CCIM CANDIDATE SPOTLIGHT
By Nicholas Leider
PETER FARSAI
Peter Farsai
Born and raised in Chico , Calif ., Peter Farsai didn ’ t take long to discover commercial real estate . A degree in entrepreneurship and project management led him to a highway commercial development project . Now a broker / agent with California Top Brokers , Farsai splits his time between the Bay Area and Southern California , where he is planning to open another brokerage in San Diego .
If his schedule wasn ’ t already full , Farsai decided to pursue the CCIM designation in 2019 and plans to take the exam this fall . While hitting the books , he ’ s also serving as the marketing chair for the CCIM Northern California Chapter and was recently elected as its technology officer in 2022 . Farsai takes a moment to reflect on his path to this point and discusses his plans for the future .
CIRE : WHAT EXPERIENCE , PROFESSION- ALLY AND PERSONALLY , LED YOU TO SEEK CCIM DESIGNATION ? WHAT WAS THE AHA ! MOMENT WHEN YOU KNEW IT WAS WORTH THE TIME AND EFFORT ?
PETER FARSAI : Throughout transactions , I heard stories about CCIMs , the knowledge they had , and the types of deals they were doing — spoken about as if they were the elite Navy SEALs of the real estate world — and I wanted to be one . In 2019 , I took the foundations course with Bill Mohr , CCIM , and I was hooked . The rest is history .
CIRE : HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO PUT YOUR EDUCATION TO USE ? HOW HAS THE DESIGNATION CURRICULUM IMPACT- ED YOUR PROFESSIONAL ABILITIES ?
FARSAI : Yes , tremendously , and both my new and long-term clients noticed . From the beginning , the curriculum quickly opened my eyes to the variety of possibilities of financial strategies the CCIM expertise offers . I loved that I walked away from each course feeling like I had immediately applicable , tactical knowledge for my clients . I ’ ve noticed also how much more confident I feel in pitching creative solutions and triaging obstacles throughout the transactions . But one of the most valuable outcomes of my experience is the networking and camaraderie within the CCIM community of like-minded professionals .
CIRE : WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST CHAL- LENGING ASPECT OF YOUR JOURNEY TOWARD CCIM DESIGNATION ?
FARSAI : One of the biggest challenges so far is communicating the true value of the CCIM pin to clients and people less familiar with the industry . From my experience , I think people understand that using a CCIM
40 COMMERCIAL INVESTMENT REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE FALL 2021