Commercial real estate appraiser looking to move into brokerage. Small or large firm?
Hello all,

I appreciate any insight to my questions! I have been a commercial real estate appraiser for the past 8 years and I am looking to move into brokerage. I am wondering what everyone has to say about starting out in the larger firms (JLL, CBRE, Colliers, etc.) or a smaller boutique firm? There are a few job openings in my area from these larger companies. There is also a somewhat small boutique firm, compared to these large companies, that has been around for 30 years with multiple agents/staff. Their focus is in the area where I live which is a suburb of a metro city that makes me strongly consider this company but I’m unsure if the training at larger companies is worth it? Do the larger companies get more opportunities?

Thanks again!
[{"id": "hivgqqz", "text": "Are you planning to make the move to an analyst, appraisal, or producer role? Especially if you are moving to an investment sale or leasing broker;  which firms have the greatest amount of deals that are similar in size ($), type, and client to what you have been appraising?", "replies": [{"id": "hiwmek6", "text": "Very good point. I have my sales license and I was planning to be an agent specializing in industrial properties because my appraisal niche has been owner/user and investment industrial properties less than 200k sf", "replies": [{"id": "hj01hgc", "text": "IMO you answered your own question. Use your comps database for in-market sales over the last few years. Do the same for current listings. Chances are both have a brokerage team or two dominating the transactions and listings - there is your ideal start.", "replies": [{"id": "hj7gguz", "text": "That is an excellent idea. Would you consider $ amount as well or just number of sales/listing?", "replies": [{"id": "hj9wwsh", "text": "I'd first look at properties with average values similar to what you have been valuing. There is a big difference in teams that sell $1-5M, $5-25M, and $100M plus deals for a living. The exact ranges vary by market and there are always outlying deals above or below that, whats important is the type of owners and investors they have relationships with and the difference between the three broad types. Once you get the right general range (individual investor, mid-market, sub-institutional, institutional) then you can find the top brokers, teams they belong to, and ultimately firms.", "replies": [], "depth": 5}], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "hiw538v", "text": "Start at a big firm, use them for their recourses, build a base, in 5 years take a big bonus to move to another firm, retire.", "replies": [{"id": "hiwmiv4", "text": "That\u2019s a very solid plan to consider. Thank you!", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "hixf53f", "text": "I\u2019m not a broker so take it FWIW. Lots of past advice on here has been to evaluate your direct boss/mentor. That matters a lot to your early career than big name vs small name.", "replies": [{"id": "hj7eqse", "text": "Thank you that makes a lot of sense. I understand industrial real estate but I need to learn how to sell/cold call", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "hj5wql3", "text": "I'd second other comments, and suggest that you join a large, institutional firm if you can. I did the opposite when I started my career and would do it differently I I had to do it again.\n\nIt seems that you're looking at the top 3 firms in the U.S. Do you have your license or have helped negotiate deals before? This might be something to factor in as you narrow down the list of places where you'll apply.", "replies": [{"id": "hj7elf5", "text": "Thank you for the comment. I do already have my sales license in preparation for this. I have negotiated lease and sale deals for my rental property so not much experience there. I understand industrial real estate since I\u2019ve been appraising it for 8 years but my main concern is learning how to sell. This is where I see that having a mentor would be extremely beneficial", "replies": [{"id": "hj7ofd9", "text": "Mentorship is key here, I agree with you. I would have loved to help but I'm not qualified - no CRE experience at all. In my opinion, you'll quickly get a sense of your ability to sell. If you close deal, it's a go, if you close no deals, it's a no go. Sometimes you just have to take the leap!", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}]