Don’t just close, expand: The final step that multiplies a real estate deal’s value

In commercial real estate, we live for the close. The lease is signed, the escrow is funded, the commission check hits your account — and we’re on to the next one, right?

Not so fast.

After more than four decades in this business, I’ve learned that what you do after a deal closes can be just as important as what you did to get it there. That’s why the final step in my deal SEQUENCE — a framework I’ve developed over years of trial, error, and refinement — is something I call “Expand.”

Let me backup a step. SEQUENCE is an acronym I use to describe the entire commercial real estate transaction continuum: Source, Evaluate, Qualify, Under Contract, Execute, Negotiate & Close and Expand.

Each step builds on the previous one. But it’s that last piece — expand — where most brokers stop short.