David Huddleston Nashville Real EstateHi, my name is David Huddleston. I’ve been a real estate broker or consultant for the sale or purchase of over 9 million SF of office, retail and industrial buildings, and 2,000 acres of development land, in 12 states. I’ve sold more commercial real estate in Cool Springs than anyone. I have completed over 200 sales/purchases, supervised the development of commercial land tracts for clients, and was hired as an expert witness to represent clients in three lawsuits (my clients won, by the way). I was previously with a national firm where I was recognized as one of the top brokers nationwide. I’ve been a commercial real estate broker for 25 years and have a lot of experience with complex transactions. I do a lot more than just send out marketing emails and am glad for you to talk to some of my clients. You can call me at the number above or email me at dhuddleston at CREnashville.com

Experience and Success – I have represented sellers or buyers of 47 shopping centers, 23 office and flex properties, and 7 warehouses (over 9 million SF of buildings in 12 states), and 2,000 acres of development land. I’ve sold more commercial real estate in Cool Springs than anyone – 687,000 SF of buildings and 44 acres of undeveloped land. My database contains 10,000 commercial real estate contacts all over the U.S. I have recently sold properties that national firms weren’t able to sell – feel free to ask me about that.

Experience Matters – In commercial real estate, experience matters. I have evaluated hundreds of properties and negotiated hundreds of Letters of Intent and contracts. I’ve been through both good and bad markets. I know the right questions to ask and the things to avoid. If you are my client, I will be actively involved from start to finish, and, if you want me to, I can coordinate things like preparing a Letter of Intent and/or a contract, a boundary survey, selecting a closing agent, an environmental study, a geotechnical-soils report, a title commitment, and all the things that need to be done to get a sale or purchase closed. I have excellent relationships with the best consultants and attorneys, and can get the things done on time at a fair price. If I represent you, you can call me any time – days, nights or weekends.

Call Me if You Want to Talk – If you want to talk about selling or buying commercial real estate, call me at (615) 310-2547. I have done a lot of business over 25 years. I track commercial real estate deals in Nashville, Brentwood, Franklin, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, and the Middle Tennessee area.

I Can Help You if You are Buying or Selling  –  I can advise you and help you on everything related to buying or selling commercial real estate.

Seller Representation – If you are a Seller, you are probably looking for the highest price and a smooth Closing. I return calls and work with other brokers (some brokers don’t). I can help you negotiate offers and the contract, and if you want me to, I can read the contract and make comments – over 25 years I have read hundreds of contracts, Letters of Intent, and leases, and have seen a lot of mistakes that should be avoided. If you want a national company involved, no problem – I can co-list with a national firm and stay in charge so you get the results you want.

There are 5 questions to ask any prospective broker:

  1. How much experience do they have? You want a broker who has a track record of success with the type of property you are selling.
  2. Will they call other brokers and offer to share the commission? Most commercial brokers don’t. The way to get the best price is to find the qualified buyer who has the greatest desire to purchase your property. No broker has a relationship with all the best prospects, and who is the “best prospect” varies from time to time – you want a buyer who is motivated, capable, and will make buying your property a priority. Many buyers have a relationship with a broker who they trust or who is a relative, and that broker can either help get a deal done or can kill a deal – if a buyer has a broker, I will work with that broker to get them to motivate their client to buy your property. Before you hire a broker, ask them how they work with other brokers – if they tell you they don’t need other brokers you should beware. Are they willing to share the commission? Do they return broker’s phone calls? Some don’t.  Will they call other brokers? A mass email blast won’t do the job – I get dozens of those a day and sometimes the property isn’t even on the market – they keep sending the emails even after it is sold or when they don’t have a listing – that causes a loss of credibility and casts a cloud of suspicion over emails from that broker.
  3. Quiz them to see if they understand your property and how to market it. Ask for a marketing plan that describes how they will market your property and who they will target. Will they just send out repetitive emails and hope someone replies, or will they actually make calls? Ask them what they think are the main reasons a buyer will be interested in your property and why someone should buy it. You would be surprised by some of the emails and marketing packages I see that don’t emphasize a property’s main sales points or even give a prospect the information they need to determine if they are interested in a property – some do a terrible job of presenting a property and the result is that the Seller won’t get the highest price. Think about your property as if you are a buyer and you will know what I’m referring to. A “shotgun” approach of relying on mass market emails is the easiest way to market a property but it isn’t the best way to sell most properties. I’ve received 5 or 6 emails for some investment properties over a period of 6 months – that gives the impression that something is wrong with the property.  I think all some brokers do is get a listing, throw together some information, and start sending emails – a lot of times they don’t seem to understand the property and they don’t give a prospect a good reason to buy it or enough information to know if it is worth pursuing. Don’t be impressed by a thick marketing plan or thick sample packages – most are full of boilerplate information. A thick package can be counterproductive if the important sales points aren’t prominent. The advantages, reasons to buy your property and the obvious questions should be at the first, in simple language, so they can’t be missed.
  4. Ask who will be personally responsible for selling your property – not just a point of contact, but who will be personally responsible. Today, most large companies use “teams” so it looks like a lot of people will work on your property. That looks good but there is an old saying that “Everybody’s deal is nobody’s deal.” Usually, the junior person on the team will end up doing most of the work – that’s why they are on the team. In that situation, assume you are hiring the junior broker.
  5. How many listings do they have? If a broker has 20 listings, they are stretched thin if they are doing a good job. You want more attention than that – you don’t want a broker who just lists your property, puts up a sign, sends out an email once a week, and hopes a buyer comes along.

Buyer Representation – If you are a Buyer, you are looking for a property that meets your needs at a fair price, and you might want the best possible deal. You don’t want to make a mistake. I can analyze alternatives and do the market research that will help you make the best decision. I can help you interpret the research and evaluate a property’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Bottom line – I know what I’m doing and how to work with you, whether you are an individual or work for a large company. I add value and can save you time and help you get deals done. I do what I promise and do NOT drop the ball. As a Buyer Rep, the fact that I’m an independent is a plus because corporate baggage doesn’t get in my way, like it can at large firms. For example, you won’t have to worry about me getting pressured by the firm to steer you away from a property that a big client is interested in. I’ve always worked with other brokers and they know me and will work with me – they know that I’m a professional and that I won’t waste their time. I will work on either a commission basis or hourly as a consultant.

Land Brokerage – A good land broker has specialized knowledge. I have personally developed land and have sold over 2,000 acres of land to developers and end users. I understand BOTH the market AND the way a developer looks at land in terms of location, demographics, zoning (allowed uses, setbacks, open space requirements, etc.), utilities, visibility, accessibility, ingress/egress, drainage, topography, environmental issues, flood plain, impact fees, water/sewer tap fees, geotechnical, etc. I also understand the development approval process. To get the best price for land, it is necessary to understand the land and to be able to provide the information and answers a developer needs. I’ve sold land for retail, office, multi-family, senior living,  and single family. If you are a Seller, I will qualify buyers and help you structure a sale contract that has good language and  a performance schedule – I know the tricks buyer’s use to drag a contract out  and the things you should require the buyer to do – that will avoid wasting a lot of your time and money. If you are a Buyer, I will help you avoid wasting time and money because I know what I’m doing.

References and What to Expect – I am glad to give you references and answer questions. You will find me to be professional, courteous, and easy to work with. It takes a lot of hard work and skill to complete as many transactions as I have. I’m much better at this now than I was 20 years ago or even 10 years ago and I have access to the most important people in Nashville commercial real estate. In my 25 years as a commercial real estate broker, I’ve never been sued or sued anyone. The small photos on this page are some of the properties I have sold in the Brentwood, Cool Springs and Franklin areas.

You can call me at the number below or email me at dhuddleston at CREnashville.com