Driven to Win-Win
It takes a very specific personality to take on the entrepreneurial role of a commercial real estate financier. In addition to needing a tremendous amount of discipline and fostering a sense of individual ownership, advisors need to be incredibly goal oriented. The best advisors must understand the needs of their market and have the business acumen and intuition to capitalize on opportunities on behalf of our clients.
“Our borrower and investor clients are central to the equation, explains Yvan Repka, Director of Mortgage Origination for Canada ICI Capital Corporation in Calgary. “Everything is done along their time frames and attention to detail is critical. The most successful advisors understand the needs of all parties and work collaboratively to achieve a win-win.”
In business, issues are bound to arise and the best advisors are always able to anticipate those issues and can respond to the situation with a winning solution.
Yvan believes that it is extremely important for a broker to have a passion for real estate. He says, “You have to really enjoy what you do. Borrower and investor clients can sense your commitment to the business. It also shows through in your knowledge and approach. I’m not talking about the basic knowledge which you need to do this job. It is more developed, like wisdom which comes from experience.” In the end, entrepreneurial clients want to work with entrepreneurial partners and someone who loves the game as much as they do.
These are not things you can learn in a textbook. It’s an intuitive understanding of the industry which can only come from having self-determination and drive. These are the common characteristics found in the most successful and entrepreneurial brokers in commercial real estate.
“I wouldn’t do anything else. This career and company is just perfect for me,” says Yvan. “It’s very much what you put in you will eventually get back out.”
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