With the economy doing better, and commercial real estate picking up, attorneys who specialize in real estate transactions are seeing their plate full these days. For those financial advisors who are seeking networking opportunities within this specialized niche, here are some places to start.
The national publication that covers the commercial real estate beat is National Real Estate Investor. This is a good source to use to become familiar with events and trends.
How do you identify the commercial real estate attorneys in your region? The best resource, as it is for all attorneys, is www.martindale.com. On the Martindale home page you will find tabs that resemble file folders. Choose the "Location/Area of Practice" tab. From here you will want to select the geography and "Specific Area of Practice" box. Type in, "commercial real estate", and complete the city/county/state for your search...and voila...you will find a nice contact list.
To become even more immersed in this niche, you will want to build a network with the same professionals and referral sources that commercial real estate attorneys rely upon. These would be: mid-size businesses, CPA's who specialize in this area, commercial real estate agents, commercial bankers, business brokers, and community business leaders.
Another possible networking resource is the real estate editor for your local paper. In fact, there is a national association that encompasses this group, the National Association of Real Estate Editors. Many of them are just returning from their annual convention.
Final point on positioning. I know an advisor who has done very well by delving deeply inside this niche by positioning himself as an expert on ultra-safe, short-term financial instruments. He calls himself, the "Stay Rich Guy," and seeks those consummated deals that need a place for the proceeds. It stands to reason that attorneys who specialize in real estate transactions would want to have this type of an advisor as a resource for their practice.
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