Land is taking center stage in Ascension Parish’s commercial real estate market, generating nearly five times the sales dollars recorded at this point last year—even with fewer deals—as retail gains momentum and industrial investment slows.
Those gains in land and retail helped push the parish’s commercial sales to $185 million through September, ahead of the $149 million recorded during the same period in 2025. A total of 85 deals closed during the first nine months of the year, up from 71 a year earlier.
The market recorded $248.7 million in sales over the trailing 12 months ending in September, a slight increase from the previous month, according to Elifin’s latest market report. Deal activity increased 4.65%.
The report tracked four of the parish’s five major commercial property sectors. No multifamily transactions were recorded during the quarter.
Here’s how the four sectors performed:
Retail
Retail posted the largest gain in sales volume, with its trailing 12-month total reaching $72 million through September, up nearly 20%. Deal activity increased 23.3%, while the average price per square foot fell 5.32% to $242.75.
Year-to-date retail sales reached $48 million, more than triple the $13 million recorded through the first nine months of 2025.
Industrial
Industrial activity cooled during the third quarter after helping support the broader commercial market earlier this year.
The sector’s trailing 12-month sales volume fell 13.5% to $39.9 million at the end of September, while deal activity declined 11.1%. The average price per square foot slipped 1.4% to $149.40.
Through September, industrial sales totaled $13 million across 13 transactions, compared with $60 million across 11 deals during the same period last year. That means more properties changed hands, but for substantially fewer dollars.
The slowdown in investment comes despite continued demand for industrial space in Ascension Parish.
Office
The office sector showed improvement during the quarter, although year-to-date activity remained behind last year’s pace.
Trailing 12-month sales volume increased 17.7% to $5.6 million at the end of September, while deal activity remained unchanged. The average price per square foot increased nearly 5.5% to $136.28.
Through September, the parish recorded roughly $3 million in office sales across eight transactions, compared with about $7 million across 10 deals during the same period last year.
Land
Land accounted for the largest share of Ascension’s commercial sales volume, with year-to-date sales reaching $113 million across 28 transactions. That compares with $24 million across 37 deals through September 2025.
The increase put land’s share at roughly 61% of the parish’s $185 million in commercial sales through the first nine months of the year, even as fewer land transactions closed.
Trailing 12-month land sales totaled $123.9 million at the end of September, up 1.1% from August. The transaction count held steady at 49, while the average price per square foot declined 6.26% to $4.77.
