Master Your Time or Waste Your Potential

Welcome to CRE Broker Playbook!

If you want to get something done, go find the busiest person you know and they’ll knock it out. On the other hand, the hardest person to rely on is the one who goes to work at 9, comes home at 5 and scrolls.

If you want to ask this unreliable person to do something, be ready for an avalanche of excuses.

Adding ANYTHING to their schedule is such a lift.

But if you ask the entrepreneur/father of 4 that sits on 2 non-profit boards and manages to squeeze in 9 holes each week to help you, he’ll get it done.

Today, 2 high-performing brokers share how they manage their time in the hectic life of commercial real estate brokerage.

Plus: What keeps brokers from staying in the game when the pipeline vanishes?

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💸 LEASED SPACE

Today's newsletter is brought to you by Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo.

Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo provides CFO services to high-performing CRE Brokers across the country. For over 15 years, we've specialized in serving commercial real estate brokers, helping them navigate the unique complexities of their financial lives.

What started with our own tenant reps seeking financial guidance has evolved into a comprehensive service specifically designed for CRE brokers. As both financial advisors and CPAs, we bring the perfect combination of expertise to assist brokers in optimizing their independent contractor status and 1099 income.

Our tailored approach goes beyond traditional financial services by integrating proactive tax planning, business financial strategy, and wealth management. We act as your personal CFO, streamlining processes and ensuring you stay focused on growing your business while we handle the details.

⚓ ANCHOR TENANT

Time Management Secrets: Planning With Purpose

The most successful brokers don't manage time—they invest it. Two experienced CRE brokers share their contrasting approaches to winning the daily battle for focus.

Adam Dunn, Berkadia (17 years in business)

Adam's approach centers on evening planning: "Every night I review my to-do list and write down the top three to five highest priority tasks that need to be done," he explains. "These are revenue-generating, advancing-the-ball activities. Anything else that doesn't fit will be delegated, delayed, or deleted." This ruthless prioritization ensures his days are spent on what truly drives results.

Jay Reeves, Matthews REIS (5 years in business)

Jay takes a different approach, focusing on when he works rather than just what he works on: "I ensure I have a significant amount of time blocked every day outside of typical business hours to address tasks that are not time-pressing," he shares. "Between 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM, there's always a building list of calls/emails/meetings/tours that can only be handled during the day. Without specifically allocated time outside of hours where interruptions are expected, organization will prove challenging."

The Takeaway: Intentional Time Allocation

My work is similar in that there’s always a million things to do, a few things that should be prioritized and a few things that can only be done during business hours.

What I admire most about Adam and Jay’s approach is the intentionality behind it. Both recognize that time management isn't about cramming more into each day—it's about ensuring the right activities happen at the right times.

Adam achieves this through task prioritization, focusing on revenue-generating activities first.

Jay achieves it through time blocking, creating uninterrupted space for deep work outside standard hours.

Like Jay/Adam, I have to be intentional with my time. There’s no other choice.

We have an incredible opportunity to grow our business serving you all and we have other callings such as fatherhood. I’m 31 and have 3 kids.

If I’m not proactive, I’m going to be thrown around each day like a rag doll by the changing tides of everyone else’s schedule.

The most successful brokers view time as their most valuable asset. While average producers react to their day, top producers design their day—with purpose and strategy.

Action Step: This week, combine both approaches. Each evening, identify your 3-5 highest priority tasks for tomorrow. Then, block 90 minutes either before 8 AM or after 6 PM to tackle the most intellectually demanding of these tasks without interruption.

🤓 From the Back Office

We see it all the time in our practice—CRE brokers a decade into their careers with all the trappings of success but standing on shaky financial ground:

High but volatile income. Nice house with a hefty mortgage. Luxury car. Kids in private school. Multiple LP investments from rolling commissions into deals.

What's missing? Liquidity. Diversification. A financial cushion.

The hard truth is that a "recession" can hit you personally even when the broader market is fine.

Your biggest client switches brokers.

Tax law changes slow down your transaction volume.

Interest rates spike.

Or a portfolio you represent gets sold to an owner with their own broker.

Suddenly your pipeline vanishes, and you're starting from scratch while the bills keep coming.

Slow down the lifestyle creep as income grows.

Be selective about real estate investments.

Build substantial liquidity first, enough to comfortably weather a dry spell, before upgrading your lifestyle or chasing above-average returns.

Dry spells come. Stay in the game.

Thank you for reading until the end, we appreciate you!