Finding a new agent
First time posting and super newbie to commercial real estate.  I am planning to purchase a building for my own business, but am a little frustrated with my current agent.  He seems extremely inexperienced in commercial real estate and has no insight whatsoever.  He also isn’t giving us much confidence in our offer.  We put in an all cash offer on a building (owner-user), and the seller countered with a number that wasn't much lower than list.  We plan to submit another offer again, but if this deal falls through, I'm thinking of going with someone else.  Where should I begin my search for a new agent?  Do I contact a big firm like CBRE?  Any benefits to going with these big firms as opposed to smaller ones?  
[{"id": "eauxavx", "text": "If you want an agent with experience, start by reading their bios. Look for things like how long they've been in the business, CCIM designation, MBA/real estate degrees, they'll often also list notable accomplishments - deal volume by some metric, notable clients, etc. And you can also always ask for references.", "replies": [{"id": "eav4ddi", "text": "While these titles/designations may help, there are still many VERY successful CRE agents. I don't think this should be the only criteria for finding/choosing an agent. ", "replies": [{"id": "eav4nv1", "text": "I certainly didn't intend for that to come across as the only criteria or even  a requirement, just something that's helpful to look for.", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "eauzd13", "text": "Every market is different. You need to see which firms are the best in your area. What product type and major city is nearest to you?", "replies": [{"id": "eauzndw", "text": "I\u2019m looking for a retail space in the Los Angeles area.  Thank you!", "replies": [{"id": "eav70y8", "text": "It is a sellers market in So Cal, so pretty much expect to pay at asking unless it is a dog of a property. CBRE has a lot of signs, but depending on what you are trying to buy, they may not view you as worth their time. They would probably stick their junior guy with you, who may be just like what you have now. \n\nIf you feel your guy is not working, check Loopnet, and just start contacting listing brokers yourself. Now if you are looking to plop down 2 million or more for a building, well, different story than a 600K strip center. ", "replies": [{"id": "eav8k10", "text": "Thank you.  Budget is around 2 million.  Are there any other places to find available properties besides Loopnet?  My current agent has Costar access, but there isn\u2019t that much there, either.  I was wondering if going with CBRE or another big firm might give me more access to properties?", "replies": [{"id": "eava99e", "text": "Everyone is going to use Costar, that is just what those properties are listed on. If it was industrial, then you could use AIR. \n\nI would ask your agent for a comps pull for the area you are looking in, you want the whole multi-page costar one. That will have the listing brokers on the deal. If all the deals are done by the same guy, well, that is the guy you want to talk to. There are often off market listings, or pocket listings, where a guy knows a guy and it is not on the market, but those would not be listed anywhere at all. \n\nIs the thing you are looking at in an Opportunity Zone? If so, you may hold off until 2019 to see if you can use that to your advantage. Then you could funnel capital gains elsewhere into the property if you set it up right. \n\nJust a thought. \n\n", "replies": [{"id": "eavydka", "text": "I have the Costar comps from my broker, but I don\u2019t see the listing brokers on them?  \n\nYes, what I was hoping was that my broker would have access to pocket listings or off market listings, but he goes by Costar, and unfortunately all of the places I\u2019ve looked at so far were found by me on Loopnet.  Unfortunately, no, the places I\u2019m looking at aren\u2019t in an Opportunity Zone.", "replies": [{"id": "eaw1dkb", "text": "I PMed you. Have 2 off-markets and we can source more. ", "replies": [], "depth": 7}], "depth": 6}], "depth": 5}, {"id": "eaw9shz", "text": "Check out Crexi for properties that are for sale. Their leasing platform is still new and doesnt have as many options yet. As for a broker, I might be able to put you in touch with LA brokers depending on what your requirements are.", "replies": [], "depth": 5}], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "eb0dkcd", "text": "You seem to not be realistic about the market.  You think finding a new agent is the solution to this problem?  No, when a Seller counters close to list, that means you're competing with other offers, and being a \"cash offer\" in LA is not rare.  Almost every good property sells to a cash offer.  Sounds like you're just too cheap to pay what the market is bearing, that's not the agents fault.  Good luck finding another agent, hopefully for you he doesn't read your reddit post.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}]