For the month of February, we sat down with real estate salesperson Richard Robb to learn about his work in the industry and to discuss the CRE market.

 

SUTTON: What sector of CRE do you mainly focus on?

RR: I’m a generalist by nature so my practice is to get involved in all niches of commercial real estate including raw land. My interest grew from working many years in public land use – planning and developing – at the village, town and county-level.

SUTTON: What change has been most difficult for you as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic?

RR: As we all know, activity slumped in early 2020 due to the pandemic. But people slowly acclimated to a new normal with continuous recovery now evident (although several real estate sectors have lagged such as office and some retail subsectors). By way of contrast, warehouse, industrial and flex space demand has dramatically increased.

Entering the 2nd year of COVID, I find that prevention is the watchword for all activity. Our team (along with the rest of the CRE world) had a learning curve surrounding Covid rules and regulations. We had to learn on the go… “What Covid assessments and disclaimer forms should we use and where do we get these? Should we travel solo? How can we socially distance during inspections? Do we have to be masked during all in-person discussions?” It was a lot to get used to!

SUTTON: What is one goal of yours for 2021 here at Sutton?

RR: My simple goal for 2021 is to show clients and customers through healthy practices that they can buy, sell or lease property without fear or harm. I have become a more hygienic person, especially when it comes to interacting with clients.

SUTTON: How is Sutton encouraging teamwork?

RR: Sutton Real Estate is a small, full-service real estate company that invites and reinforces cooperation among all staff and departments. From professional development opportunities to training and safe social activities, Sutton practices an “open door” management style that challenges and supports everyone.

Sutton Real Estate Company is proud to announce a recent hire at its company.

Kelly Honors joins Sutton Real Estate as the new Receptionist. Her role is greeting and welcoming guests and providing them with a positive first impression of the organization. Her role also includes writing maintenance requests, managing property signage and mailing. Kelly has the experience from her previous customer service jobs in the Syracuse area.

 

Featured on: NYREJ

 

 

Sutton is kicking off 2021 with a new blog series. In an effort to get to know our internal sales team, we are sitting down to discuss business and market conditions. First up is Real Estate Associate Broker Stephen Saleski

SUTTON: What change has been most difficult for you as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic?

 

SS: The biggest challenge that I’ve personally encountered with the COVID-19 pandemic has been compliance with the ever changing rules for showings and the paperwork to be completed and maintained. People continue to want to do business, so I’ve tried to do it in a safe and conforming manner. NYSAR was a good source of information and updates, and continues to be helpful in maintaining compliant practices.

 

SUTTON: How is Sutton encouraging teamwork?

 

SS: Sutton’s culture is one of unity and collaboration. I’ve been treated like family since I started and that is a consistent sentiment that I’ve heard from people throughout our organization. There has been constant communication from management throughout this pandemic. They’ve demonstrated constant care and concern for employees, tenants and clients, providing financial and technological resources to help us weather this storm. Our team has remained positive, motivated and dedicated to help us succeed and I’m proud and happy to be a part of it.

 

SUTTON: What areas of your work are still strong?

 

SS: The industrial sector has remained the strongest, as demand for warehouse space continues. Land acquisition and development activity hasn’t diminished as I thought it might. Not surprisingly though, a slowdown in office and retail activity has been apparent. I’m part of a team at Sutton that has been active in the hospitality sector. We’ve seen significant investment activity in hotel properties, in anticipation of a significant recovery down the road. I’ve only had one deal that was a casualty of the pandemic. The rest have progressed slowly but steadily. We have closed two hotel deals recently and another is scheduled to close soon.

SUTTON: How do you expect the market to look six months from now?

 

SS: I’m hopeful the vaccines will inspire confidence to open back up the economy and people’s desire to resume normal activities will keep us on the path of robust growth.

 

SUTTON: Are there any changes you’ve made that you personally hope will continue?

 

SS: I’ve dedicated more time to personal and professional development and hope to continue to maintain time in my schedule for both.

 

SUTTON: What is one thing you wish you could tell yourself a year ago?

 

SS: Focus more on short-term rather than long-term goals and be more flexible and prepared to navigate changes more quickly.

As most of us anxiously wait for the New Year and hopefully a return to some of our normal routines we would like to wish all of our staff, clients and the people in the community a happy and safe holiday season.  Safe and healthy really means something this year.

Who would have thought a year ago we would be in the place we are in today? For many of us, the last ten months have caused us to rethink the way we live, work and behave in our daily routine. For others, the economic and personal impact has been more challenging and in some cases catastrophic. Some have been impacted more than others-this disease did not play favorites.

We would like to thank everyone in our Company and Community that have made a difference in the lives of those that have been seriously impacted by health issues, personal challenges and economic hardship. But we live in an extraordinary community and when the chips are down there are always people ready to rise to the occasion.

We would like to share something that occurred this week at one of our apartment communities. A tenant asked the manager if there was someone in particular that needed help during the Holidays. In her words, she wanted to pay it forward because she felt fortunate her individual circumstances were not effected by the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, the tenant paid a complete stranger’s rent for December and January. No fan fair just someone that felt like giving back. For us, regardless what your beliefs are and how you celebrate the holidays, this is the true spirit of the Christmas season.

We believe better times are ahead and wish everyone a safe and healthy Holiday Season.

 

Louis G. Fournier

CPM, President