Today we get 5 questions answered by James Blake, CCIM , managing director of Sperry Van Ness/Summit Commercial in Fort Worth, TX.
1. What is your geographic market and product specialty?
My main market is the west side of the Dallas / Fort Worth metroplex focusing on Fort Worth retail, including shopping centers, retail pads and single tenant retail sales.
2. What’s your latest best practice tip that you can share?
Keep up to date on market knowledge and market trends. Clients like it when you can educate them on transactions in the market and what is happening with occupancy rates and cap rates for example. The property owners perceive a real value in a agent that has market knowledge.
3. What’s been the biggest change over on how you run your business in the past decade?
Using the tools and resources available to me. SVN allows me save time on my marketing using the BuildOut platform. I also have good advisors in my office who enjoy rolling up their sleeves and working smart.
4. What business book do you like to recommend to your colleagues?
I always like to recommend The Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer, especially to new advisors.
5. What’s a fun fact that not everyone knows about you?
I really enjoy making family vacation videos on my iMac. It is fun going back after a couple years and watching highlights of our trips. And of course, to make the videos I have to take the vacations with my wife and or my two college age sons who love scuba diving and mountain climbing. Love the GoPro camera!
*All Sperry Van Ness offices are independently owned and operated.