Why women make great commercial real estate brokers | RENX

Commercial real estate, like some other sectors of the economy, has been dominated by men in the past, but that statistic is changing, and for good reasons.

When you thought of a commercial real estate brokerage 30 years ago, a certain image probably crossed your mind. A group of middle-aged men from the suburbs. Now, most brokerage firms are likely to be more diverse, with young and old, men and women.

For good reason and at SVN Rock Advisors, we speak from experience.

Brokerage is an attractive career path. Even if you are not an entrepreneur, you are in control of your destiny to some extent.

There is potential for extraordinary revenue.

Many advantages for mediation

It’s an exciting, big-profit business, and each transaction has its own unique challenges and problems that need to be resolved. You work in a team, but you have a certain amount of autonomy.

Our brokerage team has been a mix of men and women since its inception and we have found that this has worked to our advantage. With a diverse team of brokers, we can approach transactions from different angles and offer our customers a higher level of service.

The past 16 months have taught employers the need for flexibility and adjustment, but these criteria have always been a consideration for parents and especially mothers.

I have three daughters, all of whom are well educated and ambitious (they have eight degrees together) but are also committed to their roles as mothers.

Everyone has chosen a career path that allows them to pursue their professional and personal goals at the same time (one is a doctor, one professor and another is a lawyer who works with me in the industry).

This is an important topic for me and I always look forward to helping women thrive in their careers without sacrificing any aspect of their private life. Unlike some career paths, especially in the business world where you’re on a partner market and can’t just walk away for long periods of time, brokerage allows you to come and go as your family life requires, and we have had many employees over the years Weg supports you in this.

As you go through your life and career. . .

There is no denying that commercial real estate brokerage requires availability. Brokers need to be able to respond to customer inquiries and problems quickly. It’s part of the value proposition to our customers, and this time around, engagement can deter women from taking that path.

Many women may choose flexible careers over higher incomes while their children are younger, but as their children get older they are ready to take on a full-time job. Sometimes women are forced into entry-level positions due to their regular absence from the industry.

Our suggestion would be to consider brokerage early in your career. Then you may need to step back from that or move into a less time sensitive role while your children are small.

When it comes time to return to work full-time, you will have excellent training and experience to return to a high-level full-time position rather than an entry-level position.

There is more to this idea than just flexibility.

Stronger customer relationships

It is common knowledge that women tend to be better communicators with greater empathy. In general, they value collaboration more than men, and these qualities all lead to stronger customer relationships and an easier way to build trust.

Women also tend to be good negotiators because they are able to see a win-win situation for all parties.

It is clear that the benefits of commercial real estate brokerage for women are there and can be harnessed, and the good news is that the number of women in commercial real estate continues to grow.

CREW Network is a community dedicated to promoting women in the commercial real estate industry. The global network has 12,000 members.

We found that some of our most successful brokers have been women. Some of them started out in more flexible support roles when their children were little and then switched to full-time brokerage as their schedules allowed.

We value family commitments and strive to create a work agreement with our employees that is beneficial from both a personal and professional point of view, be it through adjusted working hours, home work or the transition to less customer-oriented roles if necessary.