Investors: Questions to Ask Your Potential Commercial Real Estate Broker

Commercial real estate (CRE) investment can yield you high returns with less risk than residential investments, but there’s a lot to know and do with CRE investing, so it’s good to work with a CRE broker who knows the ins and outs of the local market you’re interested in investing. Commercial real estate investments include office buildings, retail stores, strip malls, multi-family, mixed-use, restaurants and other real estate in which people conduct business.

As a Louisville commercial real estate brokerage who provides real estate development and consulting services across all market segments, our team at HOWE Commercial Real Estate knows a lot about CRE investing and we want you to be successful in your investments. You need to work with an expert broker to help you make the smartest investment based on your specific goals.

For this article, we wanted to share some questions you should ask when interviewing/meeting with potential CRE brokers.

1. What cities, neighborhoods and locations are you familiar with? You want a broker with an in-depth knowledge of the place you plan to invest in.

2. Where do you see the CRE market going? You want to know if the market is moving up or down soon. They should have a knowledge about the current state of the market.

3. What is your experience as a broker? Ask about past clients, industries served, past completed deals, work experience. You want a broker active consistently in the market.

4. What are some of your success stories with past CRE investors? Ask them to share specific examples of hurdles they’ve helped clients overcome.

5. Do you specialize in a specific type of CRE? You should work with a broker who has a specialty in the type of CRE you want to invest in whether that’s retail or industrial, etc.

6. Have you negotiated a tenant improvement allowance and worked through a build out? If you expect this to be in your lease agreement, you want a broker who has experience with tenant improvement allowances. They can make the process more streamlined and easier for you with their expertise.

7. Have you ever worked with a company like mine before? You want someone who can take from a similar past experience to provide insight into your goals and needs.

8. What will your broker services cost?

9. What other projects/deals are you currently working on? You want to know how much time they can focus on you.

10. Can you give me references? It’s great if you can talk to people and get real feedback from people who have worked with this potential broker.

Looking for a Commercial Real Estate Investment Broker in Louisville?

As CRE brokers, our team at HOWE Louisville is looking out for your best interests. Our highly experienced team of brokers offer comprehensive support from the first step to the last. We cover the full spectrum of commercial-related investment services. We ensure that each investor can make their capital work harder. We look forward to meeting with you and answering any and all questions you have about us and our services. We want to help you reach your financial goals with any CRE investment.

Let our team of professionals at HOWE Louisville help you get started on looking for a commercial property to invest in. We work with buyers, sellers, lessors and lessees across all property types in and around Louisville. To contact us, send us an email or call 502-890-4475.

Check out our Louisville commercial real estate listings.