Commercial Real Estate Florida & New York City

Who usually calls us, and what they need first

Most first calls fall into four groups. Each one needs something different in the first two weeks, so we sort the requirement early instead of running every client through the same script.

Plenty of clients sit in two groups at once. A business owner who buys the building it occupies is both an occupier and an investor. A landlord adding a floor is both an owner and a developer. We set the engagement up around the real goal, which is usually written down in our first summary email so nobody forgets it three months in.

Florida and New York run on different rules

We work in two states that do almost everything differently. A client moving capital or operations between them should expect the process to change, and we explain those differences before they cost anyone money.

Rules change, and the details above are general. We flag the issue, then send clients to the right attorney, CPA, engineer or expediter for the binding answer. Our job is to make sure the question gets asked before the deposit goes hard.

What a contractor’s eye catches in diligence

Sal DiBenedetto holds a Florida Certified General Contractor license and a Florida plumbing contractor license, and has worked on construction and development in Southwest Florida and in Brooklyn, including Gowanus. That background shows up most during due diligence, when the paperwork says one thing and the building says another.

• Unpermitted work. Enclosed porches, converted garages, added bathrooms and moved walls that never had a permit. We compare what is on site with the permit history, because a buyer inherits those problems.
• Plumbing and sewer. Old cast iron, undersized lines for a restaurant or medical user, septic in areas where a tenant needs sewer, and grease trap requirements that a lease never mentioned.
• Electrical capacity. A warehouse or kitchen tenant can need far more service than the building has. Upgrading service involves the utility and can take a long time, so we check it before the LOI.
• Roof, envelope and windows. In Florida that means age, wind rating and how the insurer will view it. In New York it often means facade condition and parapets.
• Flood and elevation. In coastal Florida and in parts of Brooklyn, the flood zone and the building’s elevation can drive both insurance and what a renovation must include.
• Accessibility and life safety. A change of use can trigger sprinklers, fire alarm, ADA restrooms and egress upgrades that turn a simple lease into a real construction project.

None of this replaces a licensed inspector, engineer or environmental consultant. It means our clients walk into those reports already knowing what to look for, and they negotiate with real numbers.

One firm across five markets

Southwest Florida. Lee, Collier and Charlotte Counties are home turf. Demand comes from population growth, retirees, healthcare, trades and service businesses. Land is a big part of the work here, from lots in Cape Coral to commercial corridors in Fort Myers and higher-end retail and office in Naples. See the Southwest Florida hub.

Miami. Miami-Dade is an international, finance-heavy office and retail market. Brickell anchors the office side, while Wynwood and the Design District lean toward creative office, retail and restaurants. See Miami.

Fort Lauderdale. Broward combines a growing downtown, the Las Olas retail corridor, and industrial and logistics demand near the port and airport. See Fort Lauderdale.

Manhattan. The deepest office market in the country, with very different submarkets block to block. Tenants here need someone who reads a lease line by line. See Manhattan.

Brooklyn. Sal is a Brooklyn native, and Brooklyn is where development and small multifamily work meet. The 2021 Gowanus rezoning reshaped that neighborhood, and areas like Gowanus and Red Hook still mix industrial, residential and creative uses. See Brooklyn.

How we get paid, in plain terms

Commercial brokerage fees are negotiable and vary by deal type, so we put ours in writing before work starts. A few general patterns help clients understand what to expect.

• Leases. In most tenant deals the landlord pays the leasing commission, usually split between the landlord’s broker and the tenant’s broker. The tenant signs a representation agreement with us, and we disclose how we are compensated.
• Sales. On dispositions the seller typically pays a commission at closing. On buy-side searches, compensation may come from the seller or be agreed with the buyer, and we spell that out early.
• Advisory, owner’s rep and project management. These are usually paid as a flat fee, a monthly retainer or a percentage of project cost, depending on scope. We quote the work after we understand it.

What we will not do is take money from both sides of a deal without telling you, or steer a tenant toward a space because the fee is better. If a conflict ever comes up, we disclose it and let you decide.

A few hypothetical examples of how the pieces fit

The examples below are hypothetical. They are not real clients or transactions. They show how brokerage and construction knowledge combine on a typical assignment.

Hypothetical: a dental practice relocating in Lee County

A practice wants to move from a strip center into a freestanding building near a busy Fort Myers corridor. Before touring, we would check plumbing rough-in locations, parking counts against the code for medical use, and whether the building sits in a flood zone that affects insurance. When the right building turns up, the lease negotiation would focus on the improvement allowance, the landlord’s responsibility for the roof and HVAC, and a realistic start date for rent tied to permit approval.

Hypothetical: a Brooklyn owner weighing sell or build

An owner holds an older two-story building with a storefront in a neighborhood that allows more floor area than the building uses. We would compare three paths: sell as is, sell with an architect’s zoning study in hand, or develop. Each path gets a rough construction budget and a timeline, so the owner chooses based on numbers instead of guesses. See Brooklyn development sites.

Hypothetical: a 1031 buyer moving from Manhattan to Florida

An investor selling a Manhattan mixed-use building wants simpler management and lower operating costs. Because we are licensed in both states, the sale and the replacement search run on one calendar. The Florida side would focus on insurance, roof age and tenant credit, which often drive the real return more than the listed cap rate. The client’s qualified intermediary and CPA handle the exchange mechanics.

How we report while a deal is moving

Clients should never have to chase their broker for an update. On active assignments we send a written status at a set rhythm that suits the deal, usually weekly during a search and more often during negotiation or diligence.

1. Pipeline. Every property or prospect in play, where it stands, and what we are waiting on.
2. Market notes. Anything we learned that changes the picture: a competing tenant, a price reduction, a landlord who is suddenly flexible.
3. Open issues. Diligence items, approvals and deadlines, with the person responsible for each.
4. Recommendation. What we think you should do next and why, in a sentence or two.

Big decisions get a phone call. That includes counteroffers, inspection surprises and anything that moves a deadline.

Where to go next on this site

The site is built to be useful even if you never call. Each market has a hub page, and each hub links to neighborhood pages with notes on zoning, building stock, access and who tends to lease or buy there. Service pages explain how each engagement works step by step.

A good starting route: read the services overview to find the right type of help, then open the markets page and drill into the neighborhoods you are considering. When you are ready to talk specifics, the contact page lists what to have on hand so the first call is productive. You can also read more about our background and approach on the about page.

Or skip all of that and call or text 239-256-5005. You will reach the principal broker.

Why one broker for brokerage and construction questions

On a typical commercial deal, the broker finishes at signing and a separate team picks up the build-out. The handoff is where money leaks. The allowance negotiated in the lease turns out to be too small, the schedule assumed a permit that takes months longer, or the space needs a grease trap nobody priced.

We try to close that gap. The same person who negotiates the lease or contract has priced and built this kind of work, so the deal terms reflect what the project will actually take. If you want us to stay on through construction, our project management service picks up where the transaction ends. If you already have a builder, we can sit on your side of the table as owner’s representative.

It also works in reverse. When a seller asks what a building is worth, part of the answer is what a buyer will have to spend on it. Pricing that honestly at listing tends to produce fewer retrades in diligence and cleaner closings.