Commercial real estate services

Each service, in more detail

The short descriptions above tell you what each service is. Below is what the work looks like day to day, what we hand you at the end, and when a client usually needs it.

Tenant representation

We start with a requirement memo: size, layout, parking, power, loading, signage, hours, budget and move date. Then we survey every space that could fit, including sublets and spaces that are not formally marketed yet. Tours are followed by a side-by-side comparison that shows total occupancy cost over the term as well as the asking rent. We run competing proposals, negotiate the LOI, and work with your attorney on the lease. Because we understand construction, we test the improvement allowance against what the build-out will really cost. Full detail on the tenant representation page.

Investment sales

For sellers, the work begins with a clean data room: leases, rent roll, operating statements, permits, surveys and recent capital work. We underwrite the asset the way a buyer will, set pricing we can defend, and run a marketing process sized to the property. For buyers, we source on and off market, underwrite candidates and help negotiate contracts and diligence periods. See investment sales.

Development sites and land

Land deals turn on zoning, utilities, access, environmental condition and what it costs to build. We review the zoning that applies, flag overlays and approvals, check water and sewer availability, and build a rough yield and cost model before a client commits. On assemblages we handle the quiet outreach to neighboring owners. See development sites.

Owner’s representation

An owner building or renovating needs someone who works only for them while the architect, engineers and contractor each have their own interests. We help hire the team, review contracts, compare bids line by line, track the budget and push back on change orders that do not hold up. See owner’s representation.

Project management

Where owner’s rep is oversight, project management is running the job day to day: schedules, meetings, submittals, permit follow-up, inspections and closeout through certificate of occupancy. Tenants doing a build-out and owners repositioning a building use this most. See project management.

Consulting and advisory

Some clients do not need a transaction yet. They need a clear answer: hold or sell, renovate or rebuild, renew or relocate. We produce written analysis with assumptions shown, so the decision can be checked by a lender, partner or CPA. See consulting and advisory.

Landlord representation and leasing

For owners with vacancy, we set a leasing strategy, decide how much to spend on the space before marketing it, prepare materials, reach tenant brokers and occupiers directly, and screen prospects for credit and fit. See landlord representation.

1031 exchange advisory

Exchange buyers need replacement property identified within 45 days and closed within 180 days of selling the relinquished property. We start the search before the sale closes when possible, and we coordinate with the client’s qualified intermediary and tax advisor, who handle the exchange itself. See 1031 exchange advisory.

Which service fits your situation

Clients often call asking for one thing and need another. A tenant asking for a broker may really need help deciding whether to renew. An owner asking for a listing may get more by leasing up first. This table is a starting point.

If you are unsure, describe the problem on the first call. We will tell you which service fits, and sometimes the answer is that you do not need a broker yet.

How services connect over a property’s life

A commercial property passes through stages, and each stage calls on a different service. Thinking about the whole arc early saves money, because decisions made at purchase shape every later stage.

1. Find or assess the site. Development site review or buy-side investment sales. Zoning, utilities and condition get checked here.
2. Acquire. Contract negotiation and diligence. If a 1031 exchange is involved, the calendar is set by the exchange deadlines.
3. Design and build. Owner’s representation through design and bidding, then project management through construction and certificate of occupancy.
4. Lease up. Landlord representation and leasing, with marketing that starts before construction ends.
5. Operate and review. Periodic advisory work: lease audits, renewal strategy, capital planning, hold or sell analysis.
6. Sell or exchange. Investment sales, and possibly a new exchange cycle into the next property.

Most clients hire us for one or two stages. Having a single firm that understands all of them means the person negotiating the purchase knows what the build will cost, and the person running the build knows what the leasing market wants.

How each engagement is set up and paid

Every engagement starts with a written agreement that states the scope, the term, who we represent and how we are paid. Typical structures are below. Actual terms are negotiated case by case.

If an advisory engagement leads to a transaction, we discuss in advance whether any fee gets credited. No surprises at closing.

How the same service changes between Florida and New York

Our services carry the same names in both states, but the work inside them shifts. A few examples:

• Tenant representation. Florida retail and flex leases often run triple net with the tenant paying a share of taxes, insurance and maintenance, and insurance has become a meaningful part of that number. Manhattan office leases more often use a base year with escalations, and the work letter that governs the build-out deserves close reading.
• Development sites. In Florida we deal with many separate city and county codes, plus state programs such as the Live Local Act that can open commercial and industrial land to certain residential uses. In New York City there is one Zoning Resolution, recent citywide changes under City of Yes, and neighborhood rezonings such as Gowanus. Each needs an architect or land use attorney to confirm what applies.
• Project management. Florida work is shaped by the Florida Building Code, wind and flood requirements and local permit offices. New York work runs through the Department of Buildings, with licensed filing representatives, special inspections and landlord approvals in multi-tenant buildings.
• Investment sales. Transfer taxes, closing customs and who typically pays which costs differ. Your attorney and title company confirm the specifics for each deal.

Mistakes we see clients make before they call

Most of these are easy to avoid once you know about them. They show up across every market we cover.

• Calling the listing broker as a tenant or buyer. The listing broker works for the owner. Their job is the best deal for the landlord or seller, and that is fair, but it means you need your own representation.
• Signing an LOI without pricing the build-out. The LOI sets the allowance, the free rent and the delivery condition. Once it is signed, those points are hard to reopen.
• Starting a renewal conversation too late. A tenant with three months left has little leverage. A tenant with eighteen months left can credibly look elsewhere.
• Buying land on the zoning map alone. The map does not show sewer capacity, wetlands, easements, access permits or what the building department will actually require.
• Hiring the lowest bid without leveling it. Bids often leave out different things. Low numbers sometimes come back as change orders.
• Waiting until closing to start a 1031 search. The 45-day identification window goes fast. Starting the search early gives you real options.

Hypothetical: three services on one project

This is a hypothetical example, not a real client. A restaurant group wants a second location in South Florida. We would start with tenant representation, focused on spaces with existing kitchen infrastructure, grease trap capacity, adequate electrical service and venting routes, because those items decide build-out cost. In the lease, we would push for an allowance sized to a real construction estimate and a rent start tied to permit and certificate of occupancy rather than a fixed date.

After signing, owner’s representation would cover hiring the architect and kitchen designer and bidding the contractors. Then project management would run the build through inspections and opening. One team sees the whole thing, so the lease protects the schedule and the schedule matches the lease.

What to have ready for each kind of engagement

Do not wait until everything is gathered. A first call works with whatever you have, and we will tell you what is missing. The contact page has more on intake.

A short glossary of terms used on our service pages

• TI allowance: money a landlord contributes toward a tenant’s build-out.
• NNN (triple net): a lease where the tenant pays its share of taxes, insurance and common area maintenance on top of base rent.
• LOI: letter of intent, a non-binding outline of key terms before a lease or contract is drafted.
• Highest and best use: the legally permitted, physically possible and financially feasible use that produces the most value for a site.
• Assemblage: combining adjacent parcels into one larger site, usually for development.
• Qualified intermediary: the independent party who holds sale proceeds during a 1031 exchange.
• Certificate of occupancy: the document from the building department allowing a space or building to be occupied for its intended use.

Where each service gets the most demand

Every service is available in all five markets, but demand is not spread evenly. This is how the work tends to cluster, based on what each market’s building stock and economy produce.

Southwest Florida leans toward land, development sites and owner-user purchases. Contractors, medical users and service businesses often want to own their buildings, and many land buyers need help with lot-level questions such as utilities, fill and flood elevation. See Southwest Florida development sites and tenant representation in Southwest Florida.

Miami generates a lot of office and retail tenant work, with many companies relocating or expanding from other states and countries. Tenants here benefit from someone who compares buildings on total cost and lease flexibility. See Miami tenant representation.

Fort Lauderdale sees steady demand for small-bay industrial, flex and service retail, along with investment sales of smaller multifamily and mixed-use buildings. See Fort Lauderdale investment sales.

Manhattan is mostly office tenant work and advisory: renewals, relocations, subleases and build-out oversight in older buildings where landlord approvals and DOB filings add time. See Manhattan tenant representation and Manhattan project management.

Brooklyn is where development, small multifamily and mixed-use sales meet. Owners of older buildings often want to know whether to sell, renovate or build, which is exactly where brokerage and construction knowledge overlap. See Brooklyn investment sales and Brooklyn development sites.

What you receive at the end of an engagement

Every assignment ends with something in writing that you keep. For leases and purchases, that is a closing summary listing the key economic terms, critical dates such as renewal notices and option deadlines, and open items to watch. For construction work, it is a closeout package with permits, inspection sign-offs, warranties and the certificate of occupancy or equivalent. For advisory work, it is the report itself, with the assumptions shown so a lender, partner or CPA can test them.

We keep these short and practical. A lease abstract that tells you when your renewal notice is due is worth more than a binder nobody opens. If you later need help with the next stage of the property, the record is already there.