Choosing a Commercial Real Estate Company

A commercial real estate broker can be a huge help in finding the office space that is exactly right for your business. However, you can’t simply pick the first one you see in the Yellow Pages or on a search engine. It will take a little digging – and asking the right questions – in order for you to be 100 percent confident you’ve made the right choice.

Ask Around
Before you select a Ambergris Caye Real Estate broker, you’ll want to get recommendations from people you trust. However, you’ll need to ask them why they’re making that recommendation. For instance, find out what kind of reputation the broker has for honesty and integrity, how accessible he or she is, and how much experience he or she has. Don’t be afraid to find out weaknesses as well. No matter how glowing a report you may get, there were surely bumps in the road along the way. Find out what the problems were and decide whether or not they would be issues you could overcome.

Then, ask the person making the recommendation whether or not they would choose that broker again. While it may seem that the obvious answer would be “yes,” you could actually glean a great deal of information. For example, the people recommending a certain broker may expand upon why they would do business with that company again and provide added details that you’ll find useful.

What to Ask the Brokers You’re Considering
Once you’ve taken those recommendations to heart and narrowed your list to two or three real estate brokers, it’s time to ask even more questions. For example, ask about what type of experience the broker has with companies such as yours. This will be a great time to spell out your exact preferences. The broker may even provide information you didn’t previously consider that could be a huge help in finding a space that fits your company’s needs exactly.

Find out how many customers each broker has. If it is an extremely large operation and you have smaller property space needs, there could be a chance that you’d get lost in the shuffle, or be assigned to someone who doesn’t have the experience you want. You’ll also want information on how the broker is compensated, whether by salary only, commission plus salary, or commission only. If a broker is paid on commission, he or she may be under a great deal of pressure to try and fit you in a space that may not be what you’re looking for. Brokers who are at least paid partially through salary, however, may not be as likely to use the “hard sell” approach.