Commercial Investment Real Estate Spring 2022 | Page 20

CIRE : WORKING IN THE ORLANDO / CENTRAL FLORIDA MARKET , DO YOU SEE ANY SPECIFIC OPPORTUNITIES OR CHALLENGES TO THAT AREA ? MIGRATION TRENDS SUGGEST THE SOUTHEAST U . S . TO BE A DESIRABLE LOCATION . HOW CAN CRE PROFESSIONALS POSITION THEMSELVES TO SUCCEED IN SUCH A MARKET ?
SHELTON : Florida , in general , has seen major population growth . Some of the cities in the Northeast U . S . had issues closing down during COVID-19 . People were free to work from home , so Florida was the place to go . We continue to grow and expand in all segments of the real estate industry . Housing is in short supply , and it ’ s still cheaper here than in New York or Chicago .
The Sunshine State draws lots of people from around the globe . CRE professionals can position themselves by getting educated , by taking CCIM Institute classes , and specializing in a product type or market . If you know your market , people will come to you . I ’ m known as the “ Queen of Retail ” in Florida . I get calls from around the country because of this . It ’ s not always something I can help with , but I can usually get them moving in the right direction .
It ’ s exciting to see the next generation of real estate professionals . They are the people who will change the industry with new ways of seeing and doing things .

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CIRE : AS AN INSTRUCTOR WITH CCIM INSTITUTE , YOU ARE DIRECTLY INTERACTING WITH THE NEXT GENERATION OF CRE TALENT . WHAT DO YOU SEE IN THIS NEXT GENERATION ? WHAT DO INDUSTRY VETERANS NEED TO KNOW OR UNDER- STAND ABOUT YOUNGER PROFESSIONALS ?
SHELTON : It ’ s exciting to see the next generation of real estate professionals . They are the people who will change the industry with new ways of seeing and doing things . We , as veterans in CRE , can help them with the fundamentals and knowledge of the markets we serve . We should always be here to mentor the new generations , and they should be willing to work hard and listen to advice — even if they don ’ t always take it .
CIRE : ON A PRACTICAL LEVEL , HOW DO YOU BENEFIT IN YOUR BUSINESS AS AN INSTRUCTOR WITH CCIM INSTITUTE ? WHAT INSIGHTS TO DO YOU GET BY WORKING WITH DRIVEN , INVESTED STUDENTS ?
SHELTON : Best of all , the students contact me for advice and also send me referrals sometimes . If I help them and later need something , they are there for me . It ’ s a great two-way street . I ’ ve had to contact students and CCIMs around the country to get something handled , and the reception I get is amazing and they are always willing to help .
Nicholas Leider Senior content editor of Commercial Investment Real Estate
Contact him at nleider @ ccim . com .
Learn more at www . ccim . com / sponsors