt III (71307) is listed for both. The pages show the name, address and brokers. They do not display a firm license number or a status, so they do not show an active license. NCREC brokers-by-firm record: Childress Klein Properties Inc (firm ID C6355), NCREC brokers-by-firm record: Childress Klein Industrial- Charlotte Inc (firm ID C6794)

Professional directory, weight 20, not scored. Not scored. CREDA Charlotte lists Award of Excellence awards in 2010 and 2015 and Member of the Year in 2017 for individual employees. That is association recognition on the awarding body’s awards page, not a SIOR, CCIM or comparable directory listing of a principal at the firm. CREDA Charlotte awards

Verifiable transactions, weight 20, 10 points. The Real Deal, Jan. 23, 2025, on the Esplanade at SouthPark, 2101 Rexford Road: “The property was purchased by Childress Klein, led by co-founder and managing partner Don Childress, in June 2023 for $31 million, or about $145 per square foot,” with a rezoning for 675 multifamily units and 200,000 SF of office. Connect CRE, Oct. 28, 2025: “Childress Klein and Ascentris have obtained a $50 million refinancing for Waverly, a 218,657-square-foot shopping center in Charlotte, N.C. Bank of America issued the note.” A source other than the firm names the property and a price or size (10 points). The firm’s claim of more than 2,500 transactions since 2005 is not this input. The Real Deal, Jan. 23, 2025: Childress Klein purchase of the Esplanade at SouthPark, Connect CRE, Oct. 28, 2025: Childress Klein and Ascentris refinancing of Waverly

Years in business, weight 20, 10 points. NC Secretary of State business registration search, checked 2026-10-26: Childress Klein Properties, Inc., SOS ID 0231609, status Current - Active, formed July 15, 1988. The result has no permalink, so this cites the search page and the SOS ID. Age from 1988 to 2026 is 38 years, which is the 20-or-more band (10 points). NC Secretary of State business registration search: Childress Klein Properties, Inc. (SOS ID 0231609)

Public reviews, weight 15, not scored. Cited, not scored. Glassdoor shows 4.1 from 24 employee reviews. The reviews criterion scores a count or average read on a third-party site. It does not identify employee-review platforms, so this figure is not used as points. Glassdoor reviews: Childress Klein

Math: 400 weighted points ÷ 40 (the weight of the sourced criteria) = 10.0, then capped at 9.0 / 10 because exactly two criteria are sourced. A 10.0 needs at least three sourced criteria. Evidence: Strong. Criteria without a source are left out of the denominator. This is the boutique rubric, not the filing rubric used for the six national firms, and the two are not comparable. Bands · Evidence levels.

Each criterion is defined on our methodology page.

Leadership

Don Childress

Co-founder and managing partner

The Real Deal describes Childress Klein as “led by co-founder and managing partner Don Childress” in its report on the Esplanade at SouthPark purchase.5

Landon R. Wyatt III

Broker-in-charge

The state’s brokers-by-firm pages list him as broker-in-charge for both Childress Klein Properties and Childress Klein Industrial – Charlotte.23

Who it's for

Childress Klein develops, owns and leases property, and runs a tenant and buyer representation team it says works apart from those teams. It reports more than 2,500 transactions since 2005 across 41 cities; that count is its own.1

Where it fits

Charlotte tenants and buyers, especially in office and retail, where the firm develops and owns property itself and knows the market from the owner’s side.56

Where it falls short

Tenants who want a broker with no landlord interests at all. Even with a separate team, a firm that develops and owns property can be on the other side of a building you are considering.

Pricing

Childress Klein does not post a fee schedule or a pricing page in the sources we read. Ask for the fee structure, and who pays it, before you sign.

How to engage

Official websitehttps://www.childressklein.com/tenant-buyer-representation
Pricing URLnot published
Offices verified on the firm’s own siteCharlotte: Charlotte, NC (team listed in Charlotte) (office page)
Services listedtenant rep, leasing, development
Last verified2026-10-27

Competitors

The nearest alternatives are the other firms on our Charlotte city page. Scores are boutique public-evidence scores, out of 10.

FirmModelScoreWhere Childress wins or loses
Childress KleinDeveloper with an independent tenant-rep team9.0 / 10Independently reported deals and a record back to 1988, with a developer’s view of the market
Regent Commercial Real EstateIndependent, owner-operated9.3 / 10Regent wins for tenants who want a broker with no development arm and a 5.0 review record. Childress Klein wins on independently reported deals.
Avison YoungPrincipal-owned international firm8.5 / 10Avison Young wins on multi-market coverage. Childress Klein wins on independently reported Charlotte deals and a record back to 1988.
Trinity PartnersCharlotte-founded Southeast regional firm8.5 / 10Trinity wins on regional reach. Childress Klein wins on independently reported deals.
MPV PropertiesDeveloper-broker8.2 / 10MPV wins on a review record and land brokerage. Childress Klein wins on a longer record, back to 1988.

Compare Childress Klein side by side in the compare tool →

Reviews

What the record shows

We read no client review count. Glassdoor shows 4.1 from 24 employee reviews, which speaks to the firm as an employer rather than to its service, so it is not a score input.7

Fact file

ItemWhat the source saysSource
LocationTeam listed in Charlotte. No street address on the firm page. NCREC lists 301 S College St Ste 2800, Charlotte NC 28202-6033 for both firm records below.Childress Klein tenant/buyer representation page
How the team is describedThe tenant and buyer representation team says it works separately from the firm’s development and leasing teams.Childress Klein tenant/buyer representation page
Self-reported volumeMore than 2,500 transactions since 2005, across 41 cities. The firm’s own claim.Childress Klein tenant/buyer representation page
NCREC firm recordsCHILDRESS KLEIN PROPERTIES INC (firm ID C6355) and CHILDRESS KLEIN INDUSTRIAL- CHARLOTTE INC (firm ID C6794). Same address. Broker-in-charge Landon R Wyatt III (71307). No firm license number or status is displayed.NCREC brokers-by-firm record: Childress Klein Properties Inc (firm ID C6355), NCREC brokers-by-firm record: Childress Klein Industrial- Charlotte Inc (firm ID C6794)
NC Secretary of StateChildress Klein Properties, Inc., SOS ID 0231609, Current - Active, formed July 15, 1988. Cited from the business registration search page; the result has no permalink.NC Secretary of State business registration search: Childress Klein Properties, Inc. (SOS ID 0231609)
Esplanade at SouthParkThe Real Deal, Jan. 23, 2025, 2101 Rexford Road: “The property was purchased by Childress Klein, led by co-founder and managing partner Don Childress, in June 2023 for $31 million, or about $145 per square foot,” with a rezoning for 675 multifamily units and 200,000 SF of office.The Real Deal, Jan. 23, 2025: Childress Klein purchase of the Esplanade at SouthPark
Waverly refinancingConnect CRE, Oct. 28, 2025: “Childress Klein and Ascentris have obtained a $50 million refinancing for Waverly, a 218,657-square-foot shopping center in Charlotte, N.C. Bank of America issued the note.”Connect CRE, Oct. 28, 2025: Childress Klein and Ascentris refinancing of Waverly
Glassdoor4.1 from 24 employee reviews.Glassdoor reviews: Childress Klein
CREDA CharlotteAward of Excellence in 2010 and 2015, and Member of the Year in 2017, for individual employees.CREDA Charlotte awards

Methodology and sources

Method note and sources

This score uses the boutique public-evidence rubric: state license (25), professional directory (20), verifiable transactions (20), years in business (20) and public reviews (15). A number is published only when at least two criteria have a source and at least one of those sources is independent of the firm. With exactly two sourced criteria the score is capped at 9.0; a 10.0 needs at least three. Self-reported career totals and review claims we have not read are not inputs.

Last verified 2026-10-26. Figures were re-read from the linked sources that day.

View changelog
  • Boutique score recomputed. Public reviews follow the star rating and the review count. A published 10.0 needs at least three sourced criteria, and exactly two sourced criteria cap the score at 9.0. Published score 9.0 / 10, Evidence: Strong. No new source was read.
  • Named transactions from The Real Deal and Connect CRE were added. Boutique score 10.0 / 10, Evidence: Strong, from those reports and the 1988 NC Secretary of State formation date. Glassdoor’s 4.1 from 24 employee reviews is cited and not scored. CREDA Charlotte awards to individual employees are cited and not scored as a directory. The NCREC pages still do not display a firm license number or a status.
  • Profile published from the sources cited below.