Heather Minter Prediletto has been a commercial real estate agent with Grubb & Ellis Phoenix Realty Group since 2004. “I always wanted to be in the commercial real estate industry. My father was in the industry in South Florida. I remember going to his office when I was little and watching the brokers negotiate and close deals. I thought it was really exciting. After college I went straight into business-to-business sales. I always knew I would eventually end up doing this.” She specializes in office sales and leasing.
HOW DID SHE GET THE JOB THERE?
Her father had known Jim Sebesta, vice president of the Office Group, through some real estate dealings.
“My father asked if Jim would meet with me to talk me out of jumping into the industry. Of course, my father was hesitant to recommend I switch careers and go from a lucrative paying job to straight commission. I met with Jim and John Richardson, the president, and instead of talking me out of the industry they offered me a job.”
WHY OFFICE SALES AND LEASING?
“I enjoy the entire life cycle of office leasing and sales, from the initial tour to the executed lease. I like the whole process. I can also relate to the administrative firms that require office space.”
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE?
“I love the fact that I am the one who determines my success. I don’t have someone evaluating what my salary should be. I prove my worth by working hard and earning commission. There is no limit. It is all up to me.”
TELL ME ABOUT THE OFFICE MARKET?
“I like to watch how the market changes. The office market is definitely getting better. We are seeing our vacancy rates decrease and our rental rates increasing. It is becoming a landlords market.”
MENTORS?
Prediletto said Sebesta has been a tremendous help to her. “He has provided extensive training and has mentored me through the entire office leasing and sales life cycle. I feel like I can go to anyone in the company for advice if I need to. My father has also been my mentor.”
BEFORE COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE?
She was in information technology consulting sales for about five years and wanted to get sales experience in business-to-business before entering the commercial real estate field.
HOW HAS HER DEGREE/ PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE HELPED HER?
Her degrees have helped her understand all aspects of business. “My MBA really gave me a good basis to understand the various departments of organizations along with how and why certain decisions are made. My previous sales experience gave me the foundation that I need to be successful. In sales you are rejected a lot. I have been in sales for almost eight years now and rejection doesn’t phase me anymore. I also learned that persistence, customer service and delivery are the key to gaining and keeping business.”
MOST CHALLENGING THING ABOUT COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE?
“In commercial real estate, it is extremely important to have a lot of deals in the air. If one deal falls through you have to have at least a dozen or two to fall back on. It is really challenging not to get frustrated when you have been working on a deal for a long time and unforeseen circumstances cause the deal to fall through. Keeping your chin up after that is hard, but you have to do it and if you have plenty of things going on it softens the blow.”
BEST PROFESSIONAL ADVICE RECEIVED?
Prediletto said the best advice came in the form of two clichés: “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch” and “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” “I translate that into ‘Don’t count your commission before the deal is closed’ and ‘Don’t spend all your time on one deal.’ After all, time is money.”
AREAS SHE CONCENTRATES ON?
Southside, Baymeadows and the J. Turner Butler corridor.
LESSONS LEARNED?
“I learn something new everyday. The most important thing you can do is turn everything into a learning experience. Whether you make a mistake or you overcome an obstacle, learn from it.”
ADVICE FOR A NEW COMMERCIAL REALTOR?
Be persistent. “Don’t give up just because you make a mistake or lose a deal. It is easy to get frustrated but even the most successful brokers made rookie mistakes in the beginning of their career.”
- by Michele Newbern Gillis