Sarah Cafaro spearheads retail investment sales out of the New York office of Avison Young. Sarah has over 15 years of experience in real estate and capital markets, specializing in the acquisition and disposition of shopping centers, single-tenant net lease properties, mall product, retail condos, and mixed-use assets.

In her role Sarah advises developers, family offices, and investors in ground-up development, M&A portfolio sales, asset repositioning/redevelopment, and 1031 Tax Deferred Exchanges. Sarah’s role also includes working with special servicers on distressed asset sales given her experience in loan sales advisory. Sarah’s previous work with tenants and users on site selection, regional footprint expansion, and development partnerships has allowed her to guide investor clients in lease negotiations and tenant partnerships. Sarah leverages her multidisciplinary background to deliver a holistic and strategically informed approach to forecasting and enhancing the value of her clients’ real estate portfolios.

Sarah specializes in complex national portfolio transactions for institutional-level clients that require coordination across AY's service lines. She leads her team in leveraging AY’s unified retail platform that includes capital markets, leasing, project management, property management, and data analytics to provide clients with an enhanced and comprehensive suite of services.

Sarah has been recognized as a Globestreet Woman of Influence in 2025. She co-chairs the NYC Leadership Team of The Pipeline, a national organization that provides support and networking opportunities for women who work in retail real estate. Sarah is a member of AY NY’s Women’s Network, which promotes women’s careers at her firm and collaborates with women's groups at leading New York-based commercial real estate investors and non-profits. She has also been an active member of CREFC, ICSC, and REBNY.

Credentials

Education

Sarah holds a Master of Business Administration from The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and she holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University.