Commercial Real Estate Brokers – Look for the Local Property Changes to Find Better Listings

The best way to find new commercial real estate listing opportunities is to look for properties and businesses going through change.  

Small changes observed will lead to fresh strategies and opportunities for real estate agents and brokers.

Any town or city is likely to have factors changing that are lead generators in the property market.  An astute eye for change and a real estate questioning process will help you connect with the right people needing help with leases, sales, and property management.

Every year, there are plenty of things happening in a town or city about commercial property changes.  When you drive the streets, you can see things worth exploring; the same can be said of a local newspaper or business magazine review.  

Business pressures, expansions, and changes are all happening.  When you drill down into a property location in great detail, you can see things worth following up on.

Look for Property Changes

A small change within a property or precinct can be the signal for something new, perhaps a new listing or a new lead.  The trick is to see the opportunity through the maze of changes.

Here are some typical changes that can open up something of a commercial property opportunity:

• An empty property – Unless a property owner has a lot of spare money and a diverse portfolio of mixed-use buildings, a vacancy in any property can drain property performance over time.  It doesn’t take too long for the outgoings of a property to drain the cash.  Lack of rent or poor rental levels can be a real worry for some property owners, especially if they have not diversified across several property assets.
• A change in the road and freeway functions – When a road or highway change happens, it can impact a location and the function of local businesses.   Stay ahead of road upgrades and changes so you can talk to all property owners in an affected precinct.
• A new planning approval – A new property approved for construction will soon be seen as a ‘magnet’ for new tenants and current tenants to move.  That then impacts rentals, incentives, and the future supply of space.
• New properties recently constructed – Any new property will typically offer plenty of attraction to business owners looking to upgrade away from other poor locations or difficult landlords.  Lease incentives are a big reason to move to another property at lease end.
• An expanding business – Some successful businesses are prime candidates for relocating or purchasing local properties.   Look for the successful business segments in your city and then identify the actual businesses by name.  From that point onwards, they become a prospecting target with the appropriate strategies to support that.
• Sale and leaseback opportunities – Some businesses want to release cash from property ownership.  The sale and leaseback process is very effective in doing that.  The lease quality taken as part of the sale will give the new property owner plenty of investment opportunities.
• A change of corporate structure – When a local business is moving through a takeover, merger, or change of CEO  it is likely to be subjected to asset reassessment and or business location review.  Watch the newspaper headlines for just those events.  Find out who the business leader or decision maker is and then make the direct approach.

So all of these things can be triggers or levers of change in commercial real estate and local property.  As the local real estate broker, use these changes to find new business leads and clients to serve.  Ask plenty of questions.  You will find the people and the listings you are looking for.