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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Hunter Warner: 20 in Their 20s (Young & Prosperous)

Principal Lee & Associates, Sherman Oaks Age: 27 Deals he has brokered include Stratton And Sons’ Moving & Storage’s $6.6 million acquisition of land in Chatsworth for a new facility, a $4.6 million Burbank warehouse sale from Hechter Aircraft to awards show rehearsals entity CenterStaging and the $4.4 million sale of an industrial building in Sun Valley. He is often joined in transactions by his father, Lee & Associates Principal Brett Warner. Biggest Accomplishment: Achieving principal status at such a young age. I was fortunate enough to make principal after two years as an associate, which is the minimum time requirement under the Lee & Associates business model. Most Interesting Aspect of Job: People are the most interesting part of my job – small business owners to high net worth investors and everything in between. In my first deal, I represented a company that provided tea to restaurants and an elderly German immigrant who owned the building. These are just some of the types of people you get to meet in the brokerage world. Personality on the Job: I’ve always been a good talker with a sense of self-confidence. Being a young broker, I’m often required to create business relationships out of thin air, and these two traits have been a driving force in my success. Biggest challenge? Staying diligent when business is good. It becomes increasingly easier to take off a Friday when you have a considerable pipeline of business. Going through a slow period or two forces you to stay active when your pipeline is full.  Most Memorable Experience: The first sales I ever closed. This happened in the 11th month of my first year, and I closed three sales totaling $12 million in the same week. Prior to this, I was seriously questioning my career choice because things had been so slow. One of the buildings that I ended up selling began with me walking into the owner’s office and handing him my card as he responded: “I’ll put it in the stack with the other brokers.” I ended up getting the listing and selling the building.   Attraction to Career: The prospect of being my own boss. There is a huge amount of freedom. Also, the prospect that a single phone call or meeting could lead to great reward keeps everything exciting. Biggest Misconception About the Profession: Most people think being a broker is showing up to your office and taking calls from buyers and sellers simply because you have a real estate license. You often have to dig deep and hard to find a deal. It’s a daily grind. How This Generation is Different: Millennials are often afraid to pick up a phone and talk to someone. They prefer screens to speaking to someone face-to-face. We also don’t value relationships like older generations do. It’s value over relationships. This will change my business as more millennials enter the market, since brokerage has been a relationship business historically. Career Advice: Do not get discouraged when things are not going your way. As previously mentioned, my first sale didn’t close until the 11th month of my career, and had I quit before then, I wouldn’t be in the position I am now.

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