A Q&A with Alfi, president of investment sales & finance at GFI Realty Services, Inc.

What attracted you to GFI Realty Services? There are many reasons for my recent decision to join GFI. The biggest deciding factor is that GFI is a prominent, full-service commercial real estate company with a 25-year history in the industry. We are one company that consists of several diverse businesses including commercial sales and finance, mortgage banking, property management, real estate development, and insurance. Because of the capabilities of these divisions, the company is equipped to deal with brokerage cycles that other firms cannot. Each division of GFI is known for its financial strength and stability, quality customer service, and operational excellence. GFI recognizes the challenges in today's marketplace and the value of committed professionals who understand the unique needs of each client. We believe that educating our clients on all aspects of the real estate process not only strengthens the client/broker relationship, but helps our clients attain their goals. What is your role at GFI? As president of GFI Realty Services, I spearhead the day-to-day operations of the investment sales and finance divisions. My role is to encourage the division's growth by expanding our presence, further increasing productivity, and building the GFI brand, not only in the metropolitan area, but throughout the country. I will ensure our brokers are the most highly trained in the marketplace and are expert consultants in all areas of real estate such as valuation, financing, development, and insurance. I will also be responsible for educating the department on structural and investment parameters to enhance the overall understanding of the debt markets. This is especially crucial during the current credit crunch in our industry. Learning from my banking and financial experiences will help our brokers to fully understand the needs and expectations of each unique client and make more informed decisions in the process. What is your prior work experience and biggest accomplishment? For the majority of my professional life I have been emerged in real estate as an invaluable advisor to my clients. I joined GFI from Washington Mutual, where I served as a vice president and senior loan consultant for the past five years. During this time, I closed over $1 billion in transactions and managed an accomplished team of loan consultants. One of the biggest achievements in my career thus far took place while at Washington Mutual. In just a two year span, I built a lucrative sales team that became the #1 multifamily lender on the East Coast. Under my leadership, we distinguished ourselves from the competition and provided the highest level of service to our clientele in a new market. What are your strategies to help achieve your goal of expanding the division? There are several strategies I am implementing to promote the growth of GFI Realty Services. The first and foremost is education. A thorough understanding of the investor base is crucial in today's volatile market. We are witnessing a great deal of liquidity stress among conventional lenders. Even with the extensive experience of our brokers, financial consultation, management, and exit strategies are essential to better execute complex transactions. Financing is no longer a commodity and brokers will benefit enormously from my financial expertise in order to optimize deal closings and better serve investors. My second strategy is to create a "we" mentality among the division. In a successful brokerage environment, it's imperative that brokers do not feel like they are in competition with one another. Teamwork is a force multiplier and a "we" mentality encourages everyone to work together to complete deals to their fullest potential. I know that this innovative initiative will also attract new brokers to GFI. In many brokerage firms, the concept of "one company" is often disregarded. At GFI, our brokers act as a resource to one another to ensure the best possible outcome for our clients. The third part of my strategy is expanding our platforms and our business markets. In the past, GFI has mainly brokered multifamily properties. However, during my tenure, we will market our services to a broader range of investors in the office, retail, industrial, specialty use properties and development markets. The majority of GFI's transactions have occurred in the northeast region. GFI will continue to retain a dominant position in the northeast, but also follow our investors where they go, increasing our marketing efforts in other untapped regions of the country that we have not focused on in the past. The final part of my strategy will be to strengthen the integration between GFI Realty Services and the other divisions of our company. GFI offers a one-stop-shop for property investors, simplifying the buying, selling, and financing processes. This platform allows our brokers to be true consultants in all areas of real estate. For example, if an investor comes to GFI and is interested in buying a retail property, we will not only find and negotiate the top value for their ideal property, we will provide all of their financing needs and be able to guide them in many other areas as well. Because of our integration with GFI Development, we would be able to advise them on any development plans they may be contemplating for this site. For example, if an investor comes to GFI and is interested in buying a retail property, we will not only find and negotiate the top value for their ideal property, we will provide all of their financing needs and be able to guide them in many other areas as well. We will then get them the title for their property at the best negotiated insurance rate in the industry from GFI Insurance. If the investor is experiencing any issues with underperforming assets, GFI Management can advise them on repositioning these properties to optimize their profitability. Clearly GFI's platform is more powerful than others in the marketplace today. My job at GFI is not difficult, simply because the company sells itself!