Joseph Ayers has been a commercial real estate agent with Commercial Jacksonville, a member of the Cushman and Wakefield alliance, in Southside for 18 months.
BEFORE COMMERCIAL JACKSONVILLE?
He was a senior research analyst for The CoStar Group, a real estate research company, in San Diego, Calif. After college, he was deciding between New York and San Diego to find a job. He visited San Diego and fell in love with the city. He soon found the job with CoStar. “I ended up staying there for a few years. I realized that I could do a better job than the brokers I was working for so, I had to decide if I wanted to stay in San Diego or come back to Jacksonville. I knew I wanted to come back to Jacksonville because I grew up here and love it.”
HOW DID HE
GET HIS JOB HERE?
He met Rich Toomey, a principal at Commercial Jacksonville, through a friend of his. “I interviewed at a couple of different places, but I liked this one because it is a small firm and it has the Cushman and Wakefield name associated with it.”
COLLEGE
He has a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Florida.
SPECIALTY?
Office sales and leasing.
WHY OFFICE
SALES AND LEASING?
“I grew up with a finance background and in California I was researching office properties. So, I had a background, not only in finance and office users, but also office products, so it just made a natural transition for me.”
NEW LOCATION?
Commercial Jacksonville used to be in downtown Jacksonville but last August it moved to Southside. “Most of our clients are in Southside and we found ourselves driving out of downtown a lot. Plus, many of us live at the beach, so it made more sense to be in the Southside area.”
FAMILY HISTORY IN REAL ESTATE?
Ayers’ father owned Superior Construction, a road construction company.
Ayers was born in Indiana. “We moved to Jacksonville when my father’s company took on some larger projects in this area. I worked for him during the summers while I was in college.”
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE?
“I like the fact that any energy I put into it, I get out directly. I can channel everything I’ve got into this and I’m the one directly benefiting from it. I’m my own motivator. I have a boss, but I am really my own boss.”
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE HELP YOU NOW?
“It taught me quite a bit about real estate markets including market mechanics, buildings and the mechanics of a real estate transaction. Prior to that, I did not know much about commercial real estate. I started out as a researcher making phone calls to gather building information. I moved up to senior research analyst where I would take that information and put it together and analyze it. It really taught me how markets are cyclical and the way markets can move.”
CLIENTS?
Office users ranging from a Fortune 500 company to smaller start-up companies.
MOST CHALLENGING THING ABOUT COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE?
Budgeting his time. “I work long hours, but I now recognize that a lot of the business world does not work those hours. There are certain things that I can get done before 6 p.m. that I can’t after that.”
LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE?
“My least favorite thing is also my favorite thing and that is the uncertainty. It is kind of scary not knowing what’s next or you see your pipeline emptying out. It’s kind of scary, but also kind of exciting and it’s one of the things I like about it because I have to ramp up and get my pipeline filled up again.”
AREAS HE CONCENTRATES ON?
“Mostly the J. Turner Butler area and Baymeadows, but I do have a few clients downtown. I’m starting to get more active in the downtown area.”
LESSONS LEARNED?
“Polite persistence will pay off. No one likes a salesman breathing down their neck, but polite persistence can be appreciated. Following up and keeping good records are also important.”
ADVICE FOR A NEW COMMERCIAL REALTOR?
“Stick with it and don’t get discouraged.”
RESIDES
Atlantic Beach, but he is buying a house in Jacksonville Beach to share with his eight-month-old, 90-pound Great Dane, Charlie Ann.
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS?
National Association of Industrial and Office Properties and the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce.
WHY GET INVOLVED IN NAIOP?
“It’s a good opportunity to meet more brokers and others in the industry. It’s probably the best networking tool that I have access to. It’s a good way to get plugged into the industry.”
CHURCH
St. Paul’s Catholic.
PERSONAL SIDE?
When he is not working, Ayers enjoys running, surfing, swimming and skiing. His favorite move of all time is “Tombstone”. A book he has read and would recommend is “Catch 22” by Joseph Heller. When relaxing at home, he enjoys tuning into the “Soprano’s”. His favorite place to visit is San Diego and his favorite restaurant is Caribee Key in Atlantic Beach.
— by Michele Newbern Gillis