CCIM Q & A
By Nicholas Leider
A FRESH START
Beau Beery , CCIM
Earlier this year , Beau Beery , CCIM , officially opened his own brokerage firm — a crowning achievement for Beery after 22 years of steady , focused work in multifamily real estate . The 45-year-old Florida resident had been planning such a move for years , so he refused to let a global pandemic and the resulting economic and social turmoil stop him from realizing his ambition . In fact , considering the strength of the multifamily market in 2020 , the move to start Beau Beery Multifamily Advisors looked to be perfectly timed .
Alongside his new business , Beery also published “ Multifamily Investors Who Dominate ,” an instructional guide for others in the industry looking to improve , and routinely posts videos to his YouTube channel , Beau Knows Multifamily .
We spoke with Beery about the process of starting a brokerage amid the coronavirus pandemic , the future of the multifamily market , and his advice for CRE professionals looking to strike out on their own .
CIRE : CONSIDERING ALL THAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE YEAR LEADING UP TO LAUNCHING YOUR BROKERAGE IN JANUARY , HOW DID YOU GET THE BUSINESS OFF THE GROUND DURING THE PANDEMIC ?
BEAU BEERY , CCIM : I realize the pandemic created difficult times for many industries — but multifamily sales are not one of them ! In fact , my business has been stronger than ever during the pandemic . My CRE coach , Blaine Strickland , CCIM , of HBS Resources , and my former partners at Coldwell Banker Commercial have been helping me plan the transition to my own company for about three years . I ’ ve been building a personal brand in the CRE space since 2000 , and the time came when it made more sense to have a stand-alone brokerage rather than continue with CBC .
CIRE : YOU STARTED BY MANAGING ONE MULTIFAMILY PROPERTY IN GAINESVILLE TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW — AMONG THE ELITE IN CRE . IF YOU HAD TO POINT TO ONE ASPECT OF YOUR PERSONALITY OR CHARACTER TO EXPLAIN YOUR SUC- CESS , WHAT WOULD IT BE ?
BEERY : I chose a career I knew I ’ d be good at , not one I was passionate about at the time . It may sound weird , but I believe the worst advice you can give a young person is following your passion . Don ’ t follow your passion . Do what you ’ re good at , continue to master it better than anyone else , and then passion will follow . I wasn ’ t a kid in grade school and college who dreamed about being a real estate broker . I did it because I knew I was good at following systems for success , and real estate has plenty of those .
I ’ ve always had relentless self-discipline . Laziness combined with ego is the worst combo . I ’ m the guy that when I go to a seminar , I write down every important note and step and carry out every one of them to perfection . It is a compulsion . When my coach Blaine tells me what to do , I do it . When my personal trainer writes out a workout and meal plan , I do it . I am the most monotonous human being I know . I do the same exact things every single day over and over again . Most find that horribly boring — I find it extremely comforting .
CIRE : CONSIDERING THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 , HOW DO YOU SEE THE MULTI- FAMILY SECTOR RESPONDING ? WHAT SHOULD CRE EXPERTS KEEP IN MIND WITH MULTIFAMILY FOR 2021 AND 2022 ?
BEERY : The multifamily sector hasn ’ t missed a beat due to the simple fact that everyone still has to have a place to live , and home ownership continues to be more and more difficult to achieve . Frankly , the only negative impact that I ’ ve seen are the mortgage payment escrows that lenders are requiring now as a safety net . Those currently range from
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COMMERCIAL INVESTMENT REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE SPRING 2021