“Moving On Up” In a Down Market

Sure it’s easier to be a listing agent during a seller’s market, but the true test of a real estate professional is making it rain when the market is dry. In late 2008, a printing shop owner was listing a 13,000 sq. ft. commercial property. He had used a big national firm, but they couldn’t get the job done. City Closers Commercial was brought in as a creative, dedicated and agile firm. As this was the height of the recession, there were no clients searching for that much space in the neighborhood. With an optimistic sense that we were merely experiencing a “market correction”, I primed my client to maximize this opportunity. We subdivided the structure into 6 to 10 potential spaces to provide smaller commitment loads, and thus, opening the door to a wider market of potential buyers. Recreational cannabis was not legal at the time, but medicinal dispensaries still served an important need in the community. Knowing the concerns and restrictions such operations bring, I counseled my client when such a business expressed interest. By the time I sold the building, an auto repair shop, church, veterinary clinic and the dispensary coexisted in harmony while my client retired in style.