Christopher Neidhardt has been a commercial realtor with CB Richard Ellis for six years.
He previously worked for Nicholson Commercial in Jacksonville Beach, which is now Coldwell Banker Commercial Nicholson Williams Realty for eight months.
SPECIALTY?
Neidhardt is a retail specialist. “I do strictly retail commercial properties whether it be leasing, purchase or representing landlords and property owners.” He also works with shopping centers and land.
BIG DEALS?
Currently he is working with Food Lion on a piece of property on the corner of Kernan and Beach Boulevard. “They are selling the property.” He represents Vestcor Companies on their 4,400 square feet of retail space at 11 E. Forsyth which, he said has been slated for a restaurant. He is getting ready to start working with Vestcor on the 15,000 square feet of retail space that will be available at The Carlington, the Roosevelt Hotel redevelopment project. “That is going to be a whole culmination from an upscale restaurant to a barber shop.” He also represents The Elks Club on its retail section where there is 5,000 square feet non-contiguous retail space available. “The spaces range from 2,100 square feet all the way down to 550 square feet.”
FAVORITE THING ABOUT DOING DEALS DOWNTOWN?
“What I like about downtown is that everyone wants to know what is going on. If you do a deal in other areas, no one cares. But, downtown is really exciting.”
COLLEGE
He has a bachelor’s degree in finance and banking with a concentration in real estate from the University of North Florida.
HOW DID HE GET THE JOB WITH CB?
“I knew Jim [Citrano, broker of CB Richard Ellis] and wanted to get into a bigger firm, get my feet planted and learn from a larger firm that had a corporate structure.”
WHY DID HE GO INTO COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE?
His parents own a title insurance company in New York. “I was exposed to real estate and I like the dynamics of it, but not so much title insurance. So, I was playing around with either being a stockbroker or going into real estate and it just evolved.”
HOW DO YOU LIKE IT?
“I love it. You get to get involved in the community and to drive by projects and say ‘Oh, I did that deal’, put your stamp on the city and help shape it.”
WHAT AREA DOES HE WORK?
Northeast Florida, Gainesville, Tallahassee, Daytona and some in Southern Georgia.
MOST CHALLENGING ABOUT COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE?
“The process. The time it takes to get a listing, maintain the listing, get someone interested in it, get them to sign the deal and close the deal. It takes a very long time.”
WHAT HAS HELPED YOU MOST TO GET YOU WHERE YOU ARE TODAY?
“The support of Jim Citrano and my wife. You have to have a supportive spouse to start up in this business where it is 100 percent commission. If you don’t have a strong foundation at home, you can forget about it.”
LESSONS LEARNED?
“That hard work alone sometimes doesn’t cut it. You need a little sprinkling of luck.”
ADVICE FOR NEW COMMERCIAL REALTORS?
“Hang in there, the worm will turn eventually.”
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
International Council of Shopping Centers.
HOMETOWN
New York.
MOVED TO JACKSONVILLE
In 1993 to go to college.
RESIDES?
The Tinseltown area.
FAMILY
He has been married to Jennifer for four years and they live on Jacksonville’s Southside.
WHAT DOES HE LIKE TO DO WHEN NOT WORKING?
Play golf and prepare to move into a new house he and his wife are building in St. Johns Golf and Country Club.
FAVORITES
His favorite movie is “Patton”. “It’s a timeless classic.” A book he read recently and would recommend is “The No Spin Zone” by Bill O’Reilly. His favorite place to visit is Las Vegas. When watching television, his favorite show to tune into is “Seinfeld”. A new restaurant he recommends is Buca di Beppo, an Italian restaurant that opened near the Avenues Mall.
- by Michele Newbern Gillis