What a commercial real estate agent does
Commercial agents represent landlords, tenants, buyers and sellers of office, industrial, retail, multi-residential and development properties. In Ontario the registration is the same as for residential practice: commercial agents are RECO-registered salespersons or brokers employed by a brokerage. The work is different. Deals take longer, rely on financial analysis such as net operating income and capitalization rates, and often turn on lease terms, zoning and environmental conditions rather than finishes and school districts.
Commercial brokerages usually hire for a specialty, such as industrial leasing in Peel and York, retail on Toronto's main streets or land for development. A hire who does not know the asset class needs a long runway to earn credibility with owners and occupiers. Finch screens commercial candidates on the type, size and structure of the deals they have worked on, how they found the business and whether their relationships suit your team, so you interview people who can contribute early.
Typical responsibilities
- Represent landlords and tenants in office, industrial and retail lease negotiations
- Market investment properties and prepare offering memorandums with financial summaries
- Analyze rent rolls, operating costs and comparable transactions to support pricing
- Coordinate due diligence on zoning, environmental reports and title with lawyers and consultants
- Canvass owners and occupiers to build a pipeline of listings and space requirements
- Prepare offers to lease, letters of intent and agreements of purchase and sale
Qualifications and credentials
- Active RECO registration as a salesperson or broker with a brokerage
- Experience in commercial leasing or investment sales within your asset class
- Strong spreadsheet skills and comfort with lease economics and valuation basics
- A degree or diploma in business, finance, real estate or urban planning is common, though not required
- Designations such as CCIM are an asset at some firms
Who hires a commercial real estate agent
- Commercial and industrial brokerages
- National and international property advisory firms with Toronto offices
- Investment and land brokerages working with developers
- Retail leasing brokerages serving landlords and franchise brands
Where we recruit commercial real estate agent candidates
We fill commercial real estate agent roles for employers across Toronto and the GTA, including North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Burlington, Oshawa and Pickering, and for employers across Canada. GTA employers can meet us at our North York office by appointment.
What Finch checks before you meet a candidate
- Deal history by asset class, deal type and their actual role, confirmed in conversation
- How they source business: cold canvassing, landlord relationships or referrals
- Financial fluency, tested with questions on rents, recoveries and returns
- Registration status and any restrictive covenants signed with their current brokerage
- Fit with your team structure and your commission or draw arrangements
Interview questions to ask
- Take us through a lease you negotiated from first tour to signed agreement. Which terms were hardest to settle?
- How would you advise an industrial owner deciding between selling now and re-leasing the building?
- Which owners or occupiers in our market do you already have working relationships with?