Q&A with Koenigsberg of American Inv. Props.

Q: What advice would you give a commercial real estate salesperson just starting out today? A: 1. Find the right managing broker; your very first real estate company can set the tone for your success or failure in commercial real estate sales. Look for a managing broker that advocates sales prospecting, technology, and transaction training. You should feel comfortable with your new brokers professionalism, ethics, and management skills. Expect your new broker to run an efficient and organized office. 2. Find the right company to hang your license. Your new company is as important as your new broker. A solid training department is a must if you want to acquire the skills to be successful. 3. Use of the Internet, learn how to be technology proficient. 4. Know all the details of any transaction that you're working on. I always say, "the devil is in the details," and what I mean by that is many of the answers to making a deal work are in knowing all the details of a deal. 5. Keep your mind right, have a positive mental attitude. Q: What advice would you give to sellers to be successful in today's commercial market? A: In order to properly market your property I think it's in the sellers' best interest to provide a qualified broker with and exclusive right to sell the property. By providing the broker with this agreement it allows him the time necessary to properly market the property and exhaust all possible options available. Sellers should also consider seller financing; this would increase the appeal of a property and in return would provide more options to buyers and would make it easier to sell. Ron Koenigsberg is the president of American Investment Properties, Inc., Garden City, N.Y.