The CRE Authority Blueprint (Part 4) - "Tenant Rep" Trap: Why Representing Tenants is Hard (And How Video Brings Landlords to YOU)

Executive Summary

  • The Pain: You are burning gas on the 405, showing 20 buildings to a tenant who ends up renewing their current lease. You have zero leverage.
  • The Goal: "List to Last." You need to control the inventory.
  • The Solution: Use Voxel Labs to create "Owner-Centric" content that proves you understand Asset Value, not just space planning.

The CRE Authority Blueprint (Part 4)

The "Tenant Rep" Trap: Why Representing Tenants is Hard (And How Video Brings Landlords to YOU)

By Edwin Duterte & Jennifer Wolfe
Founders of The Donn Allan Experience


The Story So Far...

We are systematically dismantling the old way of brokering.

  • Episode 1: We killed the cold call.
  • Episode 2: We killed the pocket listing mindset.
  • Episode 3: We showed you how to make Cap Rates sexy using "Edu-tainment."

Now, we tackle the hardest job in the industry: Being a glorified tour guide for indecisive tenants.


The "Uber Driver" of Real Estate

If you are a Tenant Rep broker in the South Bay, we feel your pain. We really do.

You spend your days stuck in traffic on Sepulveda, driving to show a 5,000 sq ft flex space in Torrance. You buy lunch for the CEO. You draft five LOIs (Letters of Intent). You negotiate TI (Tenant Improvement) allowances until your eyes bleed.

And then? The tenant decides to "stay put" and renews with their current landlord. You get $0. You drove 500 miles for free.

This is the Tenant Rep Trap. You are chasing the market. You have no control. The Broker with the Listing has all the control.

You know the old saying: "You have to List to Last." But how do you get listings when every landlord already has a broker?

The Shift:

"How do I stop chasing tenants and start attracting landlords?"

The Voxel Answer: Stop creating content about "Space." Start creating content about "Value."

The Landlord's Psychology

Landlords don't care about "Office Vibe" or "Walk Scores." They care about NOI (Net Operating Income). They care about Asset Preservation. They care about Risk.

If your marketing (or your LinkedIn feed) is just pictures of empty offices saying "For Lease," you look like a commodity. You look like every other broker.

But imagine if you came to Voxel Micro Video Labs and recorded a series called: "The South Bay Landlord’s Playbook."

Topics That Hook Owners

Instead of filming a tour of a lobby (boring), you sit in our studio and deliver high-level strategy:

  • "How to Pass Through Operating Expenses in a Modified Gross Lease." (This saves the landlord money).
  • "The New Title 24 Energy Requirements in California: What Owners Need to Know." (This saves the landlord from lawsuits).
  • "Why 'Creative Office' Conversions in El Segundo are Failing (And What to Build Instead)." (This saves the landlord from bad capex).

When a landlord watches these videos, they don't see a "Salesperson." They see an Asset Manager. They see someone who understands their P&L statement.

The "Inbound Listing"

Here is the magic moment. A landlord in San Pedro is tired of his current broker, who only calls him once a year to ask for a renewal.

He sees your video on LinkedIn breaking down the new tax implications of Measure ULA. He realizes you are smarter than his current guy.

He calls you. "Hey, I saw your video. I have a 20,000 sq ft building coming up for lease. My current guy is lazy. Can you take a look?"

You just won a listing without a cold call. You won it by broadcasting your brain.

Why Production Value Equals Commission Value

Landlords are wealthy. They judge books by their covers.

If you record your market update in your car with a shaky hand, you look like a discount broker. If you record it at Voxel, with 4K cameras, professional lighting, and a backdrop that screams "Success," you look like a premium broker.

If you want to sell expensive buildings, you have to look expensive. Voxel is your instant upgrade.

Up Next in Episode 5: You are ready to target the owners. But there is a specific type of owner who is under massive pressure right now: The 1031 Exchange Buyer. They have a ticking clock and millions to spend. In the next post, we discuss "The 1031 Exchange Magnet" and how to target them.

Stop Driving. Start Listing.

The listing agent is the king of the hill. The tenant rep is the serf. It’s time to switch castles.

RECORD YOUR "LANDLORD SERIES" AT VOXEL

Attract the Assets.