The Lied Center for Real Estate (formerly Lied Institute for Real Estate Studies) was established in 1989 by the Lee Business School at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to foster excellence in real estate education and research. The center was endowed in 1991 through a generous gift and a challenge grant from the Ernest F. Lied Foundation Trust.

In recent years, Southern Nevada has had the hottest and the hardest-hit residential and commercial real estate markets, creating a natural experiment for the study of business/economic practices and public-policy issues. The Lied Center for Real Estate, in effective partnership with business and community leaders, strives to improve real estate business and effective public-policy practices in Southern Nevada.