What could make a Broker better?

To all the people in REPE, what are some stories of Brokers you worked with that did a great job in a transaction for you? outside of sourcing deals and providing market data, what other value would you want them to offer that would help make your job easier?

I always hear about dummy brokers, but would love to hear about the good ones you’ve worked with.

10 Comments
 

In development, but the best brokers run a tight process, have institutional knowledge of who will actually close on the number they offer at and not try to bullshit you down through the transaction or delay endlessly, and act more like transaction advisors than used car salesmen. They are able to effectively express your vision for the project, get decision makers to pick up the phone and put your deal at the top of their stack, and are respected by both sides of the transaction as a result. 

Clowns, in contrast, tell on themselves by saying little things that show they don't truly understand real estate, are always trying to sell you on something, leave you with bad options because they don't have the stroke to get enough buyers to pay attention, and cause fire drills by not managing expectations and properly massaging both sides of the transaction. 

A lot of us think brokers are complete goobers, and rightfully so, until you find that good absolute stud who goes so above and beyond on your sale process that it takes the project from a double to an inside the park home run. Unsurprisingly, those brokers are doing quite well for themselves. They are salesmen by choice, because it fits their personality and they are damn good at it, not because they couldn't make it anywhere else. 

Commercial Real Estate Developer
 

Look I’m not a broker, but I understand people well, and I know how to sell. I didn’t read that essay you wrote. Stop thinking and start talking. People think getting people to buy things or become a customer means having some methodic way of securing business, this is completely wrong. It needs to almost happen naturally, “hey man I like your shoes” “thanks dude! I got them at xyz store I really like them because abc.” “I have the same pair man! Love them because of that too! What do you do??” And the rest is history. I’ve met several extremely successful people that I continue to talk to and learn from to this day by doing things like this. You’ll probably fail a lot but all you need is a few winners. Just let it flow man!

 
Most Helpful

This isn’t really helpful advice for the new guys but success breeds success and it helps to stick to a niche. If I’m looking to lease up a 100k+ SF warehouse in the Meadowlands, I’m going to interview the top industrial leasing teams in the Meadowlands. If I’m looking to sell a 9 figure building in NYC, I’m interviewing the top capital markets/investment sales teams in NYC. If I’m looking to sell a $10mm CVS in the Bronx, I might give the outer borough NNN investment sales guy at Marcus & Millichap a shot. From my point of view as an owner, it’s all about choosing the right tool for the job. I want to see that you have sold or leased a lot of deals like the one I intend to go to market with. I don’t want to give a big assignment to a guy who mostly does middle market deals and I don’t want to give a small assignment to a guy who is an absolute rainmaker because it will fall towards the bottom of his to do list. 

Also, the less buzz words and cheap sales tricks you try to use on me the better.

 

Voluptatem in unde adipisci tempore. Nobis qui assumenda est nam. Ut qui quia dignissimos et qui et. Iusto maiores eum odio non dolor. Et molestiae maiores aut rerum magni unde vel. Molestiae dolores ipsum rerum velit modi consequatur in.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (66) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”