2024 Year in Review:
Abe Bergman, Eastern Union

What was your greatest professional accomplishment or most notable project, deal, or transaction in 2024? 

Eastern Union’s greatest accomplishment in 2024 was our delivery of financing to our clients from more than 109 different lenders. Commercial mortgage brokers must be able to tap into a large spectrum of prospective lenders. But these days, amid a changing market, lenders are more reserved and more selective. Plus, there are fewer deals out there and they’re more challenging to place. That’s why we focused on growing our lender database this year. We enhanced our lender identification system and staffed up to find that “needle in the haystack.” Our long checklist of lenders shows that our efforts were successful. 

What emerging trends will drive investment and development in 2025? 

In Eastern Union’s opinion, the pace of transactions will grow in the coming year. We’re seeing that many investors have gone back to the basics of core real estate. It’s been a tough lesson to learn, but the market has accepted the fact that rates simply aren’t as low as they were. People need to transact -- and they need to work harder to find value. Those who are ready to do the hard work will be the ones who succeed. A careful and meticulous approach to investment - and to the management of assets - will prevail.