David C. Ling

David Ling is the Ken and Linda McGurn Professor of Real Estate and Director of the Master of Science in Real Estate (MSRE) program in the Department of Finance at the University of Florida. He teaches courses in real estate finance and investment at the graduate level as well as the undergraduate real estate principles course.

Professor Ling’s publications include articles on real estate investment trusts, private commercial real estate investments including closed-end funds, performance evaluation, Section 1031 exchanges, and commercial mortgage markets and pricing. His research has been published in leading field journals in finance and economics, as well as the leading real estate focused journals. Professor Ling’s research has been supported by research grants from various professional organizations, including Nareit, the National Association of Realtors Research Division, the Fannie Mae Foundation, the National Association of Home Builders, the Real Estate Research Institute, and the International Council of Shopping Centers. His textbook (co-authored with Wayne Archer and Ben Scheick) titled Real Estate Principles: A Value Approach (2026 Release-8^th ed.) is the most widely used principles of real estate textbook at universities that offer at least a four-year undergraduate degree.

Professor Ling served as the President of the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association in 2000 and was co-editor of the Associations’ journal, Real Estate Economics, from 2000-2006. In 2010, he was awarded the David Ricardo Medal by the American Real Estate Society. This is ARES’ highest honor “in recognition of research productivity and influence over a twenty-year period.” In 2011, Professor Ling was the recipient of the George Bloom Award. This award is presented annually by the Directors of the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association for “outstanding contributions to the field of real estate academics.” In 2024, he was the recipient of the James A. Grasskamp Award, presented by the American Real Estate Society “in recognition of contributions to academic and professional real estate…”

Professor Ling is both a Fellow and faculty member, and served as Dean (2007-2016), of the Homer Hoyt Institute, a non-profit research and educational institute whose mission includes connecting industry and academic researchers. In recent years, he has also had part-time appointments in The Department of Land Economy at the University of Cambridge, the University of Reading, the Swedish School of Economics, and the National University of Singapore.

Professor Ling holds a MBA in finance and Ph.D. in real estate and economics from the Ohio State University.