As a specialist market participant, a broker plays a major role in the contractual process and commercial negotiations. They know warehouse and industrial property and help save time on the search.
A broker is an expert and adviser
A broker pays attention to detail, works to make the deal happen, pushes through the difficult stages and puts something of themselves into the work. HERZEN brokers have their own niche: warehouse and industrial commercial property.
A broker helps shape the parties' negotiating positions and acts as a mediator, influencing the subject, price and terms of the transaction. They have practical familiarity with legal issues: they know properties, rents and technical specifications, and understand tenants' needs and trends in leasing relationships.
How a broker can help
When someone faces a task they do not encounter regularly, they want advice from a person whose job is to handle such tasks all the time. You can tell a HERZEN broker about your problem, just as you would a good doctor or lawyer.
- Property information and shortlists. A broker's database includes both public listings and off-market opportunities.
- Mediation during negotiations. A broker helps reduce conflicts and disputes between the parties.
- Knowledge of market practices and participants. A broker at a specialist agency searches for warehouses every day.
How to choose a good broker
- Discuss properties you have already viewed to understand how well the broker knows the market.
- Talk about subjects a broker should understand to assess whether they are genuinely familiar with industrial property.
- Assess their communication and time management skills: a good professional speaks clearly and competently, honours agreements and does things on time.
- Pay attention to how they communicate. If they steer you towards their own property, that is not the best sign. If they want to understand your requirements and needs, it will be easier to find the right option with them.
- Look at what the broker brings to the meeting: do the materials feature different properties with specifications, prices and photographs?
- Take the broker's appearance and even their car into account. A good professional wears business attire, and their car is certainly not a lowered vehicle with tinted windows, no silencer and stickers all over it.
What matters in a good broker
A good broker speaks to the point and knows a great deal. Empty talk, toxic behaviour and manipulation are signs of an unprofessional broker.