Dutra-Cerro-Graden Commercial Real Estate Blog

Recently, a commercial broker colleague of mine called me for advice regarding a lease she was negotiating. The broker on the other side was from her office. Her client desired a 3-year lease, and she wanted to meet her client’s expectations. She was worried about losing the lease space because her fellow broker was very aggressive in pushing a 5-year lease because he wanted a higher commission. He tried to sell my friend that the higher commission was better for the both of them and that the client would be OK at the end of the day.

I told her absolutely not. My advice was to never compromise the client by making decisions based on commission. If the deal falls apart, so be it – the client’s needs always come first. In the end, after a job well done, just compensation will surely follow.

Unfortunately, this situation is not too uncommon. As with all industries, there are some people whose main purpose is to make the most money they can, regardless of how it may adversely affect others. Every time I hear a story like this, it reaffirms my gratitude that Dutra Cerro Graden has continued to have success and grow by staying true to our mission and values that include, “Doing the ‘right thing,’ all the time, without qualification, without condition”.